Maresca backs ‘stupid’ Delap to come good for Chelsea

Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca said Liam Delap has apologised for getting sent-off in Wednesday’s League Cup win at Wolves, which drew stinging criticism from his manager.

Maresca labelled the England under-21 international “stupid” and “embarrassing” for picking up two yellow cards in the space of just seven minutes after coming on as a substitute for his first appearance since August.

Chelsea held on to progress in a 4-3 thriller at Molineux but Delap is now suspended for Saturday’s trip to Tottenham in the Premier League.

“Straight after the game, in the changing room, he apologised to everyone,” said Maresca on Friday.

“I spoke with Liam, he knows everything, he’s aware of the situation, he knows that he made a mistake. Full stop. No more than that.”

Maresca said after the Wolves match that the 22-year-old “plays for himself” but clarified those comments as a mistranslation and backed Delap, who has scored just once since his £30 million ($40 million) move from Ipswich in June, to prove his worth.

“Liam, on the pitch, is more focused on his battle with the central defender than the rest. This was what I was trying to say after the Wolves game.” added Maresca.

“I know that Liam will be a fantastic player for us but there are some things, like the rest, that he needs to improve.”

Needless red cards have been a persistent feature in Chelsea’s season so far.

Maresca’s men have been reduced to 10 men in five of their last nine games and the Italian was also dismissed from the touchline for his celebrations of a late winner against Liverpool earlier this month.

“In this moment, we are trying to do everything to avoid these kind of situations. Hopefully we can learn and be better in the future,” said Maresca on his side’s disciplinary issues.

A 2-1 home defeat to Sunderland last weekend dropped the Blues to ninth in the Premier League table.

But they are just three points behind third-placed Tottenham ahead of their trip to north London.