Negatives - Continued
3. Questionable team selection
Players returning from injuries, the need for rest, and a European fixture in midweek all meant there were a few surprises in the starting XI. But a question needs to be asked, was it necessary to rest all those first-choice players for a Conference League fixture? Chelsea have so far won all their matches in Europe despite preferring second-choice players.
Legia Warszawa are not a team expected to challenge them significantly. However, Brentford are a team capable of doing that. Apart from that, there were also Champions League qualification implications at stake.
One of the key issues, which was touted as Chelsea struggling in front of goal, was the absence of Nicolas Jackson and Noni Madueke. Despite having them available for two matches, Maresca has outright refused to let the pair play alongside Cole Palmer even for five minutes. It just shows how lazy and cowardly Maresca is. It's the move of someone who knows he can blame everything on European football and rotation when Chelsea drop points against Brentford.