The echoes of Chelsea’s hard-fought 2-1 victory over Lincoln City in the Carabao Cup third round on September 23, 2025, had barely faded when whispers of a heated confrontation emerged from the away dressing room at Sincil Bank. Reports circulating among journalists and club insiders paint a picture of head coach Enzo Maresca losing his cool with three key starters, accusing them of being “too easy to break down” and directly blaming their lapses for nearly costing the Blues a humiliating early exit. “I don’t even understand what those three came here to play tonight!” Maresca was overheard shouting, according to sources close to the post-match inquest, his Italian accent sharpening with frustration as he pointed fingers at the trio’s inability to handle Lincoln’s physical, long-ball barrage. For a manager already navigating a turbulent week—marked by a Champions League defeat to Bayern Munich and a Premier League loss to Manchester United—this outburst underscored the mounting pressure on a squad riddled with injuries and inconsistency.
The targets of Maresca’s ire? Enzo Fernández, Andrey Santos, and Facundo Buonanotte, the midfield engine room that started in a rotated lineup designed to preserve legs ahead of a crucial Premier League clash with Brighton. Fernández, the £107 million World Cup winner, was particularly in the crosshairs. The Argentine, who has started every competitive match this season despite visible fatigue, was guilty of several misplaced passes in the first half, allowing Lincoln’s Rob Street to pounce for the opener. Maresca, known for his Pep Guardiola-inspired possession tactics, reportedly slammed Fernández for “switching off” during transitions, leaving the defense exposed to the Imps’ relentless long throws—a tactic that exploited Chelsea’s high line and nearly led to a second goal when Lewis Montsma’s header cannoned off the post. “You’re supposed to dictate the game, not crumble under a bit of pressure from League One!” Maresca fumed, per eyewitness accounts leaked to The Athletic. Fernández, who has been nursing a nagging calf issue, cut a dejected figure, his post-match interview skipped in favor of a quiet retreat to the team bus.
Santos, the 21-year-old Brazilian loanee making just his third start, fared little better in the manager’s eyes. Thrust into a holding role alongside Fernández, the Flamengo academy product struggled to shield the back four, committing three fouls in the opening 20 minutes and earning a yellow card for a clumsy challenge on Lincoln’s Joe Walsh. Reports suggest Maresca accused him of being “too lightweight,” a damning verdict for a player hyped as the “next Casemiro” upon his January arrival. Buonanotte, the Brighton loanee deployed as a No. 10, drew the harshest words for his lack of end product; despite completing 85% of his passes, the 20-year-old Argentine failed to unlock Lincoln’s compact defense, registering zero shots on target in a half where Chelsea mustered just one effort overall. “Easy to break down—that’s what they made us look like,” Maresca reportedly told the group, gesturing at the trio. “You cost us tonight; we were lucky to scrape through.” The half-time triple change—Dewsbury-Hall, Madueke, and Essugo coming on—sparked the comeback, with the substitutes scoring within six minutes of the restart to seal progression, but the damage was done.
This isn’t the first time Maresca’s passion has boiled over. The 45-year-old, in his first season at Stamford Bridge after guiding Leicester to promotion, has cultivated a reputation as a “quiet storm”—methodical in public but fiercely demanding behind closed doors. Just last week, after the 3-1 Bayern loss, he was seen in a tense one-on-one with Reece James over tactical lapses, and his half-time triple sub against Brentford earlier in the month was a public admission of selection errors. Yet, this Lincoln incident feels more personal, amplified by the context of Chelsea’s injury crisis. With Wesley Fofana stretchered off after just one minute—clashing with Filip Jørgensen on a long throw—the manager was already down to the bare bones. Cole Palmer (groin), Levi Colwill (knee), Marc Guiu (thigh), and long-term absentees like Benoît Badiashile and Romeo Lavia left Maresca short on options, forcing reliance on youth and loanees. “We’re walking a tightrope,” he admitted in his pre-match presser, warning that cup ties against lower-league sides are where complacency kills. Tonight, that tightrope frayed, and the three players bore the brunt.
Club sources indicate the dressing room fallout was contained but intense, with Maresca later pulling Fernández aside for a calmer debrief, emphasizing the need for mental resilience amid a grueling schedule. The Argentine captain nodded solemnly, later posting a cryptic Instagram story: a photo of the Sincil Bank pitch with the caption “Lessons learned. Stronger tomorrow.” Santos and Buonanotte, both young and eager to impress, were said to have absorbed the criticism constructively, with the latter tweeting: “Tough night, but we fight on. #CFC.” Teammates rallied around them; Noni Madueke, who netted the winner, was overheard defending the starters, saying, “We all share the load—head up, lads.” Maresca, ever the pragmatist, downplayed the drama in his official press conference, focusing instead on the positives: “We showed character to come back. That’s what matters in cups.” But off-record, he confided to assistants that the midfield fragility “can’t happen again,” hinting at potential reshuffles for Brighton, where Moisés Caicedo—another injury doubt—could return to anchor.
The episode has sparked debate among Chelsea’s fanbase, already divided over Maresca’s rotation policy. On forums like Reddit’s r/chelseafc, threads exploded with takes: “Enzo’s right—Fernández has been off since the Copa,” one user vented, while others decried the “toxic” outburst, arguing it risks alienating loanees like Santos. Pundits weighed in too; Gary Neville on his podcast called it “a wake-up call,” praising Maresca’s fire as reminiscent of José Mourinho’s intensity, while Jamie Carragher sympathized: “League One teams smell blood—those three were naive, but Enzo’s got to manage the minutes better.” With the fourth-round draw imminent and a Premier League run-in against Southampton and Tottenham looming, this could be a pivotal moment. Will Maresca’s tough love forge a steelier midfield, or fracture a squad already stretched thin?
For Fernández, Santos, and Buonanotte, the message was clear: in Maresca’s Chelsea, excuses don’t cut it. “Too easy to break down” isn’t just criticism—it’s a blueprint for survival. As the Blues lick their wounds and plot their resurgence, one thing’s certain: the quiet storm is brewing, and no one’s safe from its gale.
