"What I like about him" – Darren Bent details one thing that's impressed him about Maresca so far
11/12/2024 11:15 AM
Former Premier League striker Darren Bent has praised Enzo Maresca for his selection policy and the way he's managed the squad so far.
The Blues have made a better start to the season than many would have expected and currently sit third in the Premier League following Sunday's draw with Arsenal.
Maresca has a vast array of options at his disposal and faces a difficult balancing act in keeping all the players happy, and Glenn Hoddle claimed there were players upset on the bench against Arsenal.
Bent praises Maresca for how he's managed Chelsea's squad
Maresca has certainly been helped by the fact Chelsea are in the Conference League and he's regularly fielded an entirely different starting eleven in the competition to give players minutes who need them.
The Carabao Cup was the same but the Blues crashed out of that to Newcastle earlier this month and that's one less competition for the so called "B" team to play in.
In the early stages of these competitions and with the level of opposition Chelsea are coming up against you can get away with making multiple changes.
It's a difficult juggling act and one that Bent believes the Italian has done really well with so far this season.
"What I like about him (Maresca) is that as players, you want to play games. He's managing to almost pick two teams for the Conference League and the Premier League," he told talkSPORT.
"What he's doing is effectively those guys who are not getting much minutes in the Premier League; they know at least come Conference League time; that's where my next game is.
"At least it gives them something to focus on. It almost keeps the morale quite high. Yeah, you're going to be annoyed that you're not involved in the Premier League, but at least he's not phasing you out completely."
There are some signs that problems could be on the horizon with Christopher Nkunku believed to be considering his future, whilst it was reported Joao Felix ripped off his sock ties in frustration when it was clear he wouldn't be coming on against Arsenal.
There's likely to be more rotation with the games coming thick and fast in the build-up to Christmas and it will be interesting to see how Maresca manages the squad throughout the remainder of the season.
