Enzo Maresca has been up against it since the moment he came in as Chelsea manager last summer.
The first team squad was already large at Stamford Bridge, and even though there were a number of competitions to compete in it was going to be difficult to keep everyone happy.
This played into the club’s January transfer window, with the likes of Renato Veiga and Joao Felix moving on loan just months after joining, as opportunities to feature were few and far between for them.
Enzo Maresca’s team selection has caused Chelsea players frustration
The second half of the season has not gone to plan at all for the Blues on the pitch. An exit from the FA Cup has coincided with a drop out of the top four in the Premier League.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 3 |  Nottm ForestNottingham Forest | 25 | 14 | 5 | 6 | 41 | 29 | 12 | 47 |
| 4 |  Man CityManchester City | 25 | 13 | 5 | 7 | 52 | 35 | 17 | 44 |
| 5 |  B’mouthBournemouth | 25 | 12 | 7 | 6 | 44 | 29 | 15 | 43 |
| 6 |  ChelseaChelsea | 25 | 12 | 7 | 6 | 47 | 34 | 13 | 43 |
| 7 |  NewcastleNewcastle | 25 | 12 | 5 | 8 | 42 | 33 | 9 | 41 |
| 8 |  FulhamFulham | 25 | 10 | 9 | 6 | 38 | 33 | 5 | 39 |
| 9 |  Aston VillaAston Villa | 25 | 10 | 8 | 7 | 35 | 38 | -3 | 38 |
It is not only the players who have already departed who are beginning to feel frustrated in West London though.
Simon Phillips claimed on his Substack that there is unrest amongst the squad, stemming from the ‘B-team’ Conference League experiment which Maresca denied was occurring.
He said: “It’s always easy to report ‘unrest’ during times like this, but it’s not something that has just crept in during the last few games, it’s started during the first part of the season when many players became unhappy with being ‘B-Team’ players and then when they did play well, being overlooked for the league games.
“Some of these players have now left on loan, but what this did is cause some issues amongst certain friendship groups and an unhappiness from friends of the players who were not playing.”
The Conference League allowed Maresca to rotate heavily. Cole Palmer wasn’t even named in the group stage squad in order to protect him from potential injuries.
Chelsea players upset over treatment of Ben Chilwell and Trevoh Chalobah
Given the size of the squad Maresca had to deal with at the start of the season, the Blues took some excessive measures to part ways with some of their squad.
Many were critical of how they dealt with long-serving star Trevoh Chalobah, as he saw himself banished to train with the kids in an attempt to force him to leave.
Phillips went on to say that this, as well as the blunt removal from first team duties for former vice-captain Ben Chilwell has also caused unrest.
He said: “Also the treatment of players such as Trevoh Chalobah and Ben Chilwell caused some internal issues amongst the players.”
The irony of Chelsea’s actions are that Chalobah has been a key player in the second half of the season after being recalled from his loan spell at Crystal Palace. However, the intention remains for him to be sold permanently.
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