Enzo Maresca gives confusing answer on why he’s left key player out of Chelsea team | OneFootball

Chelsea are facing Brighton in the Premier League tonight, the same opposition they lost to in the same stadium a little less than a week ago.

Reece James was not in the squad for that game as he was rested – but in his press conference yesterday Enzo Maresca insisted he wasn’t injured, so we all expected him back in the team tonight after a long break.

Instead James is on the bench. Maresca has just been asked about that decision in the buildup to kick off, and gave a somewhat confusing answer:

“Reece, we need to manage his situation. We want him fit always. We need to find a solution,” the coach explained to Sky Sports.

“He played some games in a row, so last game we decide for him to have a rest. He is fit and good. Hopefully we can give him some minutes tonight.”

We don’t understand. If James is fit, he should be starting. Why would he be rested for more than two weeks? That’s not going to help him, if anything it’s counterproductive. We’d say that he has a small issue and that Maresca is protecting him, but why would the coach be so insistent that he’s fit if he’s not?

It’s all very odd. Managing minutes means not playing him twice a week, not playing him twice a month. If the full back is fit to come on in the second half it all becomes even stranger.

Chelsea must do better in second bite of the cherry

Levi Colwill and Reece James celebrate. (Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC)

As well as being asked about James, Maresca was asked about how he expected his team to improve tonight as they face the same opposition for a second time:

“You can always learn from any game. For sure, I think, overall it was not a bad performance [vs Brighton in the FA Cup],” he said.

“In total, they had a few shots. Sometimes you concede two shots and score twice. Of course, we can attack better.”

We certainly can – and we need to.