It is safe to say that Chelsea have made a poor start to the campaign, as the manager it is the job of Enzo Maresca to try and figure out a way to get this team back in form. Right now, he does not seem to be making enough brave choices though and has stuck to things, even when they are not working. How long will this continue?
Admittedly, Maresca has not been left with a lot of options in multiple areas due to injury issues and a general lack of depth. That includes striker, the number 10 role as well as centre-back.
That being said, even in areas where Maresca does have a ton of options, he does not seem to be too keen to experiment. One of them is right-back.
There is little doubt that Reece James is the best right-back Chelsea have, when fit and in form. Unfortunately, due to his injury history, he is someone whose load needs to be managed carefully throughout the season. But despite this, one cannot overlook how often Maresca seems to play Malo Gusto despite the Frenchman struggling to make an impression since the Italian's appointment.
Enzo Maresca slammed for constantly picking out-of-form Chelsea player
Gusto has been named in the starting XI vs Benfica as well. And Chelsea fans were not particularly impressed. One wrote: "he discipline issues start from the top with Maresca. He’s playing players who get red cards. Chalobah and Gusto shouldn’t have been on the pitch tonight. It feels like favoritism rather than merit is driving the team selections."
Another Chelsea fan said: "Gusto has this ability to constantly be rewarded for bad performances. Needs to be studied."
Other than a terrific performance in the Club World Cup final against PSG, it is hard to remember a standout display from Gusto under the management of Maresca. And this does not have to do anything with his qualities as a player.
In Mauricio Pochettino's system, Gusto thrived. But his strengths simply don't seem to fit the style of football Maresca is trying to implement.
As a result, he has never really impressed. Despite that, Maresca constantly picks him, despite having someone like Josh Acheampong in his ranks. The Cobham graduate is not even getting a fair chance to show what he is capable of at the moment, whether it be as a centre-back or at right-back.