Criticism was fired Enzo Maresca’s way after Chelsea’s defeat to Leeds United, with his team selection coming into question.
With Moises Caicedo suspended, Maresca decided to not start Reece James, Pedro Neto and Wesley Fofana despite impressing against both Barcelona and Arsenal.
The Blues were left to rue these decisions, and there was criticism of Tosin Adarabioyo’s performance at the back, with the recent statistics not in his favour.
Was Tosin Adarabioyo really that bad against Leeds?
Here’s what the stats say…
Minutes: 90
Tackles (won): 1 (1)
Interceptions: 1
Clearances: 12
Recoveries: 2
Aerial duels (won): 10 (8)
Accurate passes: 95/104 (91%)
Via Sofascore
Tosin Adarabioyo of Chelsea looks on prior to the Premier League match between Leeds United and Chelsea
Photo by Chris Lee – Chelsea FC/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
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One positive for the Blues was the return of Cole Palmer, with him coming off the bench as Chelsea chased a way back into things at Elland Road.
Leeds United v Chelsea - Premier League
Photo by Chelsea Football Club/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
Cole Palmer was supposed to start for Chelsea against Leeds
He wasn’t able to help them make the breakthrough, however there was a realistic possibility that Chelsea fans could have seen more than half an hour of their star man.
Simon Phillips has stated on his Substack that until very late on, Palmer was scheduled to start against Leeds, however a decision was made.
He said: “Palmer was introduced by Enzo Maresca on 60 minutes, with many wanting to see him brought on earlier than that to try and rescue something from the game.
“As expected, the attacker was a little bit rusty and did have a decent chance to score that he missed. He showed moments of light but overall, after so long out, it was what we expected really.
“SPTC Sources have learned though, that Palmer was down to START the game vs Leeds last night until very late on.
“We don’t know when the decision was taken to not start Palmer, or the reason why, but he was definitely due to start the game in the lead up to it throughout the day.
“Obviously he came on as a sub so there shouldn’t be any concerns about any further injuries or setbacks for him – but perhaps they just decided that it was not so wise to start him after all.”
Leeds United v Chelsea - Premier League
Photo by Daniel Chesterton/Offside/Offside via Getty Images
Chelsea’s precautions with Palmer are good news
Despite the obvious desperation to have Palmer back in the fold, the decision to be cautious with his comeback is certainly a good thing for Chelsea.
Blues fans only need to look at the progress made by Reece James over the last 12 months when he has been eased back into action.
Chelsea have a number of these issues at hand, and are trying to do the same with Fofana. He was not in the squad at all to face Leeds.
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