Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has acknowledged that one of his biggest regrets from the club’s 3-1 loss to Leeds United was leaving young defender Josh Acheampong out of the squad.
Transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano quoted Maresca as saying, “One of the regrets I have after Leeds is that I didn’t play with Josh Acheampong.” He explained that his decision to start Trevoh Chalobah, Benoit Badiashile and Tosin Adarabioyo was based on the expectation of long balls from Leeds’ forwards. “But even then, we lost most of them,” he added.
The defeat at Elland Road marked a major setback for Chelsea, whose Premier League title ambitions took a significant hit as the struggling Leeds side produced an unexpected win on Wednesday.
Maresca also gave a concerning update on midfielder Romeo Lavia’s fitness. “We don’t know when Roméo Lavia can be back. It’s a muscle problem. We don’t know whether it’s long- or short-term,” he said.
Chelsea will aim to recover quickly when they travel to face AFC Bournemouth in their next league fixture on Saturday.