Maresca will struggle to keep everyone happyplaceholder image
Maresca will struggle to keep everyone happy | Getty Images
One Chelsea player is said to be considering his future amid a lack of game time.
The Bluebirds were the better of the two teams in the first half, but Chelsea took control after Alejandro Garnacho and Joao Pedro were introduced at half-time, and the introduction of Pedro Neto also helped their cause.
Garnacho scored the first only for David Turnbull to equalise, but a deflected Neto effort got Chelsea back ahead, and with Cardiff pushing for a late equaliser, Garnacho had the time and space to score a well-taken second.
Chelsea’s starters made the difference from the bench, and it was a wasted opportunity for some of the Blues fringe stars, who failed to impress in South Wales. Tyrique George and Marc Guiu were two of those players, with both being replaced at half-time having struggled to make an impression in the opening frame.
Explaining those substitutions, Maresca said: “These are the kind of games I fall in love even more with the players because you cannot imagine how easy it is to slip, to slide, because they are tricky games.
“Every season there are teams who lose to League One or League Two teams. You need to pay attention. Cardiff are very well-organised. Off the ball they are very intense. We expected some difficulties in the first half knowing Ty (George) is not playing a lot, Guiu is not playing a lot, Facu (Buonanotte) is not playing a lot. They need minutes to be there.”
George ‘unhappy’
George and Guiu are not likely to be thrilled with hat explanation. The duo will feel they haven’t played often enough, and when the time came for them to get minutes in their legs, the excuse is that they don’t have the necessary minutes in their legs to play. Its a catch 22.
But it is true that both players struggled against Cardiff, and ultimately, Maresca cannot risk losing just to keep players happy, and the Italian was certainly vindicated by the performances of the players he brought on, who really did change the game.
According to CaughtOffside, though, the early changes will only add fuel to one particular fire, with George already reportedly unhappy with his situation at Stamford Bridge.
George has featured sparingly, only making 11 appearances across all competitions, subtracting the Club World Cup, and while he is only 19 years of age, the report claims the youngster is becoming increasingly frustrated by his lack of game time.
It’s claimed George is now pushing for a permanent move away from Chelsea in January having been heavily linked with a move to Fulham on deadline day of the summer window.
Chelsea are likely to prefer a loan given George’s age, but Maresca could have some convincing to do.
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