Chelsea head to West Ham United on Saturday afternoon for the early kick-off with the Blues looking to make it three Premier League wins from as many matches on the road this season.
Enzo Maresca has appeared to be an incredibly relaxed man since coming on board at Chelsea as the head coach, without even once looking anything but calm and composed with his answers at multiple press conferences so far.
So it shouldn’t be any other way when it comes to picking his team for the upcoming game, with his thought process all clear, clinical and unrushed. At the weekend, there were a few players that came off the bench and made a real claim to be included in the line-up for the impending Saturday afternoon’s game against West Ham United at the London Stadium.
Not least of whom is Christopher Nkunku as the 26-year-old forward produced the match-defining moment on 86 minutes with a clever swivel inside the box, followed up with a deadly finish into the bottom right corner.
Truly a moment of magic, one so typical of Nkunku – one chance, one goal. However one wonders if this would be sufficient to earn him a spot in this weekend’s line-up as that would seem unlikely at this moment considering the numerous options Chelsea boast in attack.
There could yet be a chance for Nkunku to come in and replace Nicholas Jackson as the sole No.9 in the side but that again could be unlikely given Maresca’s trust in the Senegalese forward thus far in his tenure, having been the go-to preference starting all four Premier League matches this term. Furthermore, with two goals in the process, it is hardly a bad return from the 23-year-old striker.
Interestingly, one man that has surely left Maresca with no choice but to start him is former United wantaway Jadon Sancho. The 24-year-old winger made his Chelsea debut at the weekend when he was introduced at the half-time break, making an immediate impact having caused continuous problems for the Bournemouth defenders. He eventually got his reward when he assisted Nkunku with a clever pass into the Frenchman’s feet, who then did the rest emphatically.
Although not having gotten his action fully streaming yet, Pedro Neto is yet another player who doesn’t seem to merit concern over as the Portugal international could actually benefit from a spell out of the side. His speed and directness make him a sublime option from the bench in any sort of situation.
One other player who could drop out of the side is Renato Veiga, which would seem really harsh given he was superb in the win against the Cherries. But now with Enzo Fernandes back to fitness, it almost seems a given that Maresca will bring the Argentine back into the team for the match at West Ham.
Tosin Adarabioyo has also shown positive signs off the bench on Saturday evening and the defender – as yet to start in the Premier League since signing for the Blues – will be hoping he has done enough to impress Maresca but it is likely the Italian will stick with his continued center-back pairing of Wesley Fofana and Levi Colwill.