Chelsea fell to defeat at Aston Villa last weekend but have the perfect chance to turn things around on Tuesday night as Enzo Maresca’s men host lowly Southampton in the Premier League.
Though the Blues started on the front foot against Unai Emery’s side and were rewarded for their initiative through Enzo Fernandez’s close-range finish – shout-out to Pedro Neto – the visitors failed to get a firm grip on the match and succumbed to second-half pressure.
Filip Jorgensen’s error in the dying embers allowed Marco Asensio to claim a brace after earlier finishing inside the area, but goalkeeping woes are not the extent of the issues Maresca is currently beset with.
Chelsea have shouldered a tonne of injuries in recent weeks but still need to restore some positive momentum with the business end of the campaign looming large. Indeed, the Blues are only four points off third-place Nottingham Forest.
Chelsea's latest injury news
Trevoh Chalobah was forced off in the early stages against Villa with an apparent back injury but Maresca has allayed fears of a long-term layoff – though Tosin Adarabioyo may have to deputise in his stead against the Saints.
However, the frontline is still going to be depleted for a while, with Noni Madueke and Nicolas Jackson not expected back until after the March international break and 18-year-old striker Marc Guiu also sidelined indefinitely.
Romeo Lavia and Benoit Badiashile’s respective return dates are also unknown, but star centre-back Wesley Fofana still faces up to two months on the sidelines.
The most pressing concern is who Maresca will stick at number nine against Southampton. Chelsea simply have to get three points against the Premier League’s bottom-placed team at Stamford Bridge, but Christopher Nkunku isn’t cutting it.
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Who Maresca should start at centre-forward
With Jackson and Guiu both sidelined, Maresca has been forced into drafting Nkunku into the focal striking role. The France international is tactically versatile and prefers to play between the lines, feeding off the centre-forward.
Admittedly, Chelsea played him off the left flank against Villa, with Neto deputising in a dynamic middle role and achieving some measure of success, but Nkunku was branded with a 4/10 match rating by GOAL after the match all the same, criticised for his anonymous performance.
Indeed, while he attempted five dribbles (completing two) and made two key passes for his teammates, Nkunku only managed to fire one shot at Emi Martinez all evening, and Maresca may now want to turn toward a more naturally suited option at number nine, even if that means conceding some experience in the process.
Premier League
22
2
1
Conference League
5
5
3
UECL Qualifiers
2
2
0
FA Cup
2
1
0
Carabao Cup
2
3
0
He’s not been nearly clinical enough in the Premier League, and with that in mind, Maresca might want to turn to the youth to spark some inspiration back into his flagging frontline.
Shumaira Mheuka is only 17 years old but he’s proven himself to be an able goalscorer for the U18s and U21s this season, posting eight goals and two assists from 22 matches (14 starts).
Moreover, the 6 foot 1 prospect was handed his professional debut during Chelsea’s Conference League match against Astana in December, coming on for roughly 13 minutes during the 3-1 away victory in Guiu’s stead.
He didn’t have much time to assert himself but the teenager did showcase some exciting physical attributes and his eye for goal, unleashing one wayward shot while winning two of his three contested ground duels and also making two tackles, as per Sofascore.
With fixtures passing Nkunku by at the moment, Chelsea may well want to consider making this tweak. No Premier League side have conceded more goals than Southampton’s 61 this term, and Mheuka’s off-the-ball movements, his link-up play, could be exactly what the Stamford Bridge side have been lacking since Jackson picked up an injury.
It would be a bold move – but one which might just pay off given the circumstances. Southampton’s threat has been negligible under Ivan Juric and indeed they have fallen to defeat in eight of their past nine Premier League contests.
Mheuka is the cream of the crop within the west Londoners’ academy set-up at centre-forward, with talent scout Jacek Kulig even hailing the teenager as one of “Cobham’s finest” as he continues to press against the first-team squad.
Maresca is seemingly open to finding alternative means to combat the club’s current injury problems and Mheuka might just fit the bill – named in the matchday squad for the first time in the Premier League during the Villa clash after indeed making his debut in the Conference League.
The natural goalscorer wouldn’t be the first to emerge from the academy and forge a name for themselves at Chelsea, and the timing and opponent up ahead couldn’t be more apt for his manager to unleash him from the outset.
If Cole Palmer can return to his finest form and bounce off the likes of Neto and Fernandez, Mheuka could find himself supplied with plenty of quality as he provides a striker’s take and maybe even pops up with a significant contribution.
Beyond Southampton, Chelsea only face Leicester City and Arsenal in the top flight before next month’s international break passes into April.
If Chelsea can weather the current storm, they will be in a good position over the final stretch of the 2024/25 campaign. And if Mheuka is given a shot and takes it, the Blues fans might be filled with quite a bit of optimism for the future.
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