StadiumPosts Logo
Stay upto date with notifications from Stadiumposts
Notifications can be managed in browser preferences

ENZO MARESCA RESPONDS TO ROONEY’S CLAIMS, CHELSEA MANAGER DEFENDS AUTHORITY STRONGLY

Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca defends his high rotation policy after criticism from Wayne Rooney. Maresca insists squad changes are essential for a modern, physically demanding schedule.

Enzo Maresca responds to Rooney’s claims, Chelsea manager defends authority strongly
Maresca has publicly defended his decision to rotate his team every week - Credit: Getty

In the face of Wayne Rooney's criticism of the Chelsea manager, Enzo Maresca has defended his choice to rotate his team.

The Blues players should "challenge" their manager's personnel choices, according to the Manchester United veteran.

For the West London team's most recent Champions League away match against Qarabag, a staggering seven changes were made to the starting lineup.

Up to seven changes were made to the starting lineup for the fifth consecutive game.

Premier League leaders Arsenal have rotated the third-most players (67), while Maresca has made an incredible 85 changes so far this season, 16 more than second-place Liverpool.

As part of Chelsea's sports strategy, talkSPORT is aware that the club's management is pushing Maresca to move up his team.

Rio Ferdinand renders a decision regarding Wayne Rooney's return to managerial duties.

The owners and sporting directors of Chelsea agree that it is a good method to hone the team and guarantee a wide range of possibilities for the upcoming season, which the Blues intend to contend for on all fronts.

Rooney thinks the players will not be pleased with their stop-start game time, even though the club has no problem with the squad rotations.

Is Roo being serious?


"The players want to play, they want to develop relationships," he stated on the Wayne Rooney Show.

"The players will not be pleased if you keep cutting and altering. That will probably backfire on them.

"You can not question it if they consistently get results, but you have to ask questions if they don't."

"Most teams now have a leadership group, and as a group you have to go and challenge the manager," Rooney continued. This is not "player power," despite what you hear about it.

"If the team continued to change, I would be worried. I would be expressing to my teammates, "Look, I am not happy with this," if I were in that [leadership] group.

In response to the former England international's remarks, Maresca has now contested his viewpoint during his pregame press conference before Saturday's Chelsea vs. Wolves match, which will be broadcast live on talkSPORT.

He said: "I have said it a lot: we live in a period when everyone can say whatever they want. I have the utmost respect for [it].

"I also stated, following the Qarabag game, that I believe in rotating players ever since I joined the team. When you do not win games, nobody gets upset or disagrees.

"It is not about rotation when the rotation includes Andrey Santos, a Brazilian international, Jorrel Hato, a Netherlands international, and Estevao, a Brazilian international.

"They are young, talented, and good, and you have to allow them to make mistakes to improve. Josh Acheampong experienced the same thing in the past.

"However, I am aware that the rotation or other factors are the issue when you do not win games."

Maresca went on, "I believe that the brutality and intensity of football are a little different now than they were years ago.

"I personally do not think I can play in the Premier League, Champions League, or 65 games a season with the same guys.

"In the past, football was different. It was not as physical when I played for 20 years, but it has since altered. You must rotate.

WHY WAS COLE PALMER SUBBED? THE REAL REASON BEHIND THE STAMFORD BRIDGE BOOS

Fans booed as Cole Palmer was subbed in Chelsea's draw with Bournemouth. Learn why Maresca was absent and what’s next for the Blues.

top-news
Managing Cole Palmer’s return

After Chelsea's 2-2 tie with Bournemouth, assistant coach Willy Caballero defended the choice to sub off Cole Palmer, even though fans at Stamford Bridge were angry about Enzo Maresca's move.

Fans booed, yelling, You don't know what you're doing! when Palmer—who'd been one of the team's better players—was taken out in the 63rd minute. The home team was trying to score and break their bad Premier League streak at the time.

Chelsea has only won one of their last seven league games. Caballero said afterward that head coach Enzo Maresca, who wasn't there for the post-game interviews due to illness, is still a role model for everyone at the club.

Still, the pressure is on the coach after yet another result slipped away. Chelsea has now lost 13 points at home from winning positions.

The mood got especially sour when Palmer, who just came back from an injury, was taken off in the second half.

Every fan wants the best players on the field, Caballero said. We do, too. But Cole is coming back from a long injury. So we have to figure out the best substitutions to win the game while also keeping our players healthy. We need them for the entire season.

Caballero said about Maresca's absence, "He hasn't been feeling well for the past two days." He had a fever two days ago. He did the last two practices because he wanted to get the team ready. But after the game, he went to the locker room and asked me to fill in because he wasn't feeling well.

He's handling it well and is very professional. He puts in a lot of hours every day, even when he wasn't feeling well the last two days. He loves to train and coach. He's a role model for me and the rest of the staff.

Bournemouth took the lead after six minutes when David Brooks scored on his second try after Robert Sanchez made a save. Then, Palmer scored a penalty to tie the game for Chelsea.

Next, Enzo Fernandez put the home team ahead, but the Blues couldn't hold on to their lead again. Justin Kluivert tied the score before halftime after Chelsea failed to handle a long throw-in from Antoine Semenyo.

There's been a lot of talk that this would be Semenyo's last game for Bournemouth before he moves to Manchester City soon. Before leaving the field, he seemed to say goodbye to the fans who had traveled to see the game.

Still, head coach Andoni Iraola was sure he'd play against Arsenal on Saturday.

It's not his last game here with us, he said. I can't say for sure, but I think he'll play.

He needs to rest. We've played two tough games in three days. We have Arsenal at home, so we're getting ready for another one, a tough game against the leaders. He's going to be important for us.

BREAKING: ENZO MARESCA SKIPS MEDIA AS CHELSEA CRISIS DEEPENS! GET THE HEALTH UPDATE

Enzo Maresca missed the post-match media due to a fever after Chelsea's 2-2 draw. Willy Caballero provides an urgent update on his health.

top-news
Chelsea's winless run continues as Maresca falls ill

Enzo Maresca skipped media interviews after Chelsea's 2-2 tie with Bournemouth because he was sick.

The Blues coach was supposed to chat after his team snagged a point against Bournemouth at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday night.

But right before he was about to talk about the game, news dropped that Maresca wasn't feeling good.

So, his assistant, Willy Caballero, stepped in to handle things in west London.

Caballero shared an update on Maresca: He's been under the weather for a couple of days, Caballero said. He had a fever two days ago.

After the game, he went to the locker room and asked me to fill in for him since he wasn't feeling well.

Caballero was asked if he'd be in charge against Manchester City on Sunday, like he was against Villa during Maresca's suspension.

"I'm not sure," he said. I just want Enzo to get better. I think he'll be fine in a day or two.

The draw with Bournemouth means Chelsea has only won one of their last seven Premier League games.

Fans were clearly annoyed during the second half when Cole Palmer was subbed out for Joao Pedro.

Palmer just got back to playing regularly after a groin injury, but some Chelsea fans wondered why he was taken out.

About the boos, Caballero said, "Of course, every fan wants their best players on the field, and so do we."

But Cole is coming off a long injury, so we have to figure out the right subs for the game and also look out for our players since we didn't have him for a while.

Chelsea and Bournemouth had a boring 0-0 draw in their previous match earlier in the month.

But the game at Stamford Bridge was totally different, with Bournemouth taking the lead early on through David Brooks.

Palmer leveled the score with a penalty, and then Enzo Fernandez blasted a shot into the top corner to put Chelsea ahead.

But Chelsea failed to defend a long throw for the second time, allowing Justin Kluivert to score for Bournemouth.

After playing City, Chelsea will face their west London rivals Fulham before an FA Cup game away against Charlton Athletic.

Premier League Standings

WhatsApp Read More News