BBC pundit says Chelsea man has the ‘quality’ to start regularly, he’s started one Premier League game this season

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Enzo Maresca has adopted an interesting tactic at Chelsea in the opening few months of the season when it comes to team selection.

So far, Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca has preferred to split his group to keep the majority of the Blues squad involved.

The ‘A-team’, which consists of the best names and players, has competed in the Premier League. Meanwhile, the ‘B-team’ has competed in the various cup competitions.

Of course, there’s some crossovers, plus the likes of Pedro Neto show it’s capable to jump up from one side to another.

Darren Bent likes how Maresca is almost picking two separate Chelsea teams to keep the morale high around the group.

• READ MORE: Enzo Maresca was so impressed by ‘fantastic’ Chelsea man during the international break

Nedum Onuoha claims Christopher Nkunku is good enough to start for Chelsea

BBC pundit Nedum Onuoha insists Chelsea’s Christopher Nkunku definitely has enough quality to be starting regularly at Stamford Bridge.

Unfortunately, the 27-year-old attacker currently finds himself stuck behind Nicolas Jackson in the pecking order for the striker position. As a result, he’s only started one Premier League match this season.

When asked if Nkunku could leave Chelsea if he doesn’t play more league games, Onuoha told BBC Sport: “It will depend on what he was told when he first joined the club.

“He was meant to be a big signing for Chelsea and on quality should be playing weekly. He can play the waiting game, but I think Enzo Maresca sees him and Nicolas Jackson as two different types of player.

“It is great that Nkunku is playing in Europe but he has come from playing every week in the Bundesliga and being one of the stars of that league. So for that reason, I would be surprised if he was happy to just be sat on the bench at Chelsea.

“I am not saying he should leave but I wouldn’t be surprised if he is talking to Maresca because he knows he is good enough to start games. I also doubt he would struggle to find other suitors.”

Nkunku has not asked to leave Chelsea despite his lack of league starts, but it must be so frustrating for him to be on the bench for top-flight games.

From a Blues perspective, it’s fantastic that there’s such strength in depth all over the park. It’s a big challenge keeping all these high-profile individuals happy, though.

Nkunku is a Chelsea player who deserves more minutes after this international break. With such a busy fixture schedule ahead, perhaps he’ll get that opportunity.

Christopher Nkunku record this season

It’s not been the ideal opening few months to the season for Nkunku at Chelsea. However, he’s still doing something right because he’s the club’s top scorer across all competitions.

The French attacker hasn’t sulked and continues to catch the eye in cup games.

There’s a great argument to be made that Nkunku is the most clinical finisher inside the penalty box on Chelsea’s books. However, it’s hard to dislodge Jackson from the starting XI because he offers a great all-round package.