Three Chelsea players who Enzo Maresca will surely axe vs Bournemouth
Chelsea are aiming to improve on their wretched Premier League form with a much-needed win over Bournemouth on Tuesday night.
Aston Villa won 2-1 at Stamford Bridge on Saturday as Joao Pedro‘s first-half opener was bettered by Ollie Watkins’ second-half brace.
Enzo Maresca is facing questions around his future in charge of Chelsea, with the club now sat fifth in the Premier League and way off the pace of the top three.
They have won just one of their last six league outings, but have a good opportunity to pick up three points on Tuesday, with the Cherries’ last top-flight victory coming back on 26 October.
A number of Blues stars did not perform to the best of their abilities against Villa, and Football Insider have picked out a trio who should be dropped from Maresca’s starting eleven to face Bournemouth.
Pedro Neto
Neto‘s uptick in form after a poor start to life at Chelsea has ended in recent weeks, with numerous lacklustre performances that should see him dropped for this clash.
The Portuguese winger was ineffective against the Villans, as he failed to have a shot that tested Emi Martinez, had just four touches in their box and was accurate with just one of his nine crosses across the 90 minutes.
Estevao has shone at times this season and is waiting in the wings for another chance to start, which should be handed to him on Tuesday as Neto returns to the bench.
Benoit Badiashile
Badiashile has been on the periphery at Stamford Bridge for a few seasons now, yet Maresca has allowed him more game time in recent weeks due to numerous defensive injuries.
Chelsea fans slammed Badiashile for his performance versus Villa, as his misplaced pass allowed the visitors to level proceedings after they had barely fashioned a chance prior to the mistake.
The likes of Tosin, Wesley Fofana and Josh Acheampong are all now fit to start at centre-back, and it seems wise for the Blues boss to rotate once more in defence to help his side to a victory.
Marc Cucurella
Cucurella has been one of Chelsea’s top performers this season and has proved himself as one of the best left-backs the Premier League has to offer.
That is why everyone connected to the club will have winced when he signalled to come off in the second half last time out after pulling up with a hamstring issue.
It is unclear if the problem is definitely set to rule him out of Tuesday’s game, but regardless of whether he is fit to start, Maresca needs to rest him ahead of a pivotal second half of the campaign.