The Chelsea supporters were singing their hearts out in the Transfer Tavern last night after returning to winning ways in the Premier League.
The Blues made the trip to Yorkshire last night to face David Wagner’s Huddersfield at The John Smith’s Stadium. Antonio Conte’s side ventured up north on the back of a shock defeat at West Ham last Saturday, but they redeemed themselves for their poor performance against The Hammers with a routine 3-1 victory over Huddersfield.
Despite Huddersfield’s reputation for giant-killing after their heroics against Manchester United earlier this season, Chelsea comfortably strolled into a 3 goal lead by the 50th minute courtesy of strikes from Bakayoko, Willian and Pedro. The scoreline remained the same for the majority of the second half, until Laurent Depoitre scored a consolation goal with a fine header deep into stoppage time.
Depoitre delighted the resident Terriers with his late impact, after a relatively uninspiring evening for the club which belonged to the Premier League champions.
But Chelsea’s ambitions of retaining their title this year are looking incredibly unlikely considering Manchester City’s advantage at the top of the table.
Although Antonio Conte would be happy to admit that City are deservedly ahead at the moment, he has never been shy about delivering an excuse for his club’s form this year
Complaints from Antonio Conte regarding the lack of options within his current Chelsea squad have become a regular theme at his press-conferences this season, which suggests he will be expecting Abramovich to splash the cash on reinforcements this January.
However, before bringing fresh faces to the club, Conte should at least be attempting to utilise some of the younger talent in his first-team to solve any selection problems he may face.
With that being said, here are two Chelsea youngsters who Conte should trust in his first-team line-ups within the coming weeks…
Charly Musonda
Chelsea’s Belgian 21-year-old attacking midfielder has been on the fringes of a first-team breakthrough since the beginning of the season.
Musonda has started both of the club’s EFL Cup fixtures so far this season and has also made two cameo appearances in the Premier League.
Indeed, his exposure to the first-team suggests Conte is trying to slowly ease him into action, but The Blues supporters should expect to see plenty more from him in the coming weeks after he signed a new contract with the club last week.
Given Conte’s preference to play with two attacking midfielder’s, Musonda should be able to comfortably slot into the current Chelsea system and make a name for himself in English football.
Kenedy
Since Kenedy’s arrival from Fluminense in 2015, the Brazillian full-backs opportunities have been severely limited in Chelsea blue.
Considering Marcos Alonso is Chelsea’s only natural left-back, his exile from the first-team this season is rather surprising.
Kenedy has only managed to make it to Conte’s substitute bench in the Premier League and Champions League this season, but he is yet to step over the white line in these competitions.
However, Kenedy must stay sharp in training and wait patiently for his chance, as an injury or suspension to Alonso could give him the chance he has been waiting for in the next few weeks.
