Leicester vs Chelsea: Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall at an early crossroads ahead of return to former club

The way betwixt the King Power and the King’s Road has go progressively worn successful caller years, with mixed results for its travellers: N’Golo Kante is main of the trail’s tourer board; Danny Drinkwater is inactive piling successful with the one-star reviews.

When Chelsea spell to Leicester successful the Premier League connected Saturday, determination volition beryllium a erstwhile Foxes manager successful the distant dugout and, astir likely, an ex-player astatine the bosom of the visiting defence. But of the 3 different erstwhile Leicester men connected Chelsea’s books, however galore volition adjacent marque the matchday squad?

Not Ben Chilwell, surely, who has not been named connected the seat successful the league adjacent erstwhile this season. Maybe not Cesare Casadei either, who this clip past twelvemonth was impressing connected indebtedness astatine Leicester - truthful overmuch truthful that helium was recalled successful January - but has been utilized exclusively successful cupful competitions by Chelsea this term.

The Blues’ deficiency of aboriginal instrumentality connected that concern has gone alternatively underreported during a promising commencement to the play successful which, really, it has not mattered. There is an acceptance, perhaps, that successful a squad this big, with truthful galore comparatively caller arrivals, not each summation tin beryllium a hit. Indeed, erstwhile the astir costly footballer successful British past cannot get into the side, it is not astonishing that scrutiny is elsewhere.

But connected an idiosyncratic note, a instrumentality to Leicester, successful immoderate capacity, sets the quality betwixt the subordinate that dominated the Championship past play and the 1 that has made astir nary interaction connected the caller run into focus.

Last term, Dewsbury-Hall scored 12 goals and registered 15 assists crossed competitions. With a 3rd of this play gone, the respective figures work nary and one. In fact, the tallies for extremity involvements successful Chelsea matches are identical: 1 of those 15 assists past play came successful the FA Cup astatine Stamford Bridge.

Opportunities, successful presumption of volume, person been bladed connected the crushed (Dewsbury-Hall has made conscionable 10 appearances since joining Chelsea and not played a Premier League infinitesimal successful 2 months). But those connected connection person besides been soft, including against Conference League cannon fodder and League One’s Barrow successful the Carabao Cup. As Joao Felix and Christopher Nkunku tin attest, adjacent excelling successful midweek is not needfully capable to unit a breakthrough, but it would surely help.

While those forwards person direct, in-form rivals blocking their way into Chelsea’s first-team, the bigger interest for Dewsbury-Hall is that it is not evident which garment helium should beryllium trying to win.

With Romeo Lavia having sat retired Belgium’s caller Nations League matches with a niggle, and Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez lone backmost from South America connected Thursday, Saturday’s fixture mightiness person presented a chance. In akin circumstances, distant astatine Bournemouth aft September’s planetary break, Dewsbury-Hall had been successful enactment to play, lone to travel down ill.

But erstwhile asked astir his alternatives astatine the basal of midfield, Maresca name-checked some Casadei and Renato Veiga, without mentioning the Englishman astatine all.

Now possibly that is due to the fact that Dewsbury-Hall has precocious played further forward, including connected the right-wing astatine Newcastle successful the Carabao Cup. Except erstwhile Maresca has spoken of having 2 players for each of those positions - Cole Palmer and Felix astatine No10, Mykhailo Mudryk, Jadon Sancho, Noni Madueke and Pedro Neto retired wide - Dewsbury-Hall’s sanction has not tended to travel up either.

The reality, increasingly, looks 1 of ill-fit. Dewsbury-Hall was astatine his champion for Leicester arsenic a cardinal midfield No8 with licence to attack. At Chelsea, wherever Maresca has favoured a double-pivot with Palmer astatine No10, that relation does not truly exist. Maybe that volition alteration arsenic the season’s wears on, if, for instance, a Caicedo-Lavia axis comes to look overly blimpish against anemic absorption astatine home. But Felix and Fernandez look astatine this signifier much apt options if it does.

In September, Maresca suggested Dewsbury-Hall needed clip to adapt to nary longer being the centrepiece successful Leicester’s puzzle. Another 2 months down the enactment astatine Chelsea, and inactive it is not wide wherever helium slots successful astatine all.