It is honest to say Chelsea are underperforming in Enzo Maresca’s system for the time being, however having reached the Convention League semi-finals whereas sitting contained in the Premier League’s high qualification zone, it is all to battle for over the enterprise weeks of the marketing campaign.
Ending inside the highest 5 ought to present a route into subsequent 12 months’s Champions League, and with the Blues sat in seventh place, 4 factors behind Manchester Metropolis, it is essential that Fulham are overwhelmed at Craven Cottage this afternoon.
The issue, in fact, is that Chelsea have not gained any of their previous 9 home matches on the street, with the Cottagers dropping solely 4 of their 16 matches at dwelling within the high flight this time period.
|
Chelsea – Remaining Premier League Fixtures |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Date |
Opponent |
League Place |
|
20/04/25 |
Fulham (A) |
ninth |
|
04/05/25 |
Liverpool (H) |
1st |
|
11/05/25 |
Newcastle (A) |
third |
|
16/05/25 |
Man United (H) |
14th |
|
25/05/25 |
Nott’m Forest (H) |
4th |
Maresca fielded a surprisingly robust line-up towards Legia Warsaw on Thursday, dropping 2-1 on the night however prevailing on mixture.
It will not be straightforward, however the Blues merely must see themselves over the road on this one.
Chelsea crew information
Maresca confirmed throughout his pre-match press convention that Romeo Lavia is on the market for choice after coming back from damage and ought to be concerned.
Wesley Fofana, Marc Guiu and Omari Kellyman stay long-term absentees, whereas Mykhaylo Mudryk remains to be unavailable.
Pedro Neto and Noni Madueke had been benched for the quarter-final tie, however Jadon Sancho did choose up an help for Marc Cucurella’s aim and will fancy one other shot on the huge flank towards a secure Fulham defence.
Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo had been each excluded from the matchday squad on Thursday forward of this weekend’s fixture, and with each prepared and raring, Maresca might need to make a daring transfer and drop Cole Palmer for the second time in 4 Premier League matches.
Why Maresca might drop Palmer
It has been 15 matches throughout all competitions since Palmer final discovered the again of the online. Unquestionably, he is one in every of Europe’s superlative attacking midfielders, however equally, he is nicely under his finest for the time being.
Final season, the 22-year-old was untouchable, matchless in his breezy, Midas contact model in entrance of aim. Now, he cuts a pissed off determine as probabilities go begging and fluency seems to be absent.
The solar will shine once more on the England worldwide, who Sky Sports activities’ Jamie Carragher declared “the most effective participant within the Premier League” again in October, having began the time period with such panache. Nonetheless, he is obtained 14 targets and 9 assists throughout 31 appearances, hardly a tally to be sniffed at.
Palmer has maintained a formidable artistic stage within the Premier League, nonetheless showcasing these arresting attributes which have earned him such lofty acclaim.
As per Sofascore, the rangy midfielder averages 2.5 key passes per league recreation (greater than final 12 months’s 2.1 averages per recreation), profitable 56% of his floor duels and creating 20 huge probabilities in addition to.
Nonetheless, there’s one other playmaking gem who might be unleashed in a contemporary position later at this time. With Lavia combining so nicely with Caicedo within the early knockings of the season, Maresca might nicely look to shake issues up right here.
How Maresca might change Palmer
It might do Palmer some good to sit towards Marco Silva’s Fulham, fuelling him to make a constructive influence when launched within the second half.
Chelsea haven’t got an abundance of central attacking midfielders, and whereas Neto might play the position nicely off Jackson’s again, it is Fernandez who ought to be allowed to shift forwards into Palmer’s realm.
Fernandez has been by way of the feelings since turning into English soccer’s most costly participant of all time in February 2023, leaving Benfica in a deal price £107m. He was thought to be a “famous person” by journalist Roy Nemer, and is starting to show such reward regardless of his crew’s struggles.
The 24-year-old has come on leaps and bounds together with his timing and motion within the hazard space, bounding into area and utilizing his ft or head to fireplace dwelling.
Principally from a deeper-lying position, that is fairly spectacular, particularly when doubling that with the truth that he is one of many Premier League’s most artistic gamers proper now.
So as to add context to this: throughout March, no participant throughout England’s high division created extra huge probabilities than Fernandez’s eight, the Argentine thriving in his influential central berth.
As per FBref, the 5 foot 10 midfielder ranks among the many high 14% of midfielders within the Premier League this season for aim involvements, the highest 8% for shot-creating actions, the highest 13% for passes tried and the highest 11% for progressive passes per 90.
Clearly, he has the properties to play a extra superior position, and Maresca’s not afraid to provide him a shot. 4 occasions already in 2024/25, Fernandez has featured because the quantity ten, scoring one aim and registering one help.
He isn’t one to shirk away from defensive obligations both, profitable 4.4 duels and recovering 4.3 balls per recreation to this point. Fielding him forward of Caicedo and Lavia may compact Chelsea’s midfield whereas retaining the playmaking spark that Palmer supplies with such aplomb, even when issues aren’t going his approach.
It bears testomony to Chelsea’s energy in depth that such a situation is even a risk, and it’d simply be one which Maresca needs to implement to maintain his gamers on their toes and take Palmer out of the firing line.
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