Enzo Maresca to prioritise players' welfare at Club World Cup

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has stated that he will rest key players if he detects signs of fatigue during the upcoming FIFA Club World Cup.

Speaking at a press conference on Friday ahead of Sunday’s final Premier League game against Nottingham Forest, Maresca rued negligence surrounding players' welfare.

The Blues require a win to guarantee a place in next season's Champions League.

“The problem is that we have a game Sunday and Wednesday, a European final,” said Maresca, who confirmed he did not speak with Tuchel about leaving out Chelsea players.

“No-one cares about that. No one cares about player welfare.

“If they’re going to be tired (in the US), they’re not going to play. How can you manage that? It’s simply like that.

“I don’t think there’s any attention paid to (if) players are healthy or these kind of things. It’s not normal the amount of games they play.”

He further stated that playing too many matches is neither normal nor right.

He acknowledged that although players may want to earn more, the issue is not about money, it is about health before urging FIFA to look into the matter.

“For me it’s not normal and it’s not correct,” he said. “I can understand that people are thinking ‘they earn (a lot of) money,’ but it’s not about money, it’s about health, it’s about protecting players.

“My feeling is because of the amount of games they play, I don’t think they (FIFA) pay attention.”

However, Maresca's expectations with the team remain high as he argued that the pressure is on every club at this stage of the season.

“At this stage of the season I think the pressure is for all the clubs that are involved,” said Maresca. “It’s also (pressure) for (Forest).

Asked whether the expectation weighs heavier on Chelsea, he said: “Probably yes.”