If Chelsea are to qualify for the Champions League, it looks like they are going to need to do it at Stamford Bridge – and Enzo Maresca cannot afford to gamble with his line-up again.
Maresca justified leaving his stars out against Brentford by claiming that Chelsea had been disadvantaged by having 24 hours less rest than their hosts. That complaint may have some merit, but the very fact that Maresca said that his plan “nearly worked” confirmed that it did not and Chelsea are now nervously looking over their shoulders.
Explaining his decision to start Cole Palmer, Nicolas Jackson, Pedro Neto and Marc Cucurella on the substitutes’ bench, Chelsea head coach Maresca said: “Not all of them were 100 per cent. So the idea was to start in one way and to finish in the other way. The plan nearly worked because, second half, the last half an hour, we probably created a little bit more. But I think overall the volume between first half and second half has been enough to win the game.
“We played Thursday night, a demanding game, 24 hours less than them [Brentford]. At this stage [of the season] I think 24 hours make the difference.”
The goalless draw at Brentford meant it is now eight Premier League games away from home without a victory for Maresca’s men with their remaining trips of the season coming against Fulham, Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest.
That puts huge pressure on Chelsea’s home form, which is keeping their Champions League hopes alive at the moment, and they have Ipswich Town, Everton, Liverpool and Manchester United left to play at Stamford Bridge.
“I think to get top four, top five or fight for title, you need the right balance,” said Maresca. “Probably, in this moment, we struggle a little bit more to win games away. Hopefully, from now on, we can win some games away. But also it’s important I think to continue to win the games at home.”
Jackson, Palmer, Neto and Cucurella were all sent on in the second half, but it could have been even worse for Maresca and Chelsea had Bryan Mbeumo or Sepp van den Berg buried late efforts.
Without their star men on the pitch, Chelsea took until the 34th minute – just after the travelling fans had chanted ‘attack, attack, attack’ – to have a shot on target through Noni Madueke.
Christopher Nkunku offered yet more evidence that he is not a striker during a first half in which he did not threaten after the first minute, when Reece James almost picked him out at the back post.
It was not a surprise that Maresca replaced Nkunku with Jackson for the start of the second half and within five minutes of his introduction the striker showed why he should have been on the pitch from the start.
Enzo Fernandez played a long pass along the ground that allowed Jackson to spin his marker ...
