Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca has revealed that he wants his squad 'to feel upset' ahead of Saturday's Premier League fixture at Aston Villa.
The Blues will make the trip to the West Midlands sitting in sixth position in the standings and just four points adrift of third-placed Nottingham Forest.
However, Chelsea have been in dismal form since December 22, prevailing from just three of their 11 matches in all competitions.
As well as suffering back-to-back defeats at Brighton & Hove Albion in the FA Cup and top flight, the West Londoners have been hampered by injuries in key areas of the pitch.
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Maresca demanding a response
Despite sitting four points ahead of Villa in the table, Chelsea are the clear underdogs ahead of facing opposition who earned a 2-2 draw with leaders Liverpool last time out.
Speaking at a press conference on Friday, Maresca suggested that he did not want to see many smiles around the training facilities as his squad look to get back on track.
The Italian told reporters, as quoted by football.london: "The team spirit in this moment has to be upset in terms of they have to be upset.
"We have to be upset because we are not happy with the results. We are all aware we are in a club where we are not here to survive, but to fight to win titles.
"They are the same players that for 19-20 games were top four, second for the most part of the season. For sure, after this moment, they are going to be better players and better professionals."
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"One of the best managers"
When quizzed on the achievements of Villa in recent seasons, Maresca was quick to heap praise on opposite number Unai Emery, someone who he described as "one of the best managers" in the world.
He added: "They are, since the new project with Emery, doing fantastic. This season, you can see, even in the Champions League they finished in the first eight which is an unbelievable achievement for them. And they are fighting to finish top four also this season.
"The team is very good; they know clearly the way they want to play on and off the ball and the manager is probably one of the best managers."
Maresca's only experience of facing Emery is Chelsea's 3-0 victory over Villa back in December, yet both sides will line up in different ways on Saturday.
Both teams will be missing at least three players from the starting lineups from that occasion, with Villa also having the likes of Marco Asensio, Donyell Malen and Marcus Rashford in their ranks after their recent transfers.
Darren Plant
