Chelsea's Maresca says rotation unavoidable

Enzo Maresca indicated that he simply had to rotate his Chelsea team when asked on Friday about their costly 3-1 loss to Leeds earlier in the week.

The defeat at Elland Road on Wednesday has positioned the Blues in fourth spot, trailing Premier League frontrunners Arsenal by nine points.

"We made plenty of mistakes," remarked Chelsea manager Maresca. "We likely suffered the consequences of being down to 10 men for an hour against Arsenal."

The Italian coach, who has faced backlash before regarding his approach to squad rotation, introduced five alterations for the Leeds match.

Wesley Fofana was omitted from the lineup, Moises Caicedo sat out due to suspension, and Malo Gusto, skipper Reece James, and Pedro Neto took spots on the bench.

However, Maresca explained that circumstances left him with little option.

"A lot of our rotations happen because certain players are unavailable," he stated. "Right now, we have squad members who cannot manage a game every three days.

"This is the main factor behind our previous rotations as well.

"It is a recurring pattern, when the selected 11 triumph, all is well. But if they fall short, rotation becomes the scapegoat.

"Certainly, after playing short handed for an hour in the 1-1 stalemate with Arsenal on Sunday, facing Leeds was far from ideal for us."

Looking ahead to Chelsea's fixture against Bournemouth on Saturday, Maresca was questioned on whether his youthful team requires more seasoned input.

"We only discuss experience after setbacks, yet nobody brought it up when we overcame Barcelona or held Arsenal to a draw," he responded.

He continued: "I understand the focus on experience, but the Leeds outing was poor for everyone involved."