There is no getting away from the fact that Chelsea have not had the start to the season they would’ve been hoping for.
Enzo Maresca’s side lost their opening game of their Champions League campaign, and with their defeat against Manchester United on Saturday, they have amassed just eight points in the Premier League.
Fortunately, the Blues’ League Cup clash away to Lincoln City tonight provides them with a chance to bounce back with a convincing and entertaining win.
With that said, the manager should also use it as an opportunity to play some of the younger players in the squad, like Estevao and another Cobham product.
The Chelsea youngsters who should start with Estevao
Starting from the back, tonight’s game surely gives Maresca the perfect opportunity to hand Jorrel Hato another competitive start in Blue.
Appearances
111
Starts
102
Minutes
9121′
Goals
4
Assists
9
Goal Involvements per Match
0.11
Minutes per Goal Involvement
701.61′
Points per Game
1.86
The Dutchman may still only be a teenager, but he’s already got an enormous amount of experience, making 111 appearances for Ajax before leaving this summer.
Moving into the middle of the park, the manager should bring Andrey Santos into the team from the start.
The young Brazilian was brought on in the 21st minute for the West Londoners on Saturday, and all things considered, did rather well, completing 100% of his dribbles, completing 51 passes and earning a 7/10 match rating from the Standard’s Simon Collings.
Then, when it comes to the wide players, one of them has to be Estevao, who was taken off early at Old Trafford due to Robert Sanchez’s ridiculous red card.
The dynamic attacker might not have scored his first competitive goal for the club yet, but he provided a brilliant assist in the game against West Ham United and has generally looked a threat whenever he’s been on the pitch.
However, he’s not the only youngster who should be given the chance in attack tonight.
The Cobham ace who should start vs Lincoln
While every game is important for Chelsea, especially in cup competitions, the level of tonight’s opposition provides the club with an opportunity to give some academy talent a proper runout.
In The Pipeline
Therefore, Maresca should bring Shumaira Mheuka back into the squad, and not only that, but hand him what would be just his second start.
Yes, the young Englishman did get a few runouts in the first team last season, including a start against FC Copenhagen, but given his age, it would have been unfair to expect too much of him.
So with that said, why should he come back into the team tonight?
Well, simply put, because he is on fire this season.
For example, in just six appearances, totalling 523 minutes, the Birmingham-born goal machine has put the ball in the back of the net seven times for the youth sides.
In other words, the 17-year-old gem is averaging 1.16 goals every game this season, or one every 74.71, which makes it easy to see where talent scout Jacek Kulig is coming from when he describes him as “the next big thing from Cobham!”
Finally, it’s not just at club level where the youngster is flying, as in 16 appearances for England’s U19s, totalling 970 minutes, he has scored eight goals and provided three assists.
Ultimately, given the level of the opposition tonight and his recent form, Maresca should look to start Mheuka for Chelsea against Lincoln City.
