Chelsea’s development squad’s hopes of success in the EFL trophy were dashed on Tuesday night, after a 3-2 defeat to Exeter City marked a second consecutive loss in the group, leaving them with no way of progressing to the next stage of the competition.
Chelsea, staying true to their ethos at development level, fielded a very youthful side and Exeter made them pay as their first team players proved too much for the youngsters, especially in the first half. The league two outfit showed how challenging senior football can be compared to the Under-23 league and their physicality and direct style of play highlighted the Blues’ frailties at the back.
There was certainly not a gulf in quality on the ball though as the young Chelsea outfit threatened with the Lion’s share of the possession in the second half, reaping the rewards of their stylish play with two good goals from frontman Ike Ugbo. In truth, the Blues could have equalised in the closing seconds of the game and were perhaps unlucky not to take anything away from the game. However, with half of the team still eligible to play in the youth cup for Chelsea, it was a game of boys versus men. But it didn’t really have to be.
Chelsea’s development squad is for players aged 23 or younger, nonetheless the oldest player in a Blue shirt on Tuesday was captain Dabo, aged 21. Though the majority of Chelsea players eligible to play in the development squad are out on loan, gaining experience of their own at senior level, some players with exceptional talent do remain: Loftus-Cheek, Chalobah, Solanke and Aina to name some examples.
First thing’s first, if Chelsea used all of the resources they had available, they were likely capable of winning the tournament; in fact it would quite frankly be a disappointment if they didn’t manage to at least reach the knock-out stages. Chelsea have always liked to dedicate their reserve teams to developing youth players in the past. Even dating back a few years when reserve football had no age limits, Chelsea, contrastingly to the first team, insisted on giving opportunities to youngsters. But using players already in the first team isn’t exactly cheating, when you consider the tender ages of all four mentioned above.
There is no doubt that fielding a player with over 20 premier league appearances in Loftus-Cheek would be taking the tournament seriously; that utilising Chalobah and his 90+ senior appearances would be showing some intent. But why should they not? Chelsea’s Academy has an incredible reputation to uphold. It is not exactly a trophy that many fans will remember winning in 20 years time, but it is a big deal for the players involved and it teaches them what it means to win trophies early on in their blossoming careers.
From the players’ point of view it could benefit everyone involved. Though it is true that, at their stage of development, the likes of Chalobah and Loftus-Cheeek are beyond this level. Their focus should be firmly on the first team, but there is no reason why taking part in the EFL trophy should hinder their chances of becoming key members in Conte’s squad. However, it is fair to say that thus far they have all been only sporadically involved. Though Loftus-Cheek and Chalobah are more hopeful of seeing their playing time increased, Aina and Solanke are finding appearances harder to come by. They are undoubtedly improving everyday in training, but all players need minutes under their belt.
Even the youth players involved in the Under-23 squad could prosper from playing alongside players involved with the first team. Though, assuming the aforementioned first team players feature heavily, less positions would be up for grabs, there would still be a lot of positions on the pitch left to fill and it would make competition for places that much fiercer; which is always preferable in a trophy winning squad. Plus, their chances of progression in the cup, and therefore playing more games at that level, would increase drastically.
Conte may have some objections; he wouldn’t want his players to return to the first team feeling fatigued or with an injury. Though, as Chelsea are without European football this year, there are far fewer mid week games in their schedule. Of course, their priority would remain with the first team, but if they have no other mid-week commitments, they could easily play for both teams. They are still very young and are all professional Athletes after all.
As Chelsea have enjoyed great successes in recent history, from the senior squad down to the youth teams, it would have been nice for fans to see the under-23s make an impact in the EFL’s first season. It was a mammoth ask for the current development squad to go far in the competition, but just a little help from some of the current academy graduates could have transformed the near-impossible feat into a strong possibility.
Would the likes of Chalobah and Loftus-Cheek made the difference? Would it be detrimental to the young players in the Development squad? Would it hinder the players’ first team hopes? We won’t know, but let us know what you think. Until then, here is the team that could have been.
*excluding Kane and Zouma down to Injury and Batshuayi due to the fact that he is expected to be in the first team squad every week.
