Updated August 22, 2024, 3:53 p.m.
Football: Chelsea has many other worries than Servette
The prospect of facing the Grenat on Thursday (9pm) in the Conference League play-offs is a matter of indifference to the Blues. Their coach Enzo Maresca must manage a bloated squad.
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Valentin Schnorhk, London
Enzo Maresca had to sideline several players to work normally.
IMAGO/PA Images
Right place, wrong time. There is no challenge in travelling to London, let alone to Stamford Bridge. Even discovering the Cobham training ground, where Chelsea’s daily life is lived, is a privilege, when you consider what Servette is reduced to, who must always inflict journeys by car to find grounds that will welcome the Grenat.
The fact is that a Chelsea-Servette match in the Conference League play-offs doesn’t stir up that many crowds, once you’ve removed yourself from the little garnet world. That’s normal. Chelsea live on another planet, and they should never perform on this small continental stage.
In fact, the Blues live their lives as if this Thursday night match (9pm in Switzerland) did not exist. There was the one against Manchester City on Sunday, lost 2-0. And there will be the one in Wolverhampton in three days. The Premier League above all. And for its followers, it is above all the management of the squad that is an issue.
Ten recruits identified
On Wednesday, a few minutes before coach Enzo Maresca’s pre-match press conference, the London club announced the departure of Connor Gallagher to Atletico Madrid and, above all, the arrival of João Felix. This is something that raises questions, more than the line-up that Maresca will field on Thursday evening.
“João knows the club, we know him,” the Italian said. “He can play in different positions: on the wings, inside.” A profile that could be interesting, even if the Portuguese has disappointed more than seduced in recent years. But above all, he is an addition to a plethora of players. That’s what raises questions. As if the Blues weren’t tired of piling up recruits.
Since the start of the transfer window, ten have arrived, not counting the loan returns: Kellyman (Aston Villa), Guiu (Barcelona), Tosin (Fulham), Dewsbury-Hall (Leicester), Renato Veiga (Basel), Jorgensen (Villarreal), Anselmino (Boca Juniors), Pedro Neto (Wolverhampton), Wiley (Atlanta) and therefore João Felix. That’s a lot of youngsters, several having been loaned out in the process. And above all, not so many players have left. That seems unmanageable for a coach.
“But I only have 21 players available,” he repeated several times. “Not 42 or 43. All the others train separately. The job of a manager is to make sure that all the players are happy, but in this case, it is almost impossible with so many players. So there are more than 15 who do not train with me. They are Chelsea players, but I do not see them on a daily basis. I do not work with them.”
Sterling and Chilwell sidelined
This is the case, for example, of Raheem Sterling and Ben Chilwell. They were left out, despite their important status. But having to manage a bottomless contingent, the coach made choices. “I was honest, I told them that it would be hard to get minutes, it’s impossible to give them to everyone. That’s why they are out of the group, even if they remain Chelsea players for the moment.” The fact remains that they are obviously not on the list of those who are available to face Servette. This is also not the case for João Felix, who arrived too late. Captain Reece James is there, but he is injured.
Servette, by the way, what does the Chelsea coach think? The name of the Geneva club was not mentioned once Maresca’s press conference began on Wednesday. It was no better when it was the turn of his player Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. Chelsea really has other worries.
