Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has publicly expressed a significant regret over his team selection following the Blues' disappointing midweek defeat, potentially signalling a change for their upcoming Premier League fixture.
Maresca's Admission After Leeds Defeat
Speaking at his pre-match press conference on Friday, Maresca pointed to one key decision he got wrong during Chelsea's 3-1 loss to Leeds United at Elland Road on Wednesday night. The defeat halted a promising run of form that had included a 3-0 victory over Barcelona and a 1-1 draw with league leaders Arsenal, results which had propelled talk of a title challenge.
"One of the regrets I have after the game is I didn't play with Josh [Acheampong]," Maresca stated candidly. The Italian coach explained his initial reasoning, citing Leeds's direct style. "Analysing them, we saw that most of the time they were playing long ball for [Dominic] Calvert-Lewin, for [Lukas] Nmecha. And so we preferred physicality to win aerial duels. But even with that, we lost most of them."
Defensive Rotation Backfires
The midweek loss was marked by a heavily rotated defence that drew strong criticism. Maresca had dropped Wesley Fofana and Reece James, moving Trevoh Chalobah to right-back. The new centre-back partnership of Tosin Adarabioyo and Benoit Badiashile struggled, with Badiashile substituted at half-time. The situation worsened when substitute Malo Gusto and Tosin combined to gift Leeds their decisive third goal.
This context makes Maresca's regret over 19-year-old academy graduate Josh Acheampong particularly telling. The defender has made nine appearances this season, with five starts, but has not featured in the Premier League since a loss to Sunderland in October.
Hint at Bournemouth Line-Up and Experience Debate
Maresca strongly hinted that Acheampong could be in line for a recall against Bournemouth on Saturday. "I think the Bournemouth match will be a similar game to Leeds," he said, acknowledging the Cherries' intensity. "They are intense, Leeds was very intense. I think I said after the game that they were better than us in all the aspects and hopefully we can learn from that."
The head coach also forcefully dismissed suggestions that his team's inexperience was to blame for the setback. "We always talk about experience when we drop points," Maresca argued. "When we beat Barcelona, we drew against Arsenal, no one was mentioning about experienced players... I think the reason why we didn't win against Leeds is not because of the experience, it's because we were not good enough."
He pointed to the performance of his most experienced player on the pitch as proof. "Who is the oldest one for us on the pitch? Who was? Tosin. Did he play good? So, it's not about experience. It's about that 11 players, they were not good enough."
All eyes will now be on the team sheet at the Vitality Stadium to see if Maresca acts on his stated regret and gives the promising Acheampong a chance to solidify Chelsea's defence.
