This Chelsea side doesn’t have troves of experience, especially not in the Champions League.
Now back at the pinnacle of European competition, Chelsea will be fighting on all fronts and Enzo Maresca will need to use the entire squad.
Given how Chelsea have behaved in the market in recent seasons, the age profile at the club is extremely low, and they don’t have the luxury of veterans in the dressing room.
But despite the youth of the side, there are some new faces with Champions League experience who Maresca says will be a big help.
Jamie Gittens and Alejandro Garnacho have tasted UCL competition
Raheem Sterling obviously has the most Champions League experience at the club, but he isn’t involved.
Reece James is one of two players in the current squad who have more than ten appearances in the competition. He was part of the 2020/21 side that won it all.
The other is new signing Jamie Gittens, who has been there three seasons in a row with Borussia Dortmund. New signing Alejandro Garnacho has one Champions League campaign under his belt, but went all the way to the final of the Europa League last season as well.
In his pre-match press conference, Maresca singles out those two, saying: “We have [Alejandro] Garnacho or [Jamie] Gittens. They are all players who, even if they are young, they already played in this competition.”
He continues by mentioning Joao Pedro, who has already shown he can shine under the brightest lights: “Joao Pedro probably he never played in this competition, but he joined us and he helped us to win the Club World Cup. So they are all players with talent, for sure.
“They are going to help the club, they are going to help the team. And with more games, they are going to be better and better.”
Could that be a hint to who will make up the front three on Tuesday?
Maresca says Jorrel Hato will be a top player
The Chelsea boss made one slip-up, naming Jorrel Hato as a player familiar with the Champions League. Though Ajax are back in the fold this season, Hato’s stint there came during a rare hiatus from the top flight of Europe.
He has, however, played regularly in the Europa League in recent seasons.
But Maresca was simply paying him a compliment, as he remarked: “[Jorrel] Hato for instance from Ajax, he already has experience in this competition.
“For me personally he will be top player for Chelsea.”
It seems the young Dutchman has made a good impression on Maresca, and again, this could indicate he will feature more in the league phase.
With few real veterans in the squad, Chelsea’s young stars will have to step up. Words of encouragement like these from the manager should motivate them to do so.
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