“Bomb squad loading”, “Send him blankets” - Chelsea fans celebrate after 28-year-old star gets left out of team to face Bournemouth

Chelsea fans are delighted to see Tosin Adarabioyo out of the matchday squad in their trip to face AFC Bournemouth in the Premier League. The defender was slammed by the fans earlier this week, after his role in the 3-1 defeat at Leeds United.

Enzo Maresca has once again kept his faith in Robert Sanchez, but has made two changes to his backline. Malo Gusto and Wesley Fofana come in for Tosin and Benoit Badiashile, while Trevoh Chalobah moves back to his center-back position and Marc Cucurella keeps his place at left-back.

Reece James is back in the starting XI, and he plays as a midfielder again, with Enzo Fernandez partnering him. Cole Palmer makes his first start for Chelsea since September, after making his return from injury in the defeat to Leeds United.

Pedro Neto and Alejandro Garnacho are the wingers, and Liam Delap leads the attack. The starting XI sees Joao Pedro benched for the first time in the Premier League since joining the club in the summer.

The Fans are delighted with the starting XI, but it is Maresca's decision to drop Tosin from the squad that has caught more attention. Many posted:

Chelsea start the gameweek in fourth, with Aston Villa sitting above them in the table.

Chelsea do not need experienced players, says Enzo Maresca

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca was quizzed on whether his squad needs experienced players signed in the January window, and the Italian was not happy with the question. He pointed at Tosin's poor performance against Leeds United and said (via The Sportzine):

"Listen, we always talk about experience when we drop points. When we beat Barcelona, we drew against Arsenal, no one was mentioning about experienced players. So, again, I understand that when we don't win, we are always looking for the reason why, but I think the reason why we didn't win against Leeds is not because of the experience, it's because we were not good enough."

"But we have experienced players. Unfortunately, they were not inside the pitch. One because he was suspended, the other one because of injury. So, it's because in that moment, the ones that have more experience, they were out. Who is the oldest one for us in the pitch? Who was? Tosin. Did he play good? So, it's not about experience. It's about that 11 players, they were not good enough. I know that we are always looking for experience, but it was a bad game for all of us."

Tosin remains Chelsea's oldest player this season, aged 28. The Blues have the youngest squad in the league as they look to finish in the top 4 once again.

Edited by Sripad