Opinion

Enzo Maresca needs to give serious thought to dropping ‘fantastic’ Chelsea player after Manchester United draw

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Enzo Maresca will likely have been disappointed as his Chelsea side came away from Old Trafford with a 1-1 against Manchester United.

The Blues’ opponents were taking part in their first Premier League game since the sacking of Erik ten Hag, however showed little in their game to suggest a revolution was on the way.

The standout performer for Chelsea was Moises Caicedo. Maresca singled Caicedo out for praise after the game, which saw him find the net for the first time this season.

It was 11 changes made by the Blues as they looked to get back to winning ways after the dismal defeat to Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup, and this saw a completely new back four take to the pitch.

Manchester United FC v Chelsea FC - Premier League
Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images

Enzo Maresca must consider dropping Wesley Fofana

Wesley Fofana was back at the heart of defence. The Frenchman has been an ever-present Premier League starter ever since Maresca came in.

It is clear that the defender has plenty of backing from the manager. Maresca has described Fofana in the past as ‘fantastic’. However it may be time to think about making a change at the back.

Fofana was caught out from a long ball that eventually led to United being given a penalty in the second half.

Tosin Adarabioyo likely candidate to replace Fofana

While his partner Levi Colwill continued to show why he is being rated extremely highly this season, the Frenchman looked slow off the mark for a number of chases back towards his own goal.

When looking at the players who could replace him, the clear candidate would be Tosin Adarabioyo. He is the only other centre-back to feature in his regular position in the league this season.

Maresca has previously said he has been impressed by Tosin, who joined on a free over the summer.

He seems to be ahead of the likes of Axel Disasi and Benoit Badiashile in the pecking order for minutes, although talk will likely crop up again when the transfer window opens that a new defender could be on the agenda.