Paul Merson has called on Enzo Maresca to do one thing ahead of Chelsea’s Conference league tie with FC Copenhagen on Thursday.
The Blues play the first leg of their last 16 tie in Denmark as they begin what they hope will be their route to the final in May.
Chelsea have a 100% record in the competition having won all six of their matches in the league phase and they will be hoping that continues.
Merson urges Maresca to do one thing against Copenhagen
The pressure is very much on Maresca and his team to win the Conference League given the Blues are comfortably the best team in the competition.
Having been dumped out of both domestic cups this trophy represents their only chance of silverware this season, whilst there have been questions about Palmer’s future should Chelsea not qualify for the Champions League.
The Blues had the luxury of fielding an entirely different team for the league phase matches, but injuries to key players, and January departures mean Maresca doesn’t have the ability to make many changes.
Cole Palmer, Mathis Amougou and Trevoh Chalobah were added to the squad for the knockout stages and there’s a chance the trio could feature on Thursday night.
Palmer hasn’t scored in his last seven games in all competitions, but Maresca stopped short of saying the England international would start in the Danish capital.
Merson believes Palmer should play and has urged Maresca to pick the 22-year-old in the starting line-up, for what would be his first European appearance for the Blues.
“Cole Palmer has to play in this game against Copenhagen,” he told Sky Sports.
“The only thing was Palmer didn’t score [against Southampton]. He had three or four really good chances in that game where at the start of the season he would have scored them with a blindfold on. Everything went in, now he’s just snatching a little bit at them.
“He needs one to go in even if it goes in off his backside. Chelsea need that because when Palmer’s playing well, they are completely and utterly a different team.”
If Chelsea FC wants to be competitive and become champions they need to solidify their CB . At least buy two world class CB then reinforcement on CM . Enzo and Caceido needs reinforcement adding Santos not enough due to Lavia injury . They need another solid CM like lamine camara , a world class operator . Then RB acheampong is good but still need another right full back a solid defender .and LB to give cucu a breather . Then a World Class Striker . Don’t need overall rebuild but reinforcement . They’re competing in world team cup . Please get a world class manager . Look at Barcelona Real Madrid even Liverpool . They’re champion team and competitive , Chelsea FC should copy that system to be champion and competitive every season . Build the first team strong champions competitive then get young players quality skillful for the future . But the structure of CFc so far isn’t right . Wrong vision of the future . They hiring manager who is average then spending billions with not ready players to play . If you like maresca bring in Zola or Di Matteo as part of the managing coach for first team . And to the owner stop interfering the manager the way they had done to tuchel . Tuchel should have stayed managing this young team and could be better and champion again and still playing UCL and champion again . But the vision of this billionaire are failure the plot form isn’t working good bad management of the club . Full of promises that isn’t secure . Hiring mediocre two directors are bad . No foundation to build from the young players come in .