Ajax boss makes Chelsea admission over Jorrel Hato's situation under Enzo Maresca | OneFootball

Ajax head coach John Heitinga has commented on Jorrel Hato's limited game time at Chelsea ahead of Wednesday's Champions League clash.

It is safe to say that Chelsea are the clear favourites heading into this match.

Enzo Maresca's side are on a roll after three consecutive wins across all competitions, while Ajax are without a win in their last three matches, with two defeats and a draw.

In addition to that, Heitinga highlighted the difference in quality between the two squads, using Hato, who joined Chelsea from Ajax in the summer, as an example.

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"It says a lot about Chelsea that Jorrel doesn't get much playing time," the former Liverpool defender said in Tuesday's press conference.

"He was one of our best players, but he hardly plays here.

"Their squad is so broad, so they can vary a lot. Last year, I played against them with Liverpool.

"You have to be on your guard for 90 minutes; they have a lot of quality in every position."

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Hato has only made five appearances for Chelsea this season, with three of them as a starter.

As it stands, he is still behind Marc Cucurella in the left-back pecking order at Chelsea, and he has only had one start as a centre-back so far.

This, as Heitinga pointed out, is quite a contrast to the 19-year-old's stint at Ajax, for which he was a regular starter, making 30+ Eredivisie appearances in the last two seasons.

Heitinga is also aware of the tactical flexibility that this Chelsea squad offers head coach Enzo Maresca.

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"It's clear that they are a strong team, so it's very important that we stick to our game plan," Heitinga added.

"Of course, the question is which players they will field tomorrow.

"They are a powerful team, with lots of positional changes and full-backs who push forward into midfield."

Maresca predominantly deploys a 4-2-3-1 system, but often tweaks the team differently for different opponents.

In the last two games, for example, he used two right-backs, Reece James and Malo Gusto, in his starting eleven, with the latter playing in midfield.