Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has addressed the backlash he faced for not playing Estevao Willian during their 2-1 Champions League loss to Atalanta on Tuesday night.
Fans were left puzzled after the young Brazilian, who has been one of Chelsea’s standout players this season, remained on the bench throughout the match. The Blues had taken the lead through Joao Pedro in the first half, but Atalanta came back strong in the second half to score twice and secure their fourth win in six group games.
The result pushed Atalanta up to third in the group standings, while Chelsea dropped to 11th, putting their hopes of automatic qualification for the knockout stage in doubt.
When asked why Estevao didn’t get any minutes, Maresca explained that a forced substitution changed his original plan. “The idea, the change of Tosin, is because Wes went in to change him. So that was a bit of a force, for sure. With one more change, probably there was more chance for Estevao to go inside or for Andrey [Santos] to go inside. But then with that change, it changed a little bit the plan of the game.”
Estevao, who joined Chelsea in the summer, has quickly become a fan favorite and is widely seen as one of the most promising young talents in the game. His absence from the pitch during such a crucial match left many supporters frustrated, but Maresca insists it was a matter of circumstance, not preference.
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