Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has addressed the growing criticism surrounding his decision to leave teenage sensation Estevao Willian out of the action during the club’s UEFA Champions League loss to Atalanta on Tuesday night. The Blues boss offered clarification on why the highly-rated Brazilian youngster remained an unused substitute throughout the European encounter against the Italian Serie A side.
Chelsea’s 2-1 defeat has now pushed the Premier League club outside the automatic qualification places for the Champions League knockout stage. The London side had initially taken the lead when Joao Pedro found the back of the net midway through the first half, raising hopes of a positive result in Italy.
However, the momentum shifted after the break, as Atalanta mounted a strong comeback by scoring two second-half goals to secure their fourth victory from six matches in the group phase. As a result, the Italian outfit moved up to third place in the Champions League standings ahead of other midweek fixtures, while Chelsea dropped to 11th position.
The decision to keep Estevao on the bench for the entire match sparked disappointment and criticism from Chelsea supporters, many of whom expected the exciting young winger to feature. When asked to justify why one of Chelsea’s standout performers this season did not get on the pitch, Maresca said, “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.”
Since arriving at Stamford Bridge during the summer transfer window, Estevao has rapidly built a reputation as one of the most exciting young talents in world football, further intensifying the debate around his absence in such a crucial Champions League fixture.
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