Wayne Rooney has urged Chelsea players to reconsider Enzo Maresca’s selection strategy following their 2-2 draw with Qarabag in the Champions League.
On Wednesday night, Maresca made seven changes to the starting line-up, continuing a trend where he has altered the team for five consecutive matches.
“The players want to compete and develop connections,” the former England captain remarked on the Wayne Rooney Show. “Frequent changes can lead to discontent among players. That may come back to haunt them.”
“If they were consistently winning, there would be no room for questioning. However, when results aren’t going their way, it raises concerns.”
Rooney emphasized the need for Chelsea’s leadership group to challenge Maresca’s choices in light of recent performances. In their last five fixtures, Chelsea has achieved three victories, drew with Qarabag, and suffered a loss to newly-promoted Sunderland.
“Most teams have a leadership group in place, and it’s important for them to question the manager,” he added. “Some might label it ‘player power,’ but that’s not what this is about.”
“If I were part of that leadership group, I’d be having discussions with my teammates and expressing my dissatisfaction with the situation.”
In response to the Champions League draw, Maresca defended his team selection choices. “We always choose players based on the game plan we believe is the right approach,” he stated.
“We started well and scored first, but then we conceded two goals, including one when they were down to ten men. We need to be more clinical in their box. Those goals could have been avoided.”
Maresca attributed his rotation strategy partly to Chelsea’s successful run to the Club World Cup. “The goal was to rest Moises, Enzo, Malo [Gusto], and other key players. They can’t perform every three days, especially with the Club World Cup’s impact weighing heavily on the team,” he explained.
“When we win, nobody raises concerns about this approach, but when we don’t, it becomes the main focus.”
– Chelsea’s Maresca stands by squad rotation after Qarabag draw
– Report: Estêvão, Garnacho find the net as Chelsea draws with Qarabag
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Additionally, Rooney acknowledged he might have been “harsh” regarding Virgil van Dijk after claiming the Liverpool defender had “downed tools” after signing a new contract with the Premier League champions.
In a response on Tuesday, Van Dijk addressed Rooney’s comments following Liverpool’s win over Real Madrid, where Rooney appeared as a pundit. “I feel that the comment about signing a new deal and then letting things slide was a bit… but that’s just my opinion,” he stated.
In response, Rooney admitted, “I might have been a bit unfair, as I don’t know him personally.” However, he maintained that his comments stemmed from what he observed and felt. “Van Dijk holds himself to high standards. When he reviews his performances this season, he’d likely acknowledge that they haven’t met his usual benchmarks.”