Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has responded to criticism from former Manchester United forward Wayne Rooney over his rotation policy at the club.
No Premier League team has rotated more than Chelsea this season, as the Blues manager has made 85 lineup changes in all competitions, 16 more than second-placed Liverpool.
Following the shock 2-2 draw at Qarabag in the UEFA Champions League in midweek, Wayne Rooney had challenged the players to question their manager’s team selection amid frequent changes.
The England legend said; “The players want to play, they want to build relationships When you keep chopping and changing then the players won’t be happy. I think that will come back to bite them.
“If they are getting results all the time then you can’t question it but if they’re not, there has to be questions asked”, Rooney added.
In his prematch conference on Friday afternoon ahead of Chelsea’s clash against manager-less Wolves on Saturday night, Maresca defended his decision to constantly change his team.
“I already said many times that we are in an era where anyone can say what they want and I completely respect [it].
I also said after the Qarabag game that since I joined the club, it is also my view to rotate players. No one complains when you don’t win games; no one disagrees”, Maresca revealed.
Chelsea defeated Wolves 4-3 in the EFL Cup fourth round last month, leading to the dismissal of Vitor Pereira.
Sunderland shocked the Blues 2-1 in their last home outing in the league, a result they’ll hope to avoid
“When the rotation is Andrey Santos, Brazil international, Jorrel Hato, Netherlands international, Estevao, Brazil international – it’s not about rotation.
They are good, they are talented, they are young and when they are young, you have to give them the chances to make some mistakes to be better. The same happened in the past with Josh Acheampong”, the Italian added.
“But I understand that when you don’t win games, the problem is the rotation, or different things.”
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