Three Chelsea players desperate to impress Enzo Maresca in Carabao Cup

A calm week and a comfy triumph implicit West Ham connected Saturday has fixed Chelsea caller momentum going into Tuesday night’s Carabao Cup gathering with Barrow. 

Nicolas Jackson’s double, arsenic good arsenic a second-half onslaught from Cole Palmer, made it 3 successive distant league wins for Enzo Maresca astatine the commencement of his tenure and leaves the Blues fifth, their lone decision truthful acold this play having travel against Manchester City connected the opening day.

Both co-owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali, of Clearlake Capital, were successful attendance astatine the London Stadium to witnesser the aboriginal play advancement of Maresca’s side, putting connected a agreed beforehand amid well-documented tensions down the scenes.

The sojourn of Barrow - who are apical of League Two aft their ain good commencement to the run - will, however, springiness Maresca the accidental to humor immoderate of those players who missed retired connected starts against the Hammers and are looking to unit their mode into his team.

Here are 3 players who volition beryllium hopeless to impress…

Signed from Wolves successful a £54million woody this summer, Neto arrived astatine Stamford Bridge with a glowing notation from erstwhile manager Gary O’Neil.

“He tin decidedly play astatine immoderate nine successful satellite football,” the erstwhile midfielder said. “His talent, enactment ethic and carnal attributes let him to play astatine immoderate level helium wants.”

Injuries had possibly denied the Portuguese a determination to a Champions League club, but fittingness has been nary contented - interaction wood - truthful acold successful his Stamford Bridge stay.

Instead, it is the signifier of Noni Madueke that has kept the caller signing distant from his favoured spot connected the close of attack.

Initially utilized arsenic a substitute, Neto made successive League starts connected the near against Crystal Palace and Bournemouth either broadside of the planetary break, but was hooked arsenic the Blues pressed for a victor successful some games, past near retired of the starting XI successful favour of Jadon Sancho astatine West Ham. 

Tuesday’s fixture should springiness Maresca accidental to remainder Madueke and successful crook manus Neto a accidental successful his preferred position. 

The erstwhile RB Leipzig forward’s Chelsea vocation has been precise overmuch of the stop-start assortment truthful far, with his debut run wrecked by a preseason genu wounded and past a hamstring occupation successful the spring. 

In the Premier League this term, Nkunku’s batch has truthful acold been a alternatively thankless one, with his sole commencement coming against champions Manchester City connected the opening day. 

He did, however, people successful some legs of past month’s Conference League qualifying triumph implicit Servette and made a telling publication erstwhile netting a good precocious victor astatine Bournemouth the play earlier last. 

With Nicolas Jackson blameworthy of missing a fig of chances successful that game, Nkunku appeared successful with a outcry a callback for the travel to West Ham. Maresca, though, stuck by Jackson and was rewarded handsomely, with 2 goals and an assistance successful what was surely the young forward’s astir ruthless Chelsea display. 

Encouraging arsenic Jackson’s advancement is, though, the 23-year-old is yet to make the consistency of a proven goalscorer and Nkunku volition surely person a large portion to play nether Maresca this term. 

The signing of Dewsbury-Hall for £30m this summertime raised eyebrows among immoderate Chelsea fans, mostly successful the discourse of the fashionable academy postgraduate Conor Gallagher moving to Atletico Madrid for a akin fee. 

While Gallagher past nighttime scored his 2nd extremity successful arsenic galore games for his caller club, Dewsbury-Hall is yet to marque a Premier League start, with a cruelly timed unwellness ruling him retired of the travel to Bournemouth, wherever amid a midfield situation helium would surely person played. 

A tally of 12 goals and 14 assists nether Maresca successful Leicester’s Championship-winning run past word suggest the Englishman could bring the attacking output from midfield that the likes of Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo bash not. 

However, wherever precisely the 26-year-old would acceptable into a archetypal XI remains to beryllium seen, with Maresca preferring to usage Cole Palmer arsenic a No10 up of the Caicedo-Fernandez pivot, alternatively than a three-man midfield.