Enzo Maresca left Brentford satisfied with the spirit and determination Chelsea displayed, especially coming just days after our big win over Tottenham. He also revealed that the short turnaround between matches played a key role in shaping both his starting XI and tactical approach.
Chelsea and Brentford played out a goalless draw at the Gtech Community Stadium, with most of the goalmouth action coming in the second half. The Blues looked more threatening after Enzo Maresca introduced attacking reinforcements like Nicolas Jackson and Cole Palmer.
Strategic Squad Rotation Key to Chelsea’s Late Dominance
Chelsea grew increasingly dangerous as the match progressed, and Enzo Maresca explained that was always part of the plan. With less than 72 hours since the win over Tottenham, he made five changes to the starting lineup to manage fatigue and maintain intensity late in the game.
“Overall we played a good game,”.
“We prepared the game in the way it was, in terms of starting one way and finishing the other way”.
“We played Thursday night, a demanding game, 24 hours less than them. Tricky stadium, sunny day, the pitch was dry, they tried to kill the tempo of the game”.
“Overall we did enough to win the game. We shot more than 20 times. The only thing we missed was the goal, but overall I’m happy with the performance”.
“When you are not able to win, it’s important you don’t lose, you take the point and you move the table,” added Maresca.
“At this stage of the season, 24 hours can make the difference in terms of rest and energy, which is the reason why I’m happy with the performance. They gave everything.”
Maresca elaborated on the thinking behind his pre-match changes, explaining how the strategy allowed Chelsea to stay sharp and push harder as the game went on — even if it didn’t result in a goal.
“We played Thursday night. Not all of them [our players] were 100 per cent. The idea was to start in one way and finish in the other way. The plan nearly worked because in the last half-an-hour we created a little bit more”.
“It’s very clear how good Brentford are and what they try to do, not only in set-pieces but in transition, but apart from the last transition we conceded, we controlled them very well”.
“If we decided to start the first half the way we finished, probably after 45 minutes the team would not be physically good enough to finish the game. We tried to find a solution”.
“After 45 minutes, one hour, our team was getting better and better. We tried to keep the ball so they ran, and after one hour they could be tired. We expected to improve in the second half.”
