-
Steve Nicol blasted Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca for comparing his father’s work ethic to Raheem Sterling and Axel Disasi.
-
He dismissed the remark as “nonsense” and urged fairer treatment.
-
The criticism has fueled debate over Maresca’s hard-line approach at Chelsea.
Steve Nicol, Liverpool legend blasted Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca for comparing the work ethic of his 75-year-old who’s a fisherman to that of Raheem Sterling and Axel Disasi.
Also Read: Enzo Maresca Slams Sterling and Disasi Over Commitment
ATTENTION: Click “HERE” to join our WhatsApp group and receive News updates directly on your WhatsApp!
Nicol said Maresca went too far and should handle the pair differently.
Chelsea sent Sterling to Aston Villa and Disasi to Arsenal on loan last season, but neither impressed enough to secure permanent moves.
The summer window closed and Chelsea kept both players, only for Maresca to tell them they would not play for him again.
He excluded them from first-team training and matchday routines.
Maresca, at his pre-match press conference before Chelsea’s defeat to Manchester United, said he had once been banished from a first team.
Nicol hit back and urged managers not to repeat the same error.
“I actually find Maresca’s comments [on Sterling’s treatment] garbage. How do you bring your dad into it?” – Nicol said on ESPN FC.
“Just because your dad’s a fisherman and gets up at 2 AM and works till 10, what’s that got to do with the price of bread? Shut up, what a load of nonsense. The fact that Maresca turns around and says, ‘I was in a similar situation’, that’s the very reason you don’t do that to those players. You know how bad it makes them feel.” – he added.
Steve Nicol says managers who want discipline should place players with the U23s or use formal channels, not public shaming.
He warned that exclusion can crush confidence and damage squad morale.
Supporters and pundits now question whether Maresca’s hard line will help Chelsea.
For now, criticism from Steve Nicol keeps the issue in the headlines and fuels debate about the manager’s approach.
