Enzo Maresca firmly defended his rotation policy against Wayne Rooney’s criticism, asserting that changes are vital for player development and navigating a physically demanding season.
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has strongly defended his extensive rotation policy after Wayne Rooney claimed that senior Blues players are privately questioning the frequent changes to the starting XI.
Maresca, who has made a league-high 85 changes across 16 matches this season, faced renewed scrutiny following Chelsea’s 2-2 Champions League draw against Qarabag, a match where he made seven alterations.
Speaking to reporters, Maresca insisted the rotation is necessary for player welfare and to navigate a congested fixture list, which was significantly lengthened by the Club World Cup.
“I think I tried to explain already many times, the intention was to rest Moises, Enzo, Malo and more players,” Maresca stated.
“They are not able to play every three days. The Club World Cup affected a lot. We tried to rotate. When we win, nobody mentions that but when we don’t, everyone is focused on that.”
However, according to Rooney, who spoke on his own show, the lack of consistency is a source of frustration within the squad. Rooney urged senior figures like captain Reece James to challenge the manager.
“The players want to play, they want to build relationships,” the former England captain said. “When you keep chopping and changing then the players won’t be happy. I think that will come back to bite them.”
Rooney further suggested that this lack of consistency would only be acceptable if results were perfect: “If they are getting results all the time, then you can’t question it, but if they’re not, there have to be questions asked.”
Chelsea’s hierarchy reportedly supports Maresca’s approach as a long-term strategy for squad management.