Enzo Maresca sends clear warning to Chelsea stars with rotation set to continue | OneFootball

Nkunku had scored 13 goals this season but Premier League opportunities still limited

Chelsea's attacking stars must accept they will not start every match as head coach Enzo Maresca insisted rotation is key to his side's function.

Saturday's 5-0 win over Morecambe in the FA Cup saw all five goals scored by players who have not been regular Premier League selections as Maresca shuffled his pack against the League Two strugglers.

Defender Tosin Adarabioyo netted twice with finishes from outside the box whilst Christopher Nkunku hit his 13th of the season in all competitions.

Both players prefer playing in the number 10 role but with Cole Palmer effectively untouchable in that position they have been either deployed elsewhere or limited to appearances from the bench.

"The only thing I've said since the start is it's difficult to play games with so many attacking players," said Maresca. "If Joao plays it means that Cole doesn't play, or if Joao plays he has to play with Cole together but it depends on the game.

"For me it's quite easy, we have three players that are more or less similar, Joao and Cole and Christo. Joao has played some games, Christo has played, they both played against Ipswich (a 2-0 defeat), they both played Southampton (5-1 win) and Leicester (2-1 win).

"In some games we can play with them all together but not every game."

Palmer has scored 13 in all competitions and has been arguably the league's outstanding player in the first half of the campaign.

He was an unused substitute on Saturday alongside Levi Colwill, Enzo Fernandez and Nicolas Jackson as Maresca stuck with his policy of heavy rotation in the cup competitions.

That meant starts for 18-year-old striker Marc Guiu - top scorer in the Conference League but who is yet to get off the mark in the league after two appearances - and academy graduate Tyrique George, making his fourth start.

Renato Veiga and goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen also came in and Maresca hinted his players accept the reality that a large squad means inevitable changes between competitions.

The Blues face Bournemouth at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday looking to end a four-game winless run.

"It was the idea (to leave players out)," he said. "Since we've started we've tried to share minutes. The idea was to give them a rest and hopefully they can be ready for Tuesday's game.

"The desire is good, they show that they want to play all the games. But also there are players that are not getting many minutes in the Premier League. The good thing is they show that they want to play always."