Chelsea face Panathinaikos on Thursday evening in their latest Conference League group stage match, which should present certain players a chance to impress.
We’ve already seen this season that Enzo Maresca, the Chelsea manager, likes to shuffle his pack in the various cup competitions. The Blues squad is so stacked with talent that any side that lines up looks strong, even if there’s wholesale changes from the Premier League XI.
Chris Sutton said it’s “embarrassing” if Chelsea don’t win this year’s Conference League, but it would be foolish to write off the other teams in the European competition.
- READ MORE: Chelsea vs Panathinaikos predicted XI as ‘unlucky’ Blues ace gets chance to wow Enzo Maresca
Joao Felix needs extraordinary performance in Europe
So far, Joao Felix has had a frustrating time since his return to Chelsea.
The 24-year-old attacker, who previously had a short loan with the Blues back in 2023, returned to Stamford Bridge on a permanent basis in the summer. It cost the Blues £45m (BBC) to sign Felix from Atletico Madrid in August.
He’s played seven games across all competitions for Chelsea this season, but he’s started zero times in the Premier League. Instead, his only two starts came in the Conference League and the Carabao Cup.
It’s more alarming for the Portugal international that he’s been an unused substitute in two of the last three league matches, with the head coach looking elsewhere on the bench to find an impact.
We feel like Felix has to do something extraordinary in Thursday’s Conference League tie away at Panathinaikos to apply some pressure on Maresca. If he’s quiet in cup appearances, it will be impossible to force his way into the league XI.
Chelsea competition
When you looked at the Chelsea bench versus Liverpool at the weekend, there was serious firepower with Felix, Pedro Neto and Christopher Nkunku in reserve. It highlights just how tough it is to cement a spot in the best Blues XI this term.
Felix knows he’s realistically the understudy to Cole Palmer as the No 10. However, let’s not forget that the versatile forward has proven before he can play a variety of different attacking roles, so perhaps it’s not all doom and gloom when rating his chances of getting more Premier League minutes.
If Felix can score and assist regularly in cup appearances, it suddenly makes him a lot more appealing to use in the league.
Chelsea fans know Felix is capable of lighting up any game of football with his flair and creativity. It’s going to take end product to force Maresca’s hand, though.
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