Enzo Maresca hits back at criticism over his Chelsea team decision in Qarabag draw | OneFootball

Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca has defended his decision to heavily rotate his team despite the disappointing 2-2 Champions League draw with Qarabag on Wednesday.

Despite dominating the possession and almost doubling Qarabag's shot attempts, Chelsea also got away with some questionable defending in the game.

The hosts, after all, converted just two of the three big chances they created, while Chelsea created none.

It is perhaps unfair to point the finger at 19-year-old Jorrel Hato, but he certainly played a big part in both of Qarabag's goals, with an error leading to the hosts' equaliser and a handball leading to the penalty.

It also took moments of brilliance from Estevao and Alejandro Garnacho for Chelsea to score, with the former deservedly named player of the match with his attacking work rate throughout the game.

Still, Maresca made it clear that he was not happy with how his team conceded two goals in quick succession.

"It's about all of them," the Italian said in the post-match press conference when asked whether he wanted to see more from the second-string players

"I think we started in the right way. We were in control of the game, but when we conceded the first goal, we conceded the second one after four or five minutes.

"We were much better in the second half. Every game is a chance for them to show why they are here."

Maresca also defended his decision to make seven changes from the line-up that beat Tottenham Hotspur last weekend, reiterating the importance of limiting the workload of key players.

"I think I tried to explain already many times," Maresca added.

"The intention was to rest Moises (Caicedo), Enzo (Fernandez), Malo (Gusto), and more players. They are not able to play every three days.

"The Club World Cup affected (us) a lot. We tried to rotate.

"When we win, nobody mentions that, but when we don't, everyone is focused on that."

Caicedo did not get much rest in the end, although it could not be helped since Romeo Lavia picked up an injury just five minutes into the game.

Fernandez came on in the second half, while Gusto stayed on the bench.

The Blues will head back to London and shift their attention to Saturday's Premier League clash with Wolves.