Former England captain Wayne Rooney has issued a stark warning to Chelsea, stating that manager Enzo Maresca’s extreme squad rotation policy risks causing major dressing room unrest if the team’s results begin to falter.
Rooney’s comments come after Maresca made seven changes for Chelsea’s 2-2 Champions League draw with Qarabag, marking the fifth straight game where he has altered more than half the starting lineup. Speaking on his podcast, ‘The Wayne Rooney Show,’ the Manchester United legend argued that constant changes prevent players from building crucial on-pitch chemistry.
“The players want to play, they want to build relationships,” Rooney stated. “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 urged senior players, including captain Reece James, to form a delegation and privately challenge the manager. He clarified that this is not about “player power,” but a legitimate concern for team stability. Chelsea leads the Premier League this season with a staggering 85 lineup changes in just 16 matches.
Maresca defended his strategy after the Qarabag game, citing the need to rest key players like Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez, especially with the fixture congestion from the Club World Cup.
In the same podcast, Rooney also reflected on his past criticism of Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk, admitting his remark that the defender “downed tools” after signing a new contract was “a bit unfair,” though he stood by his assessment of Van Dijk’s dip in form.
