Chelsea remain fully behind head coach Enzo Maresca’s selection and rotation approach despite criticism following Wednesday’s 2-2 Champions League draw with Qarabag.
Maresca made seven changes to his lineup in Baku, prompting questions over whether he had gambled with the team selection. However, senior figures at the club view his strategy as essential for maintaining player fitness throughout a demanding season across four competitions.
Chelsea’s leadership believe their deep squad must be regularly rotated to avoid burnout, especially given the lack of a proper pre-season after last summer’s Club World Cup and the current injury list that includes Pedro Neto, Cole Palmer, Levi Colwill and Benoît Badiashile.
Maresca had planned to rest Moisés Caicedo and Enzo Fernández, both carrying minor knocks, but was forced to bring Caicedo on early after Roméo Lavia suffered a thigh injury. Despite the disruption, the club were satisfied with the reasoning behind Maresca’s decisions.
Internally, there is also an understanding that younger players such as Andrey Santos, Tyrique George, Jamie Gittens, and Jorrel Hato will only grow by playing in challenging games like this. Chelsea see the rotation policy as an investment in long-term squad development rather than a short-term risk.
Maresca’s close coordination with the club’s sporting directors has ensured alignment on workload management, with Reece James cited as a success story after remaining injury-free under careful monitoring.
While results have been mixed when rotating — including a draw with Brentford and wins over Ajax and Wolves — Chelsea’s board are determined to stay patient, confident that Maresca’s methods will deliver consistent success over time.
