Wayne Rooney: Chelsea’s senior players should question Enzo Maresca’s team selections

Former Manchester United captain Wayne Rooney says Chelsea’s senior players should “question” Enzo Maresca’s team selections.

The Argentine made seven changes to his starting XI for the 2-2 draw against Qarabag in the Champions League on Wednesday.

It was the fifth consecutive match across all competitions that Maresca has made at least seven changes to his starting XI.

“The players want to play, they want to build relationships,” the former England captain said on the Wayne Rooney Show.

“When you keep chopping and changing then the players won’t be happy. I think that will come back to bite them.

“If they are getting results all the time then you can’t question it but if they’re not, there has to be questions asked.”

Rooney believes it is up to captain Reece James and other experienced players in the Chelsea squad to address the issue with Maresca.

“I think most clubs now have a leadership group and as a group you have to go and question the manager,” he added.

“You hear people talk about ‘player power’ but this isn’t player power.

“I’d be concerned if the team kept changing. If i was in that [leadership] group I’d be speaking to my team-mates saying ‘Look, i’m not happy with this’.”

Chelsea have made 85 changes in 16 matches this season – by far the most of any Premier League team.

But, speaking after the draw in Azerbaijan, Maresca defended his rotation policy.

“The [selection] is always because we think the plan with the players is the correct one,” said Maresca.

“The intention was to rest Moises [Caicedo], Enzo [Fernandez], Malo [Gusto] and more players.

“They are not able to play every three days. The Club World Cup affected a lot. We tried to rotate. When we win, nobody mentions that but when we don’t, everyone is focused on that.”