Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca has revealed the protocol that he has put in place for players who are not selected in a matchday squad.
Throughout the opening months of his Blues reign, decisions had to be made over who would play a part in his senior ranks for the ongoing campaign.
A senior group of 40 has now been whittled down to the mid-twenties, with Maresca having made it clear who features in his plans and who does not.
Furthermore, the Italian has publicly stated that none of his players should expect to play every fixture given the hectic schedule up to and including next summer's Club World Cup.
There has been frequent rotation for the cup fixtures that Chelsea have played this campaign, with as many as 11 changes being made for Tuesday's EFL Cup victory against Barrow.
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What is Maresca's preferred matchday protocol?
Even though several of the club's star players did not feature in the squad versus the League Two outfit, they were present at Stamford Bridge to support their teammates.
Speaking to reporters on Friday, Maresca has revealed that he expects any players who have been left out of a specific matchday squad to still attend first-team games.
As quoted by the Daily Mail, he said: "I said that I want all of them there. The ones in the squad have to be there and the ones not in the squad have to be there too. You have to behave like a team and if there is a game, they have to be there.
"If there is a problem and some of them cannot come, then that is not a problem. I don't know whether we say it is a rule but when there is a game, the players have to there.
"In terms of culture, I think it is quite normal that if my team-mate is playing a game, I am there before the game to support him and I am there after the game to support him in case he wins, loses, does well or does badly.
"It is normal for them to be there, whether it is the Premier League or Carabao Cup. If we want to create something then these small things are very important."
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How many players has Maresca used this season?
Chelsea may have only played eight matches in all competitions but Maresca has already given game time to as many as 28 players.
The likes of Josh Acheampong, Ben Chilwell, Cesare Casadei, Carney Chukwuemeka and Tyrique George are currently not in contention for appearances in the Premier League.
Nevertheless, despite being strong with the stance over his squad, the sheer amount of talent already used highlights that Maresca is prepared to make use of all the options at his disposal.
Darren Plant
