Chelsea have seven days between now and their next match and with a rare week on the training ground for the Blues, football.london takes a look at how Enzo Maresca may take advantage of it
Chelsea have the rare commodity of more than a week between two matches, with the Blues not in action this weekend.
After crashing out of the FA Cup at the fourth round stage away at Brighton earlier in the month, Chelsea have the coming weekend off with their next game seven days away against Copenhagen. The Blues go to the Danish capital for the first-leg of the UEFA Conference League Round of 16 tie before welcoming back 'Byens Hold' - which translates to 'the Team of the City '- for the decisive match at Stamford Bridge a week later.
It is a rare opportunity for Enzo Maresca to work intensely with his squad at the club's training base in Cobham over the next week, with the head coach looking to take advantage of the time he has available to him between now and next Thursday. With this being said, football.london takes a look at what would be the perfect week for Chelsea ahead of a significant period of the season.
Maresca's Conference League decision
It feels like an eternity since Chelsea last played a Conference League game. The Blues' last match in the European competition came on December 19 at home to Shamrock Rovers. In that game, five players featured who have since left the club.
Joao Felix and Harvey Vale came on against Shamrock in SW6, while Renato Veiga and Axel Disasi formed a centre-back partnership and Cesare Casadei played in midfield. Since than, the squad has been changed drastically, with a number of fringe players leaving the club in the January transfer window.
These were the players that were being used primarily in the Conference League, and the ones that played a significant role in the Blues' league phase campaign, where they recorded maximum points over the course of six matches. Also, Mykhailo Mudryk played a big part in Chelsea's European adventure in the first half of the season but has since been provisionally suspended following a failed drugs test towards the end of 2024.
Cole Palmer has been included in the squad this time around after being left out for the league phase, while new signing Mathis Amougou and recalled loanee Trevoh Chalobah are also in there. For Palmer, arguably the Blues' most significant player, there needs to be a decision in the coming week from Maresca about how big of a role his No.20 will play against Copenhagen.
Leicester City await in the Premier League three days later, so it may well be a case where Palmer travels to Denmark but is not used. Equally, however, it could be seen as the perfect opportunity for the 22-year-old to instil some much-needed confidence in front of goal.
What Palmer must do
Speaking of Palmer, this could well be a crucial week on the training pitch for the England international before Chelsea return to action next Thursday. His work ethic is not a problem, with Maresca praising his tireless effort behind the scenes and of course the technique is still there - something that good does not go missing after a few below-par performances.
It begs the grand old question: how does one return to form? Unfortunately there is no clear answer to that, or no clear explanation to why players go through these spells. For Palmer, it is more of the same - that is what Maresca told him post-Southampton, where the former Manchester City attacker recorded seven shots but could not find the back of the net.
Crucially for Palmer, he is still adding plenty to the Chelsea attack. He is still creating chances even if he is not scoring them himself.
Sanchez decision
It now looks like the pendulum has swung somewhat in regards to the goalkeeper situation at Stamford Bridge. Filip Jorgensen has played all of the Blues' Conference League matches to date this season but back then, the Dane was the clear No.2 to Robert Sanchez.
Fast forward a few months and things have massively changed. Sanchez was dropped earlier in the month in place of Jorgensen and the two have swapped roles essentially under Maresca. Sanchez started in the FA Cup defeat on February 8, meaning, for the time being at least, he has become Chelsea's 'cup goalkeeper'.
So it would be surprising if Sanchez was not starting in Denmark in seven days' time.
Fofana fitness
Wesley Fofana, rather surprisingly, was named on the Chelsea bench for the win against Southampton on Tuesday evening. The Frenchman had been missing since the beginning of December with a serious hamstring injury but is nearing full fitness now.
Fofana did not come on against the Saints with Maresca likely to be very cautious about the reintroduction stage for a player that has struggled with consistent muscular injuries throughout his time at Stamford Bridge. Building up his fitness in the coming days will be crucial for the France international, who is not in the Conference League squad.
The 24-year-old will therefore not be travelling to Denmark and will stay behind in Cobham to do some behind-the-scenes fitness work ahead of the visit of his former club Leicester a few days prior. Whether or not he is fit enough to start in that game remains to be seen but with another 10 days of fitness work under his belt, the defender will almost certainly be in a better physical shape by the time the Foxes come to west London.
Likewise, Chalobah, who limped off in the defeat to Aston Villa at the weekend. The defender missed the win against Southampton but is due to be at least nearing a return for the trip to Copenhagen next week.
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