Mourinho admits Reece James frustration after Maresca's Champions League decision
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Benfica boss Jose Mourinho said Enzo Maresca's second-half substitution thwarted his plan to exploit one Chelsea weakness on Tuesday.
Chelsea collected their first win in the Champions League this season, but it was not the comfortable victory they had hoped for.
Benfica midfielder Richard Rios' own goal was the only difference in the game, and for the majority of the second half, Chelsea were made to work to defend their lead.
Mourinho insisted that he saw a crack in Chelsea's defence during the game, but unfortunately for him, Maresca noticed it, too.
"I tried to play fresh people, I tried to play a second striker, I tried to play a new left winger," the Portuguese explained in his post-match conference.
"I saw Malo Gusto in difficulties. But then Maresca has Malo Gusto in difficulties, so he changed for a better player than Malo Gusto.
"This is Chelsea’s squad that allows them to do that."
Mourinho was, of course, talking about Reece James.
The England international replaced Gusto in the 80th minute and played impressively for the remainder of the game.
In the 10 minutes he was on the pitch, James made one block, one interception, and two recoveries.
It is very easy to see how frustrating it was from Mourinho's perspective to have found a target for his team, only for the opposition head coach to deploy James as an antidote.
This does not apply to every position at Chelsea, however, particularly now amid injury problems.
Maresca now has a very limited list of centre-back options at his disposal, with Levi Colwill, Wesley Fofana, and Tosin Adarabioyo out due to injuries.
In addition to that, Trevoh Chalobah will also miss Liverpool's visit to Stamford Bridge at the weekend due to suspension.
Gerry Crisandy is a freelance writer who has covered Chelsea for many years. His work has been published on The Chelsea Chronicle and Pride of London. He grew up idolising Michael Ballack and is a firm believer in expected goals.