Yahoo Sports Chelsea: Enzo Maresca must be realistic as juggling act just got much harder
Six games, six wins, 26 goals and, aside from the bit where it all got a bit can’t-feel-your-toes in Kazakstan, the general impression that a jolly good time was had by all.
Which, if so, is hardly a surprise. From this side of the touchline, the gig of Conference League regular at Chelsea looks a pretty cushty one, a well-paid, all-inclusive toddle around Europe walloping teams of inferior talent and even more inferior budget.
To the cowardly mortal, that sounds a vastly more enjoyable experience than tackling the scrutiny and stakes of a Premier League title race. Never trust a man who tells you they relish a challenge down the Monday night five-a-side; far better to stick seven past some old boys in running shoes and shin pads.
You suspect, though, that young footballers with that outlook do not make it as far as the Chelsea first team and to those who have been fed a Thursday night diet so far this season, the competition has been a means to an end, be that pushing for a first-team place, gaining senior experience or making a play for the shop window. (There is, of course, an actual trophy to be won at the end of it all, but this side of Christmas, that has felt secondary).
The supply line, now, dries up, with the Blues not back in European action until the last-16 in March, the Premier League set to become the sole focus and Enzo Maresca facing a challenge in squad management. How to share a limited stock of caviar now the chicken feed has run out?
“Personally, I’m not worried about the next three months, if the players are happy or not,” Maresca insisted following Thursday night’s 5-1 drubbing of Shamrock Rovers. “The only thing I can say is that we have many games and if they do the right things, if they work properly, for sure, they are all going to have chances to play.”
Whatever the sentiment, though, for some that will simply not be the reality. Even with the busy period over Christmas about to kick in, Chelsea play only 11 league games in the ten weeks between now and the end of February and opportunities to rotate wholesale will depend on progress, priorities and luck of the draw in the FA Cup.
Some of the European regulars will be expressly needed, with Chelsea’s squad currently, and for the first time this season, thinned by cluster injuries in one or two areas. For others, though, the next few months look potentially barren and Maresca is prepared for the possibility that some may ask to leave when the transfer window opens next month.
The problem is that sometimes the question is more for them, that if they say: ‘OK, you don't want me to leave, but I'm not happy, I want to play more’.
Enzo Maresca
“We don't want one of our players to leave,” the 44-year-old said. “The problem is that sometimes the question is more for them, that if they say: ‘OK, you don't want me to leave, but I'm not happy, I want to play more’.
“So in that case, we are not going to say: ‘no, you have to stay’.”
Those on the fringes of Maresca’s squad fall broadly into three categories. There are the likes of Ben Chilwell (one appearance all season) and Carney Chukwuemeka (one start) who are clearly miles out of the picture and who the manager name-checked as destined for the door. “Probably they are the first who want to leave because they work every day, they train every day, because they want to play games,” he said.
Then there are the youngest in a young squad - academy graduates Josh Acheampong and Tyrique George, and fellow 18-year-old Marc Guiu - who have impressed in their opportunities but may struggle for more now. All three will probably have loan interest next month, but Maresca has made clear he would rather they continue their development at Cobham.
Most interesting, though, will be how Maresca responds to any discontent among more senior players who have not played as much as expected. Christopher Nkunku has been linked with an exit but Chelsea have no intention of selling, while Axel Disasi’s immediate importance has been elevated by injuries to Wesley Fofana and Benoit Badiashile, but when all are fit he appears fifth-choice at centre-back.
“With each player, it’s a different situation,” Maresca added. “So, we’re going to see if some of them come knock on my door to say they want to leave, but it depends. We try to find a solution.”
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, likewise, cannot find a route into regular league action and has been linked with a move only six months into his Chelsea career, possibly straight back to Leicester on loan. When asked, Maresca refused to rule it out.
"Unfortunately I cannot say that, not about Kiernan, about all the squad,” he said. “When the transfer window is open, unfortunately anything can happen.”
