James' substitution was 'planned' - Maresca
Reece James hugged Jamie Gittens after the 2-0 win at Burnley
- Published
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has calmed fears that Reece James was injured during the 2-0 win at Burnley on Saturday afternoon.
The Blues captain came off at half-time and was replaced by fellow defender Benoît Badiashile, as goals from Pedro Neto and Enzo Fernandez secured victory for the Londoners at Turf Moor.
Maresca explained the switch after the match that it was a premeditated substitution.
"Yes, the idea was to manage Reece [James]. This is the reason why he played 45 minutes – it was planned."
The rotation and rest for key players in a dominant victory seemed like perfect preparation for a week in which Chelsea welcomes Barcelona and Arsenal to Stamford Bridge in the Champions League and Premier League.
Maresca, marking his 50th league match as Chelsea manager, left star midfielder Moises Caicedo on the bench throughout and was pleased his deputy, Andrey Santos – who won man of the match – shone in his absence.
"Andrey's position is the position he played today," Maresca added. "With us, most of the time he plays a little higher because in that position we have Moises, so we try to find solutions and space for Andrey."