Enzo Maresca's brutally honest admission after seven Chelsea changes backfires

Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca suggested that the Club World Cup is influencing his team selections following a 2-2 draw with Qarabag that saw them surrender Champions League points.

The Blues appeared below par after making the 2,500-mile journey to the Azerbaijani capital of Baku and were startled by their opponents, who established a 2-1 advantage before the interval.

Strikes from Leandro Andrade and a spot-kick by Marko Jankovic overturned the match after Estevao's early goal had seemingly set Chelsea on course for a comfortable victory.

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A second-half equaliser from Alejandro Garnacho salvaged a point for the visitors, but following Maresca's seven changes from the side that defeated Tottenham at the weekend, he highlighted a fragmented pre-season and absence of a summer break.

"The intention was to rest Moises (Caicedo), Enzo (Fernandez), Malo (Gusto) and more players," he said. "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."

The final of the summer competition in the United States, which witnessed Chelsea overcome Paris St Germain 3-0, took place merely five weeks prior to the start of the new Premier League campaign. "The (selection) is always because we think the plan with the players is the correct one," said Maresca.

"Today, we started the right way, scored the goal but then we conceded two, the first one when they had 10 players. We can avoid both goals. In their box, we need to be more clinical."

There was further concern for Maresca as Romeo Lavia was substituted early due to injury. The midfielder has featured just 30 times in over two years since arriving at the club and has yet to complete a full 90 minutes.

"We feel a shame for him, especially for him," said Maresca. "He's not able to be fit for a long, long period. We will see now. It's too early to understand what kind of injury. I think it's his quad."

The draw leaves Chelsea on eight points in the table, level with their hosts in Baku, but having already suffered one defeat, there is minimal room for error in their remaining four fixtures if they are to secure a top-eight finish and avoid a play-off in February.

Maresca's side face Wolves at Stamford Bridge on Saturday night, fewer than 72 hours after returning from the eastern edge of Europe.

"It's about all (the players)," said Maresca. "I think we started in the right way. We were in control of the game but when we conceded the first goal, we conceded the second one after four or five minutes. We were much better in the second half. Every game is a chance for them to show why they are here."