Enzo Maresca makes “two teams” denial we can all see isn’t true

Enzo Maresca is speaking to the media after Chelsea’s win over Gent in the Conference League.

He was pretty pleased with the 4-2 victory, although his comments did warn against complacency after his side allowed their Belgian opposition to score twice in the second half.

“We can attack better. We can defend better. But the most important thing we can learn from tonight is even if you are 4-1 up, you cannot switch off,” Maresca concluded.

It certainly got a little sloppy, but we’ve come to expect a lack of defensive solidity from the second string. The difference in motivation between our team motoring to a win in a competition they don’t really care about and the opposition playing the biggest game of their season plays into it too.

Maresca denies the evidence of two-team setup

Maresca also had some interesting claims about his team arrangement. Since the start of the Premier League season, he’s very clearly had one team for cup competitions and another for league games. But the former Leicester boss denies this:

“We don’t have two teams. It’s one team. The ones who played tonight, it does not mean they cannot play in the Premier League on Sunday,” he claimed.

Well, that’s just not true is it Enzo. Nobody is saying that these two teams are fixed permanently – injuries, form and fitness will mean players switching between them. As we’ve already seen. But you can’t make 10 or 11 changes in consecutive games and then deny you’ve got two teams… we’ve all got eyes.

It’s working a treat too – the weaker opposition we’re facing in the cups allow the second string to win comfortably and build chemistry, as well as keeping them with plenty of minutes in their legs for when they’re needed to step up to the first team.