You’ll get nothing, and you’ll like it!
Enzo Maresca has made it pretty clear where he stands on the issue of Chelsea’s center back depth. With Levi Colwill set to miss the season, he thinks we’re a bit shorthanded at what he calls the most crucial position in his defensive setup. And that notion was only underlined with the news that Tosin Adarabioyo will miss today’s season opener against Crystal Palace as a precaution after he felt a twinge of some sort in Friday’s training.
With those two out, plus Wesley Fofana and Benoît Badiashile still just coming back from long-term injuries, we’re certainly under strength to start the season. Regardless of how highly anyone might rate the likes of Josh Acheampong and Jorrel Hato, having one fit senior center back (Trevoh Chalobah) is not a great situation any way you slice it.
“We build with Levi in the middle. Last year, we played 64 games and we played 64 games with Levi and Tosin. Now Levi is out, the only one who can do that job well is Tosin.
“Also, we have players who, unfortunately, like Wesley Fofana or Benoît Badiashile, have some problems and this is why I said that the club knows exactly what I think about central defenders.”
-Enzo Maresca; source: The Athletic
But Chelsea’s powers that be have also made it pretty clear where they stand on this issue — not necessarily through direct address, but rather through the media, as we are wont to do. To wit, The Athletic report that Chelsea “are not inclined to panic” and “feel no urgent need” to find an external solution. And they don’t expect that stance to shift anytime soon, in part due to a “lack of suitable options available in this window” as well as “full faith” in Maresca’s ability to make use of the “deepest squad in the Premier League” (their words), a squad in which “centre-back might be [the] deepest position” in fact.
So, basically, stop whining and go do your job.
Let’s get to it then.
Category: General Sports
