Although the loss to Newcastle was not a disaster, it also showed the helplessness of Chelsea's attack against the home team's solid defense. Enzo Maresca may not field his strongest lineup, but if the main attack is stuck in this weekend's match at Old Trafford, will Chelsea have any other options?
Chelsea are in good form, but to comment on whether The Blues have improved or not, the answer is probably "not yet". The losses to Liverpool and Newcastle showed that when they were in a deadlock, Chelsea would not have the moment to bounce if Cole Palmer had not appeared or had no star moments.
The decision not to let Cole Palmer on the field in the loss to Newcastle can be understood from Enzo Maresca's desire to keep his student before Super Sunday. However, the English star's failure to enter the field for even 1 minute could give him no time to warm up.
"Simply at that time I thought Nkunku and Felix were in good form. Palmer could come on but at the time of the match, I still reserved my point of view because I felt it was unnecessary" - Maresca shared.
This Sunday's match against Man United will be very important for Chelsea, not only because of the Blues' competition for the Top 4, it is also to keep Maresca excited. The Italian tactician has never suffered back-to-back defeats since taking charge at Stamford Bridge. If that happens at Old Trafford, it could open a downward streak for Chelsea, which Maresca certainly does not want.
Chelsea have just three days to prepare for the decisive match of the season. In a round in which both Arsenal and Man City lost, the speed of the leading group was slow down, this was the opportunity for The Blues to break away to the top group if they took advantage of the opportunity.
This season, Chelsea has determined not to set many goals in the Conference League, as evidenced by not registering Cole Palmer. They have left the League Cup and will continue to be the FA Cup if needed to focus on the goal of racing for the Top 4 of the Premier League.
