Enzo Maresca's team selection at Brentford described as 'pathetic'

Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca’s team selection at Brentford on Sunday has been described as “pathetic” by a Sky Sport pundit, asking him to focus on the elite European competition and not the Conference League.

Maresca has been slammed for the Chelsea team selection in the Brentford draw, and “shocked” Champions League isn’t the priority for the manager.

Both Cole Palmer and Nicolas Jackson were left out on the bench by Maresca for the 0-0 draw away at Brentford’s Gtech Community Stadium.

Chelsea could only draw 0-0 with Brentford, putting their Champions League qualification in a vulnerable situation

A decision Sky Sports pundit Paul Merson passionately disagreed with. Merson was “flabbergasted” at the decision; in his view, Champions League qualification should be the “be all and end all”.

Merson wrote in his Sky Sports column: “I couldn’t believe the team Enzo Maresca put out at Brentford. When that team came out, I was flabbergasted.

“It was pathetic. Chelsea have won the Champions League. This is the Europa Conference League – and he’s resting players for it? Getting into the Champions League has to be the be all and end all.

“They have to be in it. If they come sixth in the Premier League and win the Europa Conference League, it would be a shocker.

“A shocker. This is Legia Warsaw, no disrespect to them but they won’t beat Chelsea over two legs. You have to beat Brentford.”

Palmer is Chelsea’s joint-top goalscorer with 14 goals, while Jackson has scored nine. The draw left Chelsea in a more vulnerable league position heading into Thursday’s Europa Conference League quarter-final first leg in Warsaw.

The Blues sit fourth in the Premier League but with just a one-point separates them from the teams outside the Champions League qualification positions.

They take on Ipswich on Sunday at Stamford Bridge before the second leg against Legia Warsaw next Thursday.