Wayne Rooney Tells Chelsea’s Senior Players To Confront Maresca Over Team Rotation

07 Nov 2025, 11:07 by Ernest Victor · Naija News

Former England international, Wayne Rooney has urged Chelsea’s senior players to speak up against Enzo Maresca’s constant squad rotation, warning that the Italian’s approach could create frustration within the dressing room if results begin to slip.

Maresca made seven changes to his starting lineup in Wednesday night’s 2-2 Champions League draw with Qarabag, marking the fifth consecutive match across all competitions in which he has altered more than half of his team.

Speaking on The Wayne Rooney Show, the former Manchester United and England captain said the repeated tinkering might prevent players from building chemistry on the pitch.

“The players want to play, they want to build relationships,” Rooney said. “When you keep chopping and changing then the players won’t be happy. I think that will come back to bite them.

“If they are getting results all the time, then you can’t question it, but if they’re not, there have to be questions asked.”

Rooney believes captain Reece James and other leaders in the dressing room should take the initiative to challenge Maresca privately if the situation continues.

“I think most clubs now have a leadership group and as a group you have to go and question the manager,” he said.

“You hear people talk about ‘player power,’ but this isn’t player power. I’d be concerned if the team kept changing. If I were in that group, I’d be speaking to my teammates saying, ‘Look, I’m not happy with this.’”

Chelsea have already made 85 lineup changes in 16 matches this season, the highest tally of any Premier League side.

After the draw in Azerbaijan, Maresca defended his decision to rotate heavily, saying his priority was to keep the squad fresh.

“The selection is always because we think the plan with the players is the correct one,” the Chelsea boss said. “The intention was to rest Moises [Caicedo], Enzo [Fernandez], Malo [Gusto] and more players.

“They are not able to play every three days. The Club World Cup affected a lot. We tried to rotate. When we win, nobody mentions that, but when we don’t, everyone is focused on that.”

Earlier in the same podcast, Rooney also reflected on his previous criticism of Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk, admitting he might have been too harsh.

Naija News reports that Rooney accused the Dutchman of “downing tools” after signing a new contract, a claim Van Dijk dismissed as “lazy.” The two crossed paths again after Liverpool’s Champions League victory over Real Madrid, where Van Dijk addressed the issue live on Amazon Prime.

“I think the comment that I signed my new deal and then it was like ‘that is it’ and I let it slide, I think that was a bit… but that’s my personal opinion and we move on,” Van Dijk said.

Rooney later softened his stance. “Maybe I was a bit unfair with that comment,” he said. “Maybe I was a bit unfair because I don’t know him that well as a person.”

Still, the former striker stood by his assessment of Van Dijk’s form this season. “From a performance point of view, I think I was speaking what I felt and what I was seeing, and I felt I was right,” he added. “Van Dijk will judge himself by them [high standards]. When he reflects on his performances this season he’d be the first to say they haven’t been at the standard he’s set.”