Enzo Maresca has explained why he decided to substitute Josh Acheampong in Chelsea’s 2-1 defeat to Sunderland last weekend.
The 19-year-old is the Blues’ most in-form central defender at the moment, and the decision to take him off during the game against Regis Le Bris’ side has been scrutinised.
Acheampong’s withdrawal proved costly, as his replacement Tosin Adarabioyo played a huge role in Sunderland’s winning goal.
However, it looks like Maresca had no choice but to substitute the England Under-21 international.
Enzo Maresca of Chelsea during a press conference
Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
Josh Acheampong taken off in Chelsea’s 2-1 loss to Sunderland because of cramp
Chelsea’s next match is a fourth round Carabao Cup tie against Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux.
In the build-up to that game, Maresca told journalist Bobby Vincent and other reporters that Acheampong was taken off in the loss to Sunderland because of cramp.
Since being brought into the starting XI, Acheampong has performed very well for Chelsea, helping them to beat Liverpool and Nottingham Forest.
Again, had the Chelsea academy product not been replaced by Adarabioyo, the Club World Cup winners would probably not have lost the match.
Chelsea have extremely high hopes for Acheampong, and it has not been hard to see why over these past few weeks.
Josh Acheampong of Chelsea and Wilson Isidor of Sunderland slide into each other
Photo by Jacques Feeney/Offside/Offside via Getty Images
Josh Acheampong likely to be rested for Wolves
Wolves in the League Cup is the kind of game that Chelsea fans would have expected Acheampong to play in this season.
However, Acheampong has become so important for Maresca that he is now likely to be rested for it ahead of Chelsea’s Premier League clash against Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday.
Instead, the Chelsea manager will probably go for a centre-back partnership of Adarabioyo and Wesley Fofana, who are both behind Acheampong in the pecking order at Stamford Bridge presently for different reasons.
Whoever starts at the back at Molineux, Chelsea will be expected to win, with Wolves in dire form right now. Vitor Pereira’s men are currently bottom of the Premier League table after failing to pick up a single victory so far this season.