"Chelsea, who have changed their starting XI more than any other Premier League side this season, did not have a proper pre-season after going all the way at last summer's Club World Cup and have been hit by injuries to key players. Pedro Neto, Cole Palmer, Levi Colwill and Benoit Badiashile were unavailable against Qarabag and Maresca has said that Moises Caicedo, Enzo Fernandez and Joao Pedro have been playing with knocks."
"Maresca looked to manage his team's workload by starting Caicedo and Fernandez on the bench against Qarabag. The plan had to be scotched when Romeo Lavia was forced off with a thigh injury in the eighth minute. Caicedo was introduced and will be expected to start again when Chelsea, who flew back to London in the early hours of Thursday morning, host Wolves in the Premier League on Saturday."
Chelsea maintain firm backing for Enzo Maresca's recruitment and rotation approach after the 2-2 draw with Qarabag, viewing frequent changes as necessary to protect player availability. The club has built a deep squad to compete across four major competitions and prioritises regular game time to keep players fresh during a long season. Chelsea lacked a proper pre-season following the Club World Cup and have suffered injuries to key players, with several unavailable for Qarabag and others playing with knocks. A Romeo Lavia injury forced an early substitution, with Moises Caicedo brought on and expected to start against Wolves.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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