Maresca Reveals Why He Benched Garnacho in Crucial Man Utd Clash: 'He Was Ready'
Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca rejected claims that the hostile reception from Old Trafford supporters influenced his decision not to substitute Alejandro Garnacho during Saturday night's clash with his previous club Manchester United.
Maresca had previously stated that Garnacho was "prepared to feature" ahead of this weekend's journey to Manchester. The summer signing, who had been sidelined at United under Ruben Amorim, had only managed two brief cameos for Chelsea since his £44 million ($53.9 million) transfer at the close of August.
Although Garnacho wasn't selected for the starting lineup this weekend, his entry seemed certain when Maresca was observed discussing tactics with the winger during the second period of a chaotic encounter. The Argentina star was instructed to begin warming up along the sideline where he encountered a chorus of jeers and hostile chants from an animated Old Trafford audience.
In the 64th minute, young striker Tyrique George came on for Marc Cucurella while Garnacho was sent back to the substitutes' bench. Right-back Malo Gusto entered as a direct swap for Fofana who requested to be withdrawn.
With all five permitted changes made, Garnacho slumped back into his position and retreated further beneath his grey jacket.
When questioned about the altered plans regarding Garnacho's entrance, Maresca maintained it was unrelated to the unwelcoming atmosphere. "No," the Italian responded after the match, "he was prepared to enter, and then Wes requested a substitution."
Maresca acknowledged that "the intention was to provide Garnacho with playing time" before Fofana expressed fatigue after being absent for an extended period due to multiple injury issues. The reasoning behind selecting George over Garnacho for introduction wasn't explicitly explained by Maresca.
The Blues manager had numerous challenges during a torrential downpour on Saturday. Chelsea were compelled to compete for 85 minutes of Saturday's fixture with only 10 men following goalkeeper Robert Sánchez's early red card. Brazilian attacker Estêvão was instantly withdrawn for substitute keeper Filip Jörgensen, but Maresca also made the puzzling choice to remove Pedro Neto during the same stoppage.
At just seven minutes elapsed, it became the fastest double change in Premier League records.
Neto was substituted by center-back Tosin Adarabioyo which enabled Chelsea to adopt a formation with five defenders. "The motivation for changing Pedro and Estêvão was because they advance with five players consistently, and we protect with four," Maresca explained.
"We can protect with four when we have equal numbers, but against their eleven, I believe we must defend across the width, so we chose to employ a back five formation, that's the explanation."
That strategic adjustment didn't prevent Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro from finding the net before the interval. A dismissal for United's Brazilian midfielder balanced the player count, but Chelsea managed only one reply in what became a turbulent 2–1 loss.
It wasn't an enjoyable experience for anyone wearing Chelsea colors, though it must have been an especially disappointing homecoming for the benched Garnacho.