Rooney urges Chelsea players to take firm action against Maresca

Ex-football legend Wayne Rooney thinks Chelsea players need to raise concerns about Enzo Maresca’s squad rotation after the 2-2 draw with underdog Qarabag in the Champions League.

Recall that in the match against Qarabag, Enzo Maresca made as many as seven changes to the starting lineup, marking the fifth consecutive time he altered numerous positions since the season began. Seeing Maresca constantly rotate instead of maintaining a stable lineup for several matches, Rooney questioned the effectiveness of this approach.

Rooney’s view is as follows Rooney stated:“Every player wants to be on the pitch and build chemistry with teammates. That’s perfectly normal. But if the lineup keeps changing like this, they won’t be satisfied. Sooner or later, this will have consequences. And we have already seen that, haven’t we? If the team kept winning consistently, no one would complain, but when results start to decline, questions will definitely arise.”

The former Manchester United striker also urged the influential players in Chelsea’s dressing room to speak up and discuss the personnel policy with Maresca, especially given the team’s unstable form. In their last five matches across all competitions, Chelsea have won 3, drawn 1, and lost 1: “I think most teams nowadays have a leadership group within the squad. In their role, they must question the coach. People often talk about ‘player power,’ but this isn’t about that. If I were part of that group, I would tell my teammates: ‘I’m not happy with these constant lineup changes.’”

After the draw against Qarabag, Maresca defended his decisions despite doubts and criticism: “Selection is always based on the plan we believe is right. Chelsea started well, scored first, but conceded two goals, one when the opponent had only 10 men. Both goals could have been prevented. In the attacking third, we needed to be more decisive.”

Maresca also emphasized that the recent FIFA Club World Cup campaign forced him to rotate the squad frequently:“The goal was to rest Moises, Enzo, Malo [Gusto], and some other players. They can’t play a match every three days. The Club World Cup affected us a lot, so we had to rotate. When we win, no one says anything, but when we draw or lose, everyone focuses on criticizing it. We couldn’t predict Lavia’s injury. But when the unexpected happened, Chelsea responded promptly.”

Related article

Chelsea ‘snatches’ the next Real Madrid Galactico transfer Chelsea is targeting Nico Paz, a creative midfielder regarded by Real Madrid as the next ‘Galactico’ of the future. See more