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Maresca TEARS into Chelsea stars after Leeds loss: 'My big regret...'
Tom Weber
- Updated: 5 Dec 2025 12:03 GMT
- 4 min read
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Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca has admitted that he 'regrets' not playing Josh Acheampong against Leeds mid-week.
The Blues suffered a chastening 3-1 defeat at Elland Road on Wednesday, undoing much of the good work from the weekend's impressive 1-1 draw with league leaders Arsenal.
Under-pressure Leeds boss Daniel Farke reverted to a playing style more suited to his physical squad after several unsuccessful attempts at implementing a more possession-based approach, and it bore fruit.
Leeds made the most of their chances, and they were handed the decisive third goal on a silver platter by Chelsea defender Tosin Adarabioyo after the visitors attempted to play through pressure in their own box.
During the game, Chelsea youngster Josh Acheampong was once again an unused substitute, despite the fact that supporters have been pleading with Enzo Maresca to use the teenager more, as he has looked assured whenever he has played.
Maresca: I regret not using Acheampong
Maresca was widely blamed for causing Chelsea's 2-1 defeat to Sunderland in October by taking off Acheampong for the less mobile Tosin, which fans believe ultimately led to the stoppage-time counter from which the Black Cats scored their winner.
A few days later, Acheampong played the full 90 minutes in Chelsea's Carabao Cup win over Wolves. It seems the fact that the Blues conceded three goals rubbed Maresca the wrong way because the 19-year-old has only played eight minutes of football since.
The versatile defender has been an unused substitute in Chelsea's last five Premier League games, but Maresca has now admitted that he should have given him minutes against Leeds.
"One of the regrets I have after the game is I didn't play with Josh," he said at a press conference on Friday, ahead of Saturday's clash with an out-of-form Bournemouth side.
"So the reason why we played with Trev [Chalobah], Tosin and Benoit [Badiashile] is because, analysing them, we saw that most of the time they were playing long balls for [Dominic] Calvert-Lewin, for [Lukas] Nmecha.
"And so we preferred physicality to win aerial duels. But even with that, we lost most of them."
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