Chelsea told they have broken union rules this season, Enzo Maresca had no choice

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Chelsea’s tough start to the season could be put down to a number of factors, however breaking one of FIFPRO’s union rules could be a key reason behind it.

Enzo Maresca has seen his side win just two of their first six games of the Premier League season, as well as tasting defeat in their opening Champions League fixture.

Chelsea fans have begun to turn on their manager, who will certainly point to circumstances out of his control as the main reasons why they have been so underwhelming.

This has included consecutive red cards in Premier League games for Robert Sanchez and Trevoh Chalobah, although injuries have played a bigger part so far in this campaign.

Chelsea have broken FIFPRO union rules this season

Cole Palmer, Levi Colwill, Liam Delap and Romeo Lavia are amongst those who have missed significant minutes so far this season due to injuries.

The first three of those names all took part in the Club World Cup final against PSG, which took place less just 33 days before the new season got underway.

There were many who believed despite Chelsea’s success on the world stage, it would come back to bite them due to how little time there was before the start of the new campaign.

Due to the circumstances, FIFPRO have reported that Chelsea failed to give their players the recommended amount of days off between seasons for rest and recovery.

The amount of muscle injuries the Blues have suffered is a clear sign that this has not been achieved, and Maresca is now struggling with squad selection as a result.

FIFPRO’s rules in regards to player safety

They players’ union suggests that players should be handed at least 28 days of rest at the end of a season before returning to pre-season training.

Chelsea, who made the final and therefore stayed in the United States the longest, only gave their players just 20 days of complete rest, with a 13-day pre-season camp.

Colwill fell to injury on the first day of pre-season, perhaps the biggest sign that the Blues players were going to be struggling when the Premier League campaign got underway.

With games coming thick and fast, Maresca faces the dilemma of rotating and protecting his players whilst also looking to secure victories.