Enzo Maresca reminded Chelsea players of expectations after poor training effort

Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca said his players were left “aware of the standards” he expects after a planned day off was cancelled due to a poor showing in training.

With many of the squad away on international duty, Maresca was left with a small pool with which to work and was unhappy with the efforts shown last Wednesday during an informal match against one of the club’s youth sides.

In response the group was called in to work the following day rather than having the Thursday off, but Maresca played down the significance of scotching the rest day in preference for an extra session.

“It was a normal session with the boys, not about punishment or making them run,” he said.

“The day after they are completely aware of the standards of the day before. Everyone was here laughing. Nothing that from outside you can see but inside wasn’t nothing different.”

Maresca’s exacting standards have been a theme of his public comments since taking over at Stamford Bridge in June, with his attitude towards winning understood to have been a factor in persuading Chelsea’s owners and sporting directors to take a chance on the former Leicester boss.

In December he was critical of Noni Madueke for his attitude in training and during the 5-1 win away at Southampton, while the winger was also dropped for the 3-0 win at home to Aston Villa.

Maresca also sought to take action against the team’s recent poor form by calling a meeting of around a hundred club staff in order to impress upon the players the sheer number of people who are working to help them succeed.

“I like the big picture,” he said. “It was the international break, no official game, not many players. The game we had against the second team, we had two or three players from them play with us because we didn’t have the numbers.

“In terms of high standards, it was not right. So we took the decision the day after to work. It’s not an official game, you have seven or eight players, the day after is off so you are thinking it’s already off. But it’s not off, tomorrow is off not today. Today you have to do the right job.”

Both Madueke and Nicolas Jackson are likely to start against Tottenham at Stamford Bridge on Thursday having missed the last two months through injury, while Cole Palmer is also set to return after missing March’s defeat to Arsenal.

However, Romeo Lavia has suffered another setback in his rehabilitation and will not feature, meaning Maresca will be forced to stick with Enzo Fernandez in his less-favoured holding midfield role.

“It’s unfortunate for him (Lavia), it’s sad,” said Maresca. “Players train every day because they want to play. He’s had more problems, it’s not something big or important. We can have him back in a short time.

“When you have injuries you probably need to go again with the same players, which in this moment is not the best solution. But if you have injuries you have to try to find solutions.”