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.
While Chelsea will be returning to Europe’s elite tournament for the first time in three seasons, Betis have also already qualified for the Europa League by virtue of finishing sixth in LaLiga.
The Verdiblancos, who are managed by former Manchester City and West Ham coach Manuel Pellegrini, will have some familiar faces on the pitch against Chelsea.
Manchester United loanee Antony will start for the Spanish side along with former Real Madrid playmaker Isco and ex-Barcelona defender Marc Bartra.
Pellegrini says Antony told him he wanted ‘revenge’ after Manchester United ousted him
Antony has been in fine form since joining Real Betis back in January, scoring a glut of goals
Speaking ahead of Wednesday night’s final, Pellegrini revealed that Antony had spoken to his manager about his desire to gain ‘revenge’ on Manchester United for allowing him to leave the team on loan in January.
Pellegrini said: ‘I can be proud of helping Antony. He told me he was not playing at Manchester United and was not happy.
‘He wanted ‘revenge’ and to show what he can do. It’s difficult with a €100m (£84m) price tag.
‘Antony is a very good player. I am absolutely sure that this is a huge time for him to continue improving his career.’
