John Obi Mikel believes Enzo Maresca shouldn’t have substituted two Chelsea players in the defeat to Sunderland.
Chelsea lost 2-1 to Sunderland at Stamford Bridge in a shock defeat, which saw them slip to ninth in the Premier League.
Despite taking an early lead Chelsea turned in a poor performance, and the defending for both goals, especially the winner was really poor.
John Obi Mikel criticises Enzo Maresca decision vs Sunderland
It was an afternoon to forget for the Italian, and he also came in for criticism for his in game management, and Mikel wasn’t impressed.
“I’m a big, big fan of Enzo Maresca, but I just thought when we were chasing that game to win that game when it was 1-1 at home, you can’t take your best players out,” he told The Obi One Podcast.
“It doesn’t matter that they were not playing so great. Joao Pedro, Pedro Neto they were not playing so well, but you leave those players on the pitch.
“They will find a way to create a chance. They will find a way to win that game.”
Maresca confirmed after the game Joao Pedro is managing an injury, and both him and Marc Guiu had next to no impact on the game.
Mikel is right in the sense when you are looking to win a game you want your best players on the pitch, but there’s also an element of squad management which needs to be taken into consideration.
Mikel not happy with Chelsea defence
The decision to take Pedro and Pedro Neto wasn’t the only thing Mikel wasn’t happy with, and the former Chelsea star was scathing in his criticism of the defence.
Mikel branded the defending for the winning goal as “awful” and believes Chelsea can’t win the league with the current centre backs at the club.
There’s nothing that can be done about the current situation until January, but one thing Maresca can do is decide on a first choice pairing and stick with it.
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