4. Enzo Maresca’s Decisions Under the Microscope
The Boxing Day defeat echoed a worrying pattern for Maresca. In their Carabao Cup loss to Newcastle United, he made only one substitution despite trailing. Similarly, against Everton and now Fulham, his reluctance to use substitutions effectively proved costly.
In a congested festive fixture list, the importance of squad rotation and in-game adjustments cannot be overstated. Yet, Maresca made just one change to the starting XI from the Everton match, with Marc Cucurella returning after suspension. As Fulham grew dominant, there were opportunities to introduce fresh legs or adapt tactically, but Maresca made only one substitution—replacing Nicolas Jackson with Christopher Nkunku. Players like Marc Guiu, Joao Felix, and Josh Acheampong, who had impressed in recent games, remained unused.
Noni Madueke’s absence, cited as “technical reasons,” raised further questions, especially as the bench included two goalkeepers. Maresca’s reluctance to utilize his squad depth undermines his team's ability to compete.
Robert Sanchez, while making some important saves, was again let down by his distribution. Of his 15 long balls, only two reached a teammate, with his errant pass directly leading to Fulham’s winner. While his shot-stopping was adequate, a top goalkeeper must offer more than routine saves.