Are Chelsea subs good enough – or should Maresca be blamed?

Enzo Maresca, a trend manager, acknowledges that this trend is “not random” and wants to “understand why.”

Chelsea, who have scored first in eight of their previous nine home games, find it particularly frustrating because they are quick starters at Stamford Bridge. They have also lost 11 points, more than any other Premier League team, in their home victories, overall.

Chelsea currently trails league leaders Arsenal by 13 points from both home and away in points total.

Following Saturday’s 2-1 defeat by Aston Villa, Maresca changed her mind about the situation.

Chelsea is now 10 points clear of third-place Villa thanks to Ollie Watkins’ two second-half goals.

Before Tuesday’s visit to Bournemouth and Stamford Bridge, Maresca told BBC Sport: “When something continues to happen, it’s not random.

Maresca’s substitutes had little of an impact as Villa manager Unai Emery’s changes shifted the game.

The decision to kick out Marc Cucurella in the 72nd minute drew criticism, despite later being revealed that the Spaniard had a potential hamstring issue, while star attacker Cole Palmer reacted furiously to being taken off for Estevao Willian, 18, in the 72nd minute.

Maresca’s substitutions have previously been subject to scrutiny, most recently in earlier matches against Brighton and Manchester United with 10 men. After his team beat Chelsea in their Champions League match earlier this month, Alatalanta forward Charles De Ketelaere even suggested they “drop” in the second half.

Maresca’s adjustments have occasionally worked, but they typically have resulted from resting key players. He frequently played for Cardiff City in the Carabao Cup and Nottingham Forest and Brentford in the Premier League, but he ultimately relied on the strength of his teammates to win.

This has sparked a chicken-and-egg debate: some people attribute the squad’s lack of quality to the bench, while others criticize Maresca’s treatment of some players.

Maresca smiled before saying, “No, I think it’s in general,” when asked about the problem by BBC Sport.

Following a defeat defined by substitutes, that guarded response was issued.

Watkins, Amadou Onana, former Chelsea loanee Jadon Sancho, Lucas Digne, and Lamare Bogarde made up Villa’s quintet, with an average age of over 26.

Chelsea, on the other hand, made four changes with underage children: Estevao Willian, Jamie Gittens, Liam Delap, and Malo Gusto.

Since moving to Stamford Bridge, Estevao has scored five goals and an assist in the attacking zone, but Gittens and Delap have both scored just once, despite also having five assists overall.

“It’s probably how we can improve after we concede a goal, to manage the game a little better, to gain experience game after game,” says Maresca.

Chelsea rely on youth, but this season’s Premier League changes have had little impact.

Their starting XI is 24 years, 219 days, while their substitutes are the league’s youngest, both at 21 years and 349 days.

After being defeated by Leeds and Atalanta successively, his comments were widely accepted as criticism of Chelsea’s hierarchy’s alleged lack of support.

With Chelsea having their league position as the minimum goal, Maresca insists he is doing a good job with the Premier League’s youngest squad.

No team has ever changed its starting XI more than Chelsea’s 146 in all competitions, and he is encouraged to rotate and make use of his entire squad’s full depth.

However, Maresca acknowledged that Andrey Santos and other regular starters like Moises Caicedo are not yet on par with Maresca.

Chelsea, which is just seven points clear of 15th-placed Bournemouth before Tuesday’s game in west London, are now fifth and could be forced into mid-table.

Home form is becoming more important. At Stamford Bridge, Chelsea have lost three league games in a row, as well as they have lost all of their previous home games.

When asked about Chelsea’s target, Maresca responded, “The last game doesn’t reflect the 10-point difference between us and Villa. Therefore, we must be confident and confident in our ability to surpass our predecessors.