Pat Nevin: No chance Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca rotates his squad – this is crunch time for their season
BY MAX HALL
Former Chelsea wing wizard Pat Nevin has told the South London Press there will be zero chance of Blues boss Enzo Maresca rotating his squad as the season culminates with two huge matches.
Only a win at fellow Champions League hopefuls Nottingham Forest on Sunday will guarantee the top-five finish which would secure the west Londoners a place in next season’s showpiece European tournament.
With so much on the line, former Blues favourite Nevin reckons Maresca will not shuffle the pack – either on Sunday or in the UEFA Conference League final against Spain’s Real Betis, in Wroclaw, next Wednesday.
“I don’t expect Chelsea to rest any players for either of these games,” said Nevin.
“They need to go all out to win both. Firstly, they will not rest anyone for the Nottingham Forest game, full stop. They need to give that game everything they’ve got in order to secure Champions League football. Apart from (suspended striker) Nicolas Jackson, every other key player needs to be on the pitch in that game.
“The whole Chelsea ideal doesn’t really work if they’re not in the Champions League.
“With the amount of investment in the past few years, they need Champions League football because it costs a lot of money to operate the way they currently are.
“They’ve been out of the competition for a few years now and even at the start of the season, I said they had to get back in.
“Not only do they need the financial benefits, but they’re trying to grow a global fanbase and bring people in from around the world – you can’t do that if you’re not in the Champions League on a consistent basis.”
Former Scotland ace Nevin said there was little prospect of Chelsea taking their foot off the pedal in Poland even if they manage to confirm a top-five finish in the league.
“If they can beat Forest and secure their Champions League spot, they still won’t be thinking about resting anyone for the Conference League final,” he said. “They have to go for it.
“The difficulty for Enzo Maresca is the expectation after a lot of time, money and effort has been put into this season. You’ve got to remember there’s only Reece James in the squad who has played in the Champions League final, so it’s massive for the players. They need the experience of winning silverware.
“It’s time for Chelsea to start winning competitions. Jose Mourinho knew the importance of winning the first trophy with a squad and always said the League Cup – which was his first trophy at Chelsea (in February 2005) – was the most important. That was how they knew they were winners, rather than just thinking they were.”
Nevin, who starred at Stamford Bridge from 1983 to 1988, said the club’s apparent stroll to the final of what is the most junior European competition this season is unlikely to result in any complacency next week.
“I would say the media seem to be underestimating Real Betis more than the Chelsea fans are,” said the football pundit. “Because the Conference League has been so easy for Chelsea so far, people who don’t look closely at this game, or their opponents, might assume it’s going to be a piece of cake – it’s not.
“Real Betis are a good side. They’re sixth in La Liga and they’ve had great results against the bigger sides this season – beating Real Madrid and drawing twice with Barcelona. They’ve got some quality players, including ones whom fans of the Premier League will know, even if it didn’t work out for them in England.
“We know players like Antony [on loan from Manchester United, former West Ham midfielder] Pablo Fornals and [ex-Spurs midfielder] Giovani Lo Celso. Some people consider them failures in the Premier League but sometimes it just takes time to find your feet and settle into a system that suits you. Now they seem to have found the right manager and the right league to suit them, at Betis. They won’t be underestimated by Chelsea and nor should they be.”
Nevin was talking to the South London Press courtesy of NewBettingOffers.co.uk.
PICTURE: ALAMY
