'Can say what they want' - Maresca responds to Rooney's claims about Chelsea rotation | OneFootball

Enzo Maresca has responded after Wayne Rooney called him out for keeping "chopping and changing" his Chelsea team, which he claimed would not please the players.

The statistics show that Chelsea have made more changes to their line-ups (85) than any other team in the Premier League this season.

Maresca's rotation policy attracted a lot of attention after Chelsea failed to win against Qarabag on Wednesday despite being heavy favourites heading into the game.

According to Manchester United icon Rooney, Maresca's approach would affect the players negatively both on and off the pitch.

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"That's the problem with signing so many players. They've got so many good players," the former England international said on BBC Sport's The Wayne Rooney Show.

"He (Maresca) is trying to get them game time. But he (would think that despite) the changes he's made, Chelsea should still win the game.

"You can't get momentum like that. As players, you want to play games, you want to build relationships as centre-back pairings, as forwards, as midfielders.

"When you keep chopping and changing, the players won't be happy. A 100 per cent.

"I think that will come back and bite him."

Rooney even urged the big personalities in the Chelsea dressing room to voice their opinion against it.

"The leaders in that team -- I'm sure most clubs now have a leadership group -- I think that as a group, you have to go and question the manager," he explained.

"I'd be concerned if the team kept changing.

"Normally, you change your wide players, your forwards. Your back four, midfield two, and a goalkeeper should never change if fit and playing well."

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Maresca's response to Rooney's claims

Maresca has unsurprisingly been asked to offer a response, and the Chelsea head coach made it clear that he believes his squad has the talent to make this approach work in the long run.

"I said already many times, we are in a moment, in an era where anyone can say what they want, I completely respect (it)," the Italian said when asked about Rooney's comment during the press conference on Friday.

"I also said after the Qarabag game, that since I joined the club, it's also my view to rotate players, and no one complains when you don't win games; no one disagrees.

"I think that when the rotation is Andrey Santos, Brazil international, Jorrel Hato, (the Netherlands) international, Estevao Willian, Brazil international, it's not about rotation.

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"They are good, they are talented, they are young, and for sure when they are young, you have to give them the chance to make some mistakes, to be better.

"The same thing, I think, happened in the past with Josh Acheampong.

"But again, I understand that when you don't win a game, the problem is the rotation or different things."

Given Maresca's comment, it is safe to say that Chelsea will likely have another heavily rotated line-up for Saturday's Premier League match against Wolves.