Published: 12:42, 7 November 2025 | Updated: 12:43, 7 November 2025

Enzo Maresca defiantly defended Chelsea’s rotation policy after a dig from Wayne Rooney, saying such criticism of his changes only emerges when his side do not win.

No Premier League manager rotates as much as Maresca, though he does so with the blessing of the Blues’ hierarchy, who believe it will benefit their squad come the end of this long campaign.

They will face managerless Wolves at Stamford Bridge on Saturday night in another outing in which Chelsea, who average six changes per game, are likely to rotate their team.

Rooney suggested via his BBC podcast that Reece James and Co should be privately questioning Maresca on the policy, however, to which Chelsea’s head coach responded: ‘We are in a moment, in an era, where anyone can say what they want, it's correct, I completely respect that.

‘But since I joined the club, it's my view to rotate players, and no one complained when you don't win a game. When the rotation is Andrey Santos – Brazil international player – Jorrel Hato –...