Chelsea’s squad lineup for their Club World Cup clash against ES Tunis has triggered a hurricane of rage among the fans. The supporters have turned against head coach Enzo Maresca after he dropped some of his top players for the must-win game.
The Italian boss made some tactical changes following the 3-1 loss to Flamengo. However, most believe he has opted for a second-rate squad that could cause the club to miss the knockout stage.
Liam Delap will lead the attack with assistance from Christopher Nkunku and Noni Madueke. Enzo Fernandez will play at No. 10, supported by Kieran Dewsbury-Hall and Romeo Lavia in the midfield. Josh Achempong, Benoit Badiashile, Tosin Adarabioyo, and Malo Gusto form the back line ahead of goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen.
The fans were livid. The negative comments were no surprise, as some fans grumbled that the coach was deliberately allowing the team to lose. Bypassing some of his best players in Cole Palmer, Reece James, Pedro Neto, Moises Caicedo, and Marc Cucurella simply added fuel to the flames, as fans said:
“Worst right back in Chelsea history still playing every minute 😭😭😭😭. We don’t deserve this pain as fans.”
Worst right back in Chelsea history still playing every minute 😭😭😭😭. We don’t deserve this pain as fans
— Chelsea4Ever⭐️⭐️💙 (@Chelsea4everA) June 24, 2025
“What does Andrey Santos need to do to start 🤔 😕 😫 and I will pick Chalobah over Gusto at right back all day every day”
What does Andrey Santos need to do to start 🤔 😕 😫 and I will pick Chalobah over Gusto at right back all day every day
— Crypto Frank (@CryptoFrankkie) June 24, 2025
Other fans added:
“So does it mean Maresca trusts Dewsbury Hall more than Santos”
“Maresca wants to exit from this competition asap.”
“I am not sacrificing my sleep to be watching Gusto oh, it’s like Maresca is foolish”
“I can accept a lot of things but KDH over Santos is where I draw the line, goodnight!”
“Omo i don’t understand this lineup oh”
“this is what i’m supposed to sacrifice my sleep to watch?!!!”
Enzo Maresca Has Spoken About Chelsea Squad Rotation
Maresca explained his decisions during a pre-match press conference, mentioning that with the bad weather, it was necessary to rotate some players and that he wanted to keep them optimistic. However, the pressure cannot be greater.
Chelsea must win against Esperance to advance to the final 16 of the Club World Cup after being thrashed by Flamengo. Another bad result would be disastrous, both for qualification and for fan morale.