Chelsea’s squad is currently far too big, that’s just a fact. Whilst yes, there will be more outgoings, I still fear that our squad is going to be too big and as a result, we are going to see players squeezed into positions that are not their best and as well as that, we are going to see players warming the bench who will be feeling that they should be playing.
Yes, that is all part and parcel of playing for any big club, there will always be competition and you do need that. And of course, we tend to get very bad luck with injuries and are also in an extra couple of competitions this season. So we will need numbers and a slightly bigger squad than others will need.
But my concerns are this, quite simply, we have spent almost £300m on our midfield signing Enzo Fernandez, Moises Caicedo, Romeo Lavia, and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. That’s without mentioning Christopher Nkunku and Cole Palmer, who are both looking like they could be used as 8s this season. Then you have the likes of Carney Chukwuemeka as well.
Where do they all fit? For me, as I did my starting Xl formation last week, you’d have seen that I left out Enzo Fernandez and Dewsbury-Hall. But in all reality, are Chelsea going to be happy leaving out a £100m asset? So where does he play? Where does he fit? Does he start ahead of Lavia or Caicedo, another £100m plus midfielder? Does he start in the 8 or 10 role over the likes of Nkunku or Palmer, and do they then get squeezed into unfamiliar positions that are not their best?
I’m so passionate about having players playing in their best positions to get the very best out of them. Whilst players like Malo Gusto are proving that some of them can just do a very good job wherever they are on the pitch, not all players are that ‘swiss army knife’ and nor should they be.
The very best of Enzo’s game comes from deep, in a double pivot as a 6. That’s where he won a World Cup and Copa America with Argentina, and that is where he has always played best in a Chelsea shirt. Not a lone DM, but a double pivot. He needs to operate deep and see most of the game ahead of him. I find it astonishing that coaches still select him as a 10. Seeing Enzo on the edge of the box as one of the most advanced players with two defenders ahead of him and no players to pass forward to and his only option is to attempt some kind of dribble forward, pains me.
His vision is astonishing and yes it can be utilised in attack, but he has to be arriving into the attack later and have at least two options ahead of him to pass it to. That’s just obvious, no? You don’t need coaching badges to see that, surely?
I’m concerned about our midfield, I can’t shy away from that. I also think we could end up missing a solid defensive midfield destroyer. Some people might mention Conor Gallagher here and the fact we are selling him, but Conor isn’t that guy, he’s not a DM. I think we might miss a physical presence deeper. Romeo Lavia is a fantastic player on the ball, but off the ball defensively he is a bit liable. That concerns me a bit.
But the sheer numbers, and not knowing where they will all be playing and how you can get the best out of them all, does concern me.
I’m very intrigued and open minded though, to see what Maresca has planned for it all. Rather him than me. We have a lot of players to keep content, and some big priced players to make sure we get back from our huge investments on.
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