How Wesley Fofana cost Alejandro Garnacho a shot at revenge against Manchester United
Enzo Maresca has revealed why he did not bring on Alejandro Garnacho in Chelsea’s 2-1 defeat to Manchester United on Saturday.
Chelsea signed Garnacho from United in the summer, and the winger would have been looking forward to playing against his former club after being frozen out by Ruben Amorim.
However, he was named on the bench and was not substituted on as the Blues went on to lose against their Premier League rivals.
One player who did start was Wesley Fofana. Fofana was used at right-back in Chelsea’s 2-2 draw with Brentford last weekend but returned to central defence at Old Trafford.
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca cancelled Alejandro Garnacho substitution after Wesley Fofana asked to be taken off
With Chelsea losing, Maresca‘s original plan was to bring on Garnacho in the second half.
However, Maresca has confirmed that Fofana asked to come off after feeling tired, forcing the Chelsea head coach to go down a different route.
Speaking in his post-match press conference, which has been relayed by football.london, he said: “He [Garnacho] was ready to go on, but then Wes [Fofana] asked for the change, because he was tired after a long time, so we changed and we decided to go for Tyrique [George], and the idea was to give Garnacho minutes.”
Before the game, former Premier League striker Troy Deeney made a bold prediction about Garnacho.
Deeney was confident that Chelsea would beat United with ease, with Garnacho grabbing a couple of assists.
A Robert Sanchez red card in just the fifth minute of the match, though, ended any chance the Blues had of winning the fixture.
Next up for Maresca’s men is a trip to Lincoln City in the Carabao Cup before they welcome Brighton & Hove Albion to Stamford Bridge in the Premier League.
Scoreline could have been worse if Wesley Fofana was taken off earlier
Fofana played just over an hour at Old Trafford, and it was a good hour for him individually. Had the central defender been withdrawn earlier, the Club World Cup winners probably would have lost by a larger margin.
Fofana was definitely one of Chelsea’s better players on the day. He used his pace well and made a couple of big tackles.
Looking at the Frenchman’s game, he is a quick and aggressive centre-half. Compared to the likes of Trevoh Chalobah and Tosin Adarabioyo, Fofana also has more quality.
If the France international can stay fit, all of a sudden, Chelsea’s backline looks very different.
from Chelsea FC Latest News & Club Updates | The Chelsea Chronicle https://ift.tt/fUcm54b
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