Former Chelsea star Joe Cole has expressed his doubt over the lineup picked by Blues boss Enzo Maresca ahead of the Conference League final.
Cole was perplexed as Maresca’s decision to leave out Levi Colwill in the heart of defence entirely, as he instead opted for a central pairing of Benoit Badiashile and Trevoh Chalobah to face Real Betis.
Appearing as a pundit on TNT Sports, he said: ‘[Playing] Chalobah and Badiashile together, I’m not a big fan of mixing it.
‘Levi Colwill has come in and done well. You can’t pick a Chelsea team now, the squad’s so strong, you don’t know who’s going to start.’
The Chelsea manager opted for virtually his strongest possible lineup elsewhere, handing starts to Cole Palmer, Enzo Fernandez, Moises Caicedo and Nicolas Jackson.
However, Cole did praise Maresca for getting Chelsea into a Champions League place, which the Italian achieved thanks to a 1-0 final-day win over fellow European hopefuls Nottingham Forest.
Cole voiced doubts over the lineup picked by Blues boss Enzo Maresca ahead of the Conference League final
Maresca’s Chelsea will face Real Betis just three days after securing Champions League football next season
He added: ‘I think he’s got the hardest job in the Premier League. He had an expectant crowd and a huge squad. I think it’s been brilliant.
‘There were a couple of moments when it looked like it was going off the rails and he brought it back.
His fellow pundit and former Chelsea midfielder Steve Sidwell added: ‘As a player you want the truth to be told to you. For me he’s [been] magnificent.’
The final will be played in Wroclaw, Poland, with silverware the main motivation for two clubs who will not be playing in the competition next season.
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