Chelsea’s Problem Isn’t Rotation — It’s Selection | OneFootball

Enzo Maresca cannot avoid rotation this season. There is no way around it following an extended summer calendar and a congested schedule, which means playing seven games in 21 days before the international break.

Anyone expressing shock or dismay at Chelsea’s frequent changes need to consider that added context.

Manager’s View

Following Chelsea’s disappointing 2-2 draw with Qarabağ on Wednesday, Maresca was asked whether excessive rotation was linked to the team’s lack of consistency.

Maresca is not entirely wrong. The issue of mass rotation has not prevented Chelsea from winning seven of their last ten fixtures. The ten changes made in the previous Champions League win over Ajax did not seem to disrupt their rhythm too much.

It’s About Selection

The real problem lies in selection. Maresca actually opted for a stronger lineup in some areas than many had anticipated in Baku. Robert Sánchez, Reece James, Marc Cucurella, and João Pedro all retained their places from the win at Spurs. Due to bad luck, Moisés Caicedo soon entered the fray after Romeo Lavia suffered an early quad issue.

But it was in central defence where Chelsea’s fragility was most exposed. Maresca opted to pair Tosin Adarabioyo and Jorrel Hato — the ninth centre-back combination used since August. That statistic alone highlights the defensive troubles Chelsea have endured since Levi Colwill’s ACL injury majorly disrupted plans.

On this occasion, injuries did not force such a pairing. Tosin has been in poor form for much of the campaign, his lack of pace targeted and his errors punished. Hato, meanwhile, was bought primarily as a left-back who could shift into central defence in emergencies.

This was not one of those emergencies, given both Josh Acheampong (fresh after missing the Spurs game) and Trevoh Chalobah were available on the bench.

Pairing an out-of-form defender with a makeshift one created a cocktail of chaos for Chelsea in Azerbaijan. Hato had a particularly shaky first half, looking flustered under pressure and being dispossessed before Qarabag’s equaliser. Bad luck with UEFA’s handball rulings gifted the hosts a penalty to compound matters.

It was that duo’s fragility that ultimately cost Chelsea two extra points on Wednesday, rather than the other rotations made.

Not the First Time

Maresca has been guilty of bizarre selection choices before. Many eyebrows were raised at the extent of rotation away at Brentford in September, and the decision to deploy Malo Gusto in midfield against Nottingham Forest. The introduction of Tosin late on against Sunderland was a change that created the vulnerability the visitors exploited in added time.

Selections are more costly than rotation itself, which is simply a mandatory part of football at the top level. It also shows how fine the margins are: Chelsea still could have gone on to claim victory against Qarabağ, but the fact they didn’t could prove costly in the Champions League.

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