Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has come under fierce criticism from former Liverpool defender Steve Nicol for his team selection following a damaging 3-1 defeat to Leeds United at Elland Road.
Rotation Backfires for Blues
The loss on Wednesday night came just days after Chelsea had bolstered their Premier League title hopes with a resilient 1-1 draw away to leaders Arsenal, a match they finished with ten men. However, any momentum from that result evaporated as Daniel Farke's Leeds secured only their third league win of the season.
Maresca, whose side now sit nine points behind Arsenal, made five changes to his starting line-up. Key players Pedro Neto, Reece James, Malo Gusto, and Wesley Fofana all dropped to the bench, while Moises Caicedo was suspended.
'It Makes No Sense At All' - Nicol's Fury
Speaking on ESPN, Steve Nicol was left baffled by the Italian's decision to break up a team that had performed so well against the Gunners. The pundit highlighted Maresca's record of making the most changes of any Premier League manager this season.
'No team is going to put a run of 12, 13 wins together like City did when you keep continually changing the team every time it steps on the field,' Nicol stated. 'How are you expected to keep your standards up when you’re making all these changes? It makes no sense at all.'
He specifically questioned the logic of leaving Neto and James out from the start. 'How about you start Reece James and Pedro Neto, and when you see them look as though they are a little bit tired, then you take them off,' he argued. 'Do it the other way round – don’t bring them on for the last half an hour when it’s too late.'
Fitness Concerns vs. Momentum
Maresca's caution with James stems from the captain's well-documented injury history. The Englishman had started consecutive games against Barcelona and Arsenal prior to the Leeds match.
However, former Chelsea midfielder Craig Burley believes the manager is being overly protective. 'I know he’s had a lot of injuries, but not recently,' Burley said. 'He looks back to peak fitness, he looks sharp... You have got to put some momentum and a run of results together. And you’re unlikely to do that if you’re leaving your best players out. Chelsea are not good enough to leave their best players out.'
In his post-match comments, Maresca defended his approach, citing an impossible fixture schedule. 'Again, because we change players, because we have players that for them it’s not possible to play every two, three days,' he explained. 'We cannot use them every game. It’s impossible, because otherwise they can get injured again and be out for months.'
Chelsea will aim to return to winning ways in their next Premier League fixture, an away trip to face Bournemouth at the weekend.
