Maresca received strong criticism following the defeat against relegation-threatened Leeds, which occurred after he made five changes to the starting lineup that had secured a 1-1 draw against leaders Arsenal despite being reduced to 10 men last weekend.

The loss ended Chelsea's seven-game unbeaten streak across all competitions. Chelsea, currently fourth, trail Arsenal by nine points.

"Most of our rotation happens because some players are unable to play every three days," Maresca told the press on Friday.

"We have four or five players we need to protect and manage. I wish I could play every match with Reece (James), Pedro (Neto), Moi (Moises Caicedo), even Romeo (Lavia), but that’s not feasible, so we look for alternative solutions."

Saturday’s fixture against Bournemouth will be Chelsea’s fifth match within two weeks since the international break.

Moises Caicedo, who has featured in 50 of 51 league games under Maresca, will miss two more matches serving a three-game suspension for his red card. Lavia, Levi Colwill and Dario Essugo are sidelined due to injuries.

"I reviewed the (Leeds) game. We made many mistakes. We paid the price because playing away at Leeds is tough. There are things we must avoid going forward," Maresca commented.

He expected the Bournemouth match to resemble the Leeds game.

"Leeds played with great intensity and outperformed us in every aspect. Hopefully, we can learn from that and improve tomorrow," he concluded.