Thursday’s briefing: Enzo Maresca rues Chelsea schedule and Phil Foden shines

Enzo Maresca bemoaned Chelsea’s elongated summer schedule after they dropped more points in the Champions League with a disappointing 2-2 draw at Qarabag.

It made the Blues the only English club to fail to win on matchday four, with Manchester City able to put Borussia Dortmund to the sword in a 4-1 win after Phil Foden’s brace.

Newcastle are a point behind Man City in sixth after Dan Burn and Joelinton scored to get the better of Athletic Bilbao.

Maresca pins blame for Chelsea’s inconsistency on summer excursions

Chelsea head coach Maresca said the Club World Cup is affecting his team selection following a 2-2 draw with Qarabag.

Maresca made seven changes and watched Qarabag go 2-1 up after goals by Leandro Andrade and Marko Jankovic cancelled out Estevao’s early strike.

Substitute Alejandro Garnacho’s second-half effort ensured Chelsea set off on the 2,500-mile trip from Azerbaijan back to England with a point, but it places them 12th in the table on seven points.

“The intention was to rest Moises (Caicedo), Enzo (Fernandez), Malo (Gusto) and more players. They are not able to play every three days,” Maresca said.

“The Club World Cup affected a lot. We tried to rotate. When we win, nobody mentions that but when we don’t, everyone is focused on that.”

Foden double moves Man City into strong position

Manchester City are up to fourth in the league phase of the Champions League after a Phil Foden double inspired them to a comfortable 4-1 victory over Borussia Dortmund.

Erling Haaland claimed his customary goal against his former club, but it was Foden who stole the headlines and enhanced his efforts to earn an England recall.

Waldemar Anton pulled one back late on for Dortmund, but home substitute Rayan Cherki completed the scoring in stoppage-time to move Man City onto 10 points from four games.

Foden told TNT Sports: “Yeah, loving it. Just need to play with a smile on my face, which I am doing.

“Obviously last year was tougher. Not just me myself, but everyone and there is a new togetherness this season.”

Dan delivers with overdue goal in important Magpies win

Dan Burn was delighted to pop up with another crucial goal to help Newcastle ease to a 2-0 triumph over Athletic Bilbao in the Champions League.

The defender and Carabao Cup hero from March produced another headed special as he nodded the Magpies in front with a powerful 11th-minute effort.

It was only the second goal Burn had scored since his Wembley heroics against Liverpool, but the 33-year-old acknowledged the importance of bouncing back after a poor display in defeat at West Ham on Sunday.

“We said we wanted to respond to the weekend performance and always knew we were going to turn up,” Burn reflected.

“I’ve been due one for a while and when the ball came in, I said I was going to head it as hard as I could and luckily it went in the far corner.”

Lazetic sad at lack of Tel Aviv fans for Villa Park clash

Zarko Lazetic was asked about the ban on Maccabi Tel Aviv fans travelling to Villa Park (Jacob King/PA)

Maccabi Tel Aviv manager Zarko Lazetic says it is sad his side’s supporters have been banned from attending the Europa League clash with Aston Villa.

The league phase match at Villa Park has become a major political issue after the Israeli club’s supporters were banned from attending due to fears over their safety.

The decision was made by Birmingham’s Safety Advisory Group, with Villa having no involvement, but it sparked a parliamentary-level debate as Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer called it “wrong”.

Lazetic was keen to keep the focus on the football but agreed it would have been better if his side had their allocation of around 2,000 supporters inside Villa Park.

Asked whether it was sad there will be an empty away section, Serbian Lazetic said: “Yeah, of course. Unfair or fair, in the world I am not one to judge that but on the pitch it is 11 against 11 and we will try to do our best.”

What’s on today?

Villa are one of several English clubs in European action on Thursday with Nottingham Forest at Sturm Graz for Europa League action.

Old Firm rivals Celtic and Rangers are also in the competition, with Martin O’Neil set for his first fixture in the tournament at FC Midtjylland since the 2003 UEFA Cup final whilst Roma are the visitors to Ibrox.

Crystal Palace, meanwhile, are set to host AZ Alkmaar in the Conference League.