Before Chelsea got an all-important win over Everton on Saturday, Gary Lineker shared an interesting conversation he had with an irate Chelsea fan.
It’s funny how much the mood at a club can change after 90 minutes of football.
Chelsea got the job done convincingly with a 2-0 win over the Toffees courtesy of goals from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.
The Chelsea XI fielded against Everton was fit for purpose. It’s as if Enzo Maresca heard what Lineker’s taxi driver had to say.
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Gary Lineker got an earful from Chelsea fan about Enzo Maresca’s rotation
There’s no denying that Maresca was somewhat at fault for Chelsea’s recent slump.
Many fans were voicing their frustration at what they saw as excessive changes to the lineup. It was backed up by the numbers too, with Maresca changing things up more than any Premier League manager this season.
That’s what Lineker’s cab driver — well, two different cab drivers — said to him earlier this week.
Enzo Maresca managing Chelsea in the Champions League
Photo by Isabella Bonotto/Anadolu via Getty Images
On the latest episode of The Rest Is Football, he recalled: “It’s funny. I’ve spent all day in London moving around and I think two cab drivers, both Chelsea fans, both said pretty much the same thing.
“Why does he keep changing everything so much every game?”
Maresca has been adamant that he hasn’t had a choice but to rotate with injuries all around, but it’s more the combinations of players he was using that just didn’t make sense.
For example, Trevoh Chalobah and Tosin Adarabioyo as a pair.
Thankfully, no such complaints could be made after the Everton win.
Enzo Maresca respected the opposition with his Chelsea lineup
No such mistakes were made against Everton. Chelsea were well-equipped in all areas of the pitch to deal with a tricky opponent.
Rotation is a necessary part of football for clubs like Chelsea, who have so many games, but there’s a balance to be struck.
Maresca has a deep squad at his disposal, and shouldn’t be afraid to change things up. But it’s when starting lineups come out that have such obvious weak spots that fans begin to scratch their heads.
Enzo Maresca’s explosive ’48 hours’ rant has everyone talking 😶
Who do you think the Chelsea boss was referring to?
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The games are only going to keep coming, so don’t expect such a strong XI in every game this month. But figuring out the combinations that are needed to remain competitive is where so many points will be won and lost.
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