LONDON: Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has responded to John Terry’s criticism of the rotation of players during the defeat to Leeds.
In his statement ahead of the match against Bournemouth this weekend, Maresca said: “We are looking into why our performance was not satisfactory against Leeds.
“I don’t know if the solution is to have 12 or 14 players and the others only play a few minutes.
“We’re trying to understand if you can play every two or three days with the same 11 players, I don’t know. This is the hardest thing for me this season.”
Chelsea legend Terry previously lashed out at Maresca on social media, claiming a lack of experience and player rotation were affecting the team’s performance at Leeds, and suggested a fixed starting line-up.
Maresca stressed that players such as captain Reece James and key defender Wesley Fofana need to have their playing minutes controlled due to injury history.
He also admitted that the substitutes are not on par with the main players. “Andrey, unfortunately, is not Moi. Tosin is not Wes. They are different. If I say Andrey is like Moi, that would be a lie,” he said.
Regarding the defeat to Leeds, Maresca stressed the problem was not lack of experience.
“We always talk about experience when we drop points. When we win against Barcelona or draw with Arsenal, nobody talks about experienced players.
“We have experienced players, but they are not playing. Who is the oldest on the pitch? Tosin. Is he playing well?” asked the manager.
Maresca also stressed that although some substitutes performed less than satisfactory, his rotation policy was praised for ensuring that key players like James were in the best physical condition.
Chelsea’s board of directors and sporting director fully supported the manager’s decision despite fan criticism of the replacement.
The 42-year-old manager also stressed that his team will continue to develop young players and has no plans to sign new players in the January transfer window.