Chelsea failed to climb to the top of the Premier League table after drawing 2-2 with west London rivals Brentford.
Cole Palmer and Moises Caicedo both scored, but it was not enough for Chelsea to win and return to Stamford Bridge with all three points.
Palmer had to come to the rescue after a poor first half from Jorrel Hato and the rest of Enzo Maresca‘s team
Many Chelsea fans wanted to see Hato start at the Gtech Community Stadium and got their wish, but the left-back disappointed.
Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty ImagesEnzo Maresca says Jorrel Hato needs time
As you would expect, Maresca is not going to write off his new signing after one bad game.
Hato is still only 19 and has just arrived in the Premier League. As a result, the Dutchman needs time to adapt, according to his manager.
Explaining his decision to withdraw Hato at half time, Maresca told football.london and other outlets: “We planned not all of the game for Jorrel because he needs time to adapt.”
Marc Cucurella is Chelsea’s first-choice left-back, but Maresca evidently wanted to give the 27-year-old a rest.
Cucurella impressed for Spain during the international break, with the former Brighton & Hove Albion man now a key player for both club and country.
Photo by Charlotte Wilson/Offside/Offside via Getty ImagesEnzo Maresca got team selection wrong
Whether Cucurella needed a rest or not, leaving him and Malo Gusto out for Hato and Wesley Fofana did not work.
All in all, Maresca made too many changes for a fixture that has not been too kind to Chelsea in recent years.
The Blues drew 0-0 at the Gtech Community Stadium last season and 2-2 the campaign before. Chelsea fans would have also preferred if Palmer had started the game; however, the attacking midfielder has just returned from a groin injury.
Chelsea’s next game is against Bayern Munich in the Champions League, where they will face Nicolas Jackson, who is currently at the German club on loan.
Jackson had a permanent offer from another club, but the 24-year-old decided to join Vincent Kompany’s side in the end.