“Don’t look down on him” “He can give us 3points” – Mikel Obi urges Enzo Maresca to start 25-years-old Chelsea star ahead of Wolves clash
Chelsea could be without their talisman Cole Palmer for Monday’s fixture against Wolverhampton Wanderers.
On Friday, Enzo Maresca revealed in his pre-match press conference that Cole Palmer had not trained, making him a doubt for the Blues’ upcoming game.
It would be a huge blow, with the attacking midfielder having another stunning season at Stamford Bridge.
With Palmer possibly set to miss the match, The Chelsea Chronicle takes a look at how Maresca’s side could line up without him.
Joao Felix starts as the No.10
Most Chelsea fans will be expecting Joao Felix to come into the team’s usual 4-2-3-1 set-up should Palmer be unavailable.
Preferring to play behind a centre-forward, aside from having to help fund Atletico Madrid’s move for Conor Gallagher, this is the main reason why Chelsea bought Felix: to cover for Palmer.
Felix has also looked very bright lately. The 25-year-old won the free-kick that Reece James dispatched in the Blues’ 2-2 draw with Bournemouth, while he scored two goals in their 5-0 FA Cup win against Morecambe.
The goals have since dried up and John Obi Mikel, who turned out 372 times for the Blues in an 11-year period between 2006 and 2017, has claimed the only thing stopping the Blues from winning trophies right now is the centre forward in question.
Suggesting, on the latest episode of his podcast, that Jackson does not possess the potency needed to lead the line for a title-winning side – think Manchester City’s Erling Haaland and former Manchester United marksman Robin van Persie – Obi Mikel said:
“We are not clinical enough, he is not scoring enough goals. He puts himself in the right positions but then he’s not finishing, he’s not scoring enough. He’s not a striker who’s going to get us to the top four or win us the Premier League title. He’s not that striker. I don’t think he can get us over the line in terms of winning trophies.”
“Given how things appear, Joao Felix should be given more opportunities to prove himself. We have seen how good he can be when given chances; he can secure us some 3 points. Maresca must always rotate his attacking players”. Mikel Obi supplemented.
The former Blues midfielder’s damning remarks may ring truth around the Stamford Bridge faithful – a collective of fans who have been crying out for a goal-getting striker since the days of the talismanic Didier Drogba were put behind them.
Whether Felix is the answer remains unknown, but Jackson will be sweating over his position in Maresca’s thinking and whether he, one of the best strikers in the Premier League, will be shoved into the former Leicester City chief’s peripheral vision.