Maresca makes honest admission about Chelsea's fringe trio after rough start vs Cardiff | OneFootball

Enzo Maresca insisted it is completely understandable that some fringe players looked rusty during Chelsea's 3-1 win over Cardiff City in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals on Tuesday.

In the end, it was quite a convincing win for Chelsea, but it did not look like it was going to be smooth sailing in the first half.

Maresca made 11 changes in the line-up against Cardiff, and several players made their first appearance on the pitch in over a month.

The visitors could not find a real opening in the first half, and it was not until Alejandro Garnacho came on the pitch as a substitute that they broke the deadlock.

Maresca's early substitutions at the break, while proving decisive, came at the expense of Tyrique Geoge and Marc Guiu, whose night was cut short to make space for the substitutes.

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"Cardiff were very well organised, off the ball they were very intense," the Italian said in his post-match conference.

"We expect exactly the game that we face, knowing that Ty is not playing a lot, Guiu is not playing a lot, Facu (Buonanotte) is not playing a lot.

"So we expect some difficulty in the first half, and then in the second half, with the change, we were quite better.

"It's not easy, they need physical condition, they need minutes to be there."

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It is a difficult situation for these fringe players, since they do not get enough chances to shake off rustiness on the pitch, while still having to meet expectations when called upon.

Both George and Guiu might have improved their performance in the second half, just like Buonanotte, as well, had they stayed on the pitch longer.

There are only three more fixtures left in December for Chelsea, so there is unlikely to be much space for the squad players, but there should be plenty in January.

Chelsea will have quite a lot of cup games next month, in the Carabao Cup semi-final tie, the Champions League, and the FA Cup.