Enzo Maresca admits he was “afraid” of this happening in Chelsea loss | OneFootball

Enzo Maresca’s decision to select Reece James today was surprising, given the defender hasn’t played a competitive game in 6 months, and the decision to select Romeo Lavia from the start was only slightly less notable, given he’s made just one Premier League start in 14 months as a Chelsea player.

But it all seemed to go to plan – both made it through unscathed, and Lavia in particular had a good game. The pair came off as part of a triple substitution after 53 minutes, and after the game Maresca was asked to what extent that decision was planned:

“Yeah, for him and Romeo [Lavia], the idea was for him and Romeo to have one hour or 55 minutes maximum. I was quite afraid to keep them on for more minutes on the pitch so I decided to change both of them on 55 minutes,” the coach responded.

Reece James gets instructions from Enzo Maresca on the sideline.

James and Lavia prepare for first team push

While the defeat was disappointing, it was always going to be hard to get a result at Anfield, and looking back on it the fact that both Lavia and James able to get through it unscathed is one of the real positives from the match,

What is interesting to see next is where the pair fit in to the A team, B team dynamic that Maresca has going on. There has been a clear distinction between the two teams so far, but both James and Lavia will be pushing for first team places already now they’re fit.

We’re very curious to see the lineup we use against Panathanaikos on Thursday night, as it will give a major clue about where the pair fit in to our plans going forward. With Enzo Fernandez and Marc Cucurella both fit and available for next weekend’s Premier League game, it’s all to play for.