Following our late victory against Bournemouth last week which saw Maresca turn to his bench and use the full complement of his matchday squad, the Italian explained that he is ready to take similar action in search of three important points at the London Stadium.

The second half on the south coast saw the debut of Jadon Sancho and the introduction of the match-winner Christopher Nkunku, which Maresca says highlighted the impact those who do not start can make in our pursuit of victory.

‘The only intention when we make a change is to improve what we see in the first half, after one hour or seventy minutes,’ Maresca explained prior to our trip to the London Stadium.

‘It’s looking at what we need in this moment. I said after the Bournemouth game, it’s not possible to play with Cole (Palmer), Joao (Felix), Christopher (Nkunku), Noni (Madueke), Pedro (Neto), Misha, etc. It’s not possible to play all of them in the first XI.

‘The important thing is that the ones that start try to do well and the ones on the side, they try to improve [the performance] or try to continue in the same way as the player they replace. It’s the only way to try to win games.

‘Against Bournemouth, Nicolas Jackson didn’t play badly, he missed some chances but was working well on and off the ball. We probably needed a little more quality inside the box and that was the idea of putting Christo on.’

Maresca recognises that making a substitution will always be a difficult decision, but it's one he will always take for the betterment of the team and depending on the in-game scenario Chelsea face.

He explained: ‘The only way a player is happy to come off is when they score two or three goals. Then they come off, say goodbye to everyone, and laugh. But if the game is 0-0 or 1-1 and you change, they are never happy. Doesn’t matter if it’s 45 minutes, one hour or 75 minutes. Never.

‘They want to play always but they have to understand there are other players who also want to play always, and they train every day to get minutes, and are unlucky not to play from the start. And when the manager tries to change you, nobody is happy. It was the same for me too when I was a player, I was not happy to be changed.’

The head coach knows that every player will show a desire befitting of the Chelsea badge as we travel across the capital.

Enzo added: ‘It’s important all of them – if it’s 30 minutes, 45 minutes, one hour, five minutes – that they go onto the pitch with the same desire.

'They know I expect this of them because this is Chelsea and the club and fans deserve respect whether you go on the pitch for one minute or 95 minutes. This is the clear message.’