The fixtures have come thick and fast for the Blues in recent weeks; it's why Maresca has made seven or more changes to his starting XI in each of our past five games.

We have triumphed in three of those, drawn at Qarabag, and conceded an injury-time winner to Sunderland at Stamford Bridge.

Maresca’s rotation policy has sparked debate among pundits and former players, but when speaking to the media today, the Italian detailed the rationale behind his decisions and underlined how times have changed.

‘Football, in terms of physicality and intensity, is different compared to years ago,’ Maresca said. ‘For me, it’s impossible to play the same players for 65 games a season in the Champions League and Premier League.

'You cannot say, ‘Why years ago was it possible?’ It is different now; football then wasn’t so physical. I played for 20 years, it’s changed.

'You need to rotate when you see the season like a marathon. Then, in February or March, in the last sprint, you can think differently. But right now, you have to think of it as a long race.’

Maresca also emphasised the quality of the players he adds to the Chelsea side when changes are made, with senior internationals such as Jorrel Hato, Andrey Santos and Estevao Willian brought in the starting XI against Qarabag in Baku.

‘They are good, they are talented, they are young,' he said. 'And for sure, when they are young, you have to give them a chance to make mistakes and get better.’

Injuries to others in the squad have meant the likes of Moises Caicedo, Enzo Fernandez, Pedro Neto and Joao Pedro have racked up plenty of minutes this term – and that’s after an elongated 2024/25 campaign because of our involvement in the Club World Cup.

‘Of course, if we can give them time off, rest, it’s better,’ accepted Maresca, ‘but it’s hard in this moment.

‘Moi the other day, after five minutes, he was inside the pitch [due to an injury sustained by Romeo Lavia]. Dario (Essugo) is also injured at the moment, while in the past we have used Andrey Santos as a six, Josh (Acheampong) as a six, and Reece (James) as a six.

‘At the beginning of the season, with Levi (Colwill's) injury, we lost our best defender in terms of the way we want to play in build-up.

'We have tried to find solutions, adjust things – we have played with three at the back in build-up, we have played with two at the back in four or five games. So we are looking for different solutions, but when you have more options, it’s better.’

Despite carefully managing minutes this term, Maresca has seen signs of progress compared to this time last year. That gives him confidence in his selections and a belief that the Blues will go on to bigger and better things as 2025/26 develops.

‘I was told this morning that last year, after 11 Premier League games, we had two clean sheets. This season, after ten games, we have four clean sheets.

‘Last year, after 11 games, we had 19 points. If we are able to win tomorrow, we will have more points this season compared to this stage last season. So, do we have consistency or not?

‘The big difference for me is the expectation around the team. The numbers are there and we can probably be even better than last season. But because the expectation has been raised, [the feeling] is a little different.’