Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca has hit back at Wayne Rooney’s criticism of his heavy rotation policy, insisting that such comments only surface when his team fail to win.
No manager in the Premier League has rotated more than Maresca this season, with the Italian averaging around six changes per game. Backed by Chelsea’s hierarchy, he believes this approach will pay off in the latter stages of what he describes as a “marathon” campaign.
Ahead of Chelsea’s home clash with managerless Wolves on Saturday night, Maresca was asked about Rooney’s suggestion that senior players such as Reece James should question the constant chopping and changing.
Rooney had said on his BBC podcast that, “Players want consistency and relationships. If you keep changing, they won’t be happy — and that can come back to bite you.”
Enzo Maresca, however, stood firm. “We’re in an era where everyone can say what they want, and that’s fine,” he said. “But since I arrived, this has been my view — I rotate players, and no one complains when we win.
“When the rotation includes Andrey Santos, a Brazil international; Jorrel Hato, a Netherlands international; or Estevao Willian, another Brazil international — that’s not about rotation. These are top young players who deserve chances to grow. You must allow them to make mistakes to become better.”
The Chelsea boss added that complaints about rotation are a distraction from deeper issues when results dip. “I understand when you don’t win, people talk about rotation or defending. That’s part of football,” he said.
During a slightly tense exchange at his pre-match press conference, Maresca also claimed he had always supported rotation — even as a player. When a reporter expressed doubt, he doubled down.
“For me, it’s impossible to play the same 11 for 65 games,” he explained. “It’s a different game now — more physical, faster, more demanding. Years ago, it wasn’t like this. You need to rotate. If you want to survive a long season, you can’t run a sprint — it’s a marathon.”
Chelsea have already made 85 changes to their starting line-ups across all competitions — the most of any Premier League club this season — a number Enzo Maresca shows no sign of reducing anytime soon.
