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Chelsea fans fear £26m star just doesn’t suit Enzo Maresca’s team despite him starting Europa Conference League final
Chelsea emphatically clinched the Europa Conference League title as they defeated Real Betis 4-1, but the performance from one of their starters has supporters talking.
The Blues produced a rampant second-half performance as they netted four times to claim yet another European trophy.
Goals from Enzo Fernandez, Nicolas Jackson, Jadon Sancho and Moises Caicedo saw the West London club comfortably defeat the Spanish outfit.
But during the match, the performance from one player has fans talking, as there is now a strong sense that Enzo Maresca is trying to shoehorn him into his team.
Chelsea fans claim Malo Gusto doesn’t suit Enzo Maresca’s system
Chelsea fans believe that Maresca will need to assess whether to keep Malo Gusto over the summer, as there is a sense that the full-back just doesn’t suit his system.
Gusto, who cost Chelsea £26m, was hauled off at half-time and replaced by Reece James as the Frenchman struggled to contain Real Betis winger Abde Ezzalzouli.
Betis’ goal came down the Blues’ right side after the 22-year-old was caught out of position. The Italian has been asking the defender to invert, but it is quite apparent that he has struggled to adapt to the role.
During the match, the supporters from the West London club took to X to share their concerns about the French international.
One fan said: “That error from Gusto is a prime example of Maresca forcing inversion even when the full back profile is screaming to be let loose on the flanks. He doesn’t have the subtlety to play inside congested midfield areas like James. Gusto doesn’t suit Maresca’s tactics.”
Another added: “We need to have a serious talk about Malo Gusto and how Maresca wants to use him next season. You can’t keep setting him up to fail. If you can’t play a standard back four in some games, then just let him go.”
There were further concerns about Gusto’s display: “The one thing I don’t get from Maresca is this Gusto situation. He has been poor all season, but he keeps making him invert.”
Finally, another supporter stated: “Huge credit to Maresca today. Saw Gusto was getting cooked and didn’t mess about changing it. Made a few tactical adjustments and overpowered Betis. Top in-game management!”
Enzo Maresca explains why Reece James didn’t start Europa Conference League final
Maresca has revealed that he decided he needed to manage James’ minutes for the Europa Conference League final.
There were concerns Maresca had fallen out with James, however, the Italian insisted that he needed to be careful with the 25-year-old’s game time.
Speaking after the game, Maresca told TNT Sport: “I would start always with Reece (if I could), but I’m trying to protect him. He played more games this season than in the last two, three years. He knows that. But he is a top player for us.
“For us, he’s like Cole (Palmer). The problem is that we need to manage him. When we changed him, he said to me, ‘Boss, don’t worry, we’re going to win the game’.”