We’ve seen manager feuds and manager rivalries over the years that glaringly heat up at times. Can’t blame them, the intensity of this game is such. We’ve also seen the other side of this, where managers praise and celebrate their opposition managers. Scott Parker has just done something like that. Burnley manager Scott Parker has praised the Chelsea side massively while also crediting Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca and his management.
Scott Parker praises Chelsea
It happened during the presser before the all-important weekend match between the Blues and Burnley, with Scott Parker representing his side Burnley in the press meet. After a question was asked regarding his opposition, Parker selflessly heaped praise on the Blue side of London. He started by simply saying, “Top team”, referring to Chelsea and their quality. โI see them as a top team that have got world-class football players and an outstanding coach. Itโs a tough game for us this weekend, which we understand, but yeah, I see them as being in and around it this year for sure. A very, very good team that structure their team in the way they play with huge quality that can make a difference.โ Parker continued talking to the press.
The most notable part of his statement is how he pointed out on Chelsea having an “outstanding coach” as you don’t regularly get to witness managers praising opposition managers. He has also insisted very clearly on how good Chelsea are. Describing their overall quality and tactical clarity, he has confirmed on how difficult this game is going to be for his side, Burnley.
Chelsea victorious
As if they were complementing Scott Parker’s words, the men in blue and Maresca did exceedingly well in the game as well. They convincingly beat Parker’s side and ended up winning 2-0 in the Saturday afternoon fixture. It was the usual suspects who turned up and made Chelsea victorious as they’ve done throughout this season, Enzo Fernandes and Pedro Neto. Both of them found the back of the net at Turf Moor, to the home fans’ disappointment and to the joy of the visiting Chelsea faithful.
It was Chelsea through and through for the complete 90 minutes, with Burnley managing to produce glimpses of attacking quality. Scott Parker’s side somehow had the ball nearly as much as Chelsea did, but unfortunately failed to materialize the possession into goals.
Scott Parker’s time at Burnley
Despite Scott Parker being a very promising, young manager, the results have barely been evident of it. Yes, Burnley aren’t necessarily the side one would expect to be finishing in the early parts of the table, but they sit 19th with relegation looking very likely. However, a spirited turnaround could be a real possibility if Parker somehow fuels his team to get better and produce spirited performances. Parker managed Tottenham‘s youth team, Fulham, Bournemouth, and Club Brugge before bagging the Burnley job.
The Author’s opinion
As already mentioned above, getting to witness a manager praising his opposition manager by calling him an “outstanding coach” isn’t a regular occurrence. So Scott Parker praising Maresca and Chelsea wasn’t just surprising, it was nice to see as well. We can have feuds and rivalries as they make the game more competitive, definitely, but a bit of respect between coaches before a game is nice to see as well.
Conclusion
Scott Parker wouldn’t be the happiest person after the result against Chelsea as he would’ve expected a bit more of a spirited performance from his side. However, considering the quality gap and funding gap between the two sides, results like these can be excused. Nevertheless, Enzo Maresca would be beaming with joy as he had received the compliment and the three points as well.
