Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca has, bar a few tweaks, operated with two different starting lineups this season. He has used one in the Premier League and another for UEFA Conference League and Carabao Cup matches.
The policy was ignited when Cole Palmer was curiously left out of their squad for European games in the competition’s new League Phase, but exacerbated when Maresca made 11 changes for the visit of Nottingham Forest on Sunday, after defeating Gent in midweek.
It has worked up until this point, with both sets of players receiving plenty of gametime. But there will be a breaking point when talented players in the ‘B team’ are not satisfied with irregular minutes in the English top flight.
Here, Express Sport has taken a look at three players Maresca risks upsetting if he does not give them adequate time to impress in the Premier League.
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Pedro Neto is a Premier League star. He was Wolves’ talisman for five years and his ability prompted the Blues to spend £54million on him while they were already stacked in wide areas.
However, Maresca’s first-choice options appear to be Noni Madueke and Jadon Sancho, with Palmer operating in a free role between the pair.
While regular rotation could benefit Neto, having struggled with injuries since heading to England in 2019, he is accustomed to playing in his club’s biggest games.
That might not be the case at Stamford Bridge and despite penning a seven-year contract, Neto may end up looking elsewhere if this current situation persists.
Christopher Nkunku
Maresca has already detailed that Christopher Nkunku prefers to play centrally rather than out wide, limiting the positions he can compete for.
And similar to Neto, off the back of a long-term injury, playing once a week in matches with lower intensity will do no harm on his comeback to full fitness.
But Nkunku is a player that clubs all across Europe sought after and Chelsea were willing to spend £52m on, having starred for RB Leipzig in the Bundesliga and Champions League.
Should Chelsea return to Europe’s premier competition, he will expect to play in those matches once again. But currently he is behind Nicolas Jackson in the pecking order amid rumours that Victor Osimhen could finally join the club in January.
The Frenchman is far too talented to play a bit-part role, something Nkunku will be acutely aware of as the season progresses.
Axel Disasi
Axel Disasi arrived at Chelsea from Monaco for £38m and made a strong start to life in west London, but in his second season at the club appears to be operating largely as a back-up to Malo Gusto.
And he could be pushed further down in Maresca’s eyes when captain Reece James is back from injury.
Disasi is a versatile defender, able to play at right-back and centre-back, in the prime of his career at 26, but Wesley Fofana and Levi Colwill are Maresca’s first-choice options.
A season playing largely in the Conference League and domestic cups is unlikely to suffice and Disasi could look to move on in either January or the summer.
