It is a rare, uninterrupted week on the training ground in Cobham for Chelsea as they prepare for the next round of the UEFA Conference League in around five days’ time.
The Blues travel to the capital of Denmark to take on Copenhagen in the Round of 16 stage of the competition, as they bid to become the first club in football to win all three European trophies available. However, the Parken Stadium awaits Chelsea in the first-leg next week with the return game seven days later at Stamford Bridge.
Copenhagen, boasting a three-point advantage over Midtjylland at the top of Superliga, come into the tie as huge underdogs against Chelsea, who are the overriding favourites to be crowned champions this season. The Danish side, who have won just one competitive match against an English side (coming against Manchester United in the 2006/07 season) in their history, will be intrigued to see what sort of team Enzo Maresca puts out in the first-leg on Thursday evening.
During the Blues’ league phase campaign, where they dominated with six out of six wins and finished at the summit of the standings, Maresca used a total of 25 players. The majority of these players were the ones being overlooked in the Premier League, but since that stage of the competition wrapped up in December the dynamic of the squad has changed somewhat.
Six of said 25 players have left the club, either on a permanent basis or a loan deal, while Mykhailo Mudryk is currently unavailable for selection after he failed a drugs test at the end of 2024. Cole Palmer was not a part of the squad list for the league phase but the 22-year-old has since been added by Maresca for the next round of the competition with the level of opposition naturally set to increase the further Chelsea progress.
Palmer has been below-par recently, especially given his ridiculously high standards that he set for himself after an astonishing debut season with the club. The England international has failed to score in his last six matches – with his last goal coming on January 14 against Bournemouth – and he has not recorded an assist in the Premier League since the win against Aston Villa on December 1.
The former Manchester City man is still performing well but the lack of end product has concerned many supporters. Not Maresca, though, who is backing his star man to return to the level we all became accustomed to sooner rather later. The head coach said earlier this week: “At the moment, Cole struggles to score, but he’s happy and he knows exactly it’s something normal.
“He knows that all the big players go through some moments like this. It’s about how you react and he’s reacting perfectly. He’s laughing, he’s happy. He has to enjoy football and, for sure, we don’t have any doubt he is going to score more goals.
“Cole is a player I have known for a long time. I know him from five or six years ago [at Manchester City] and I’ve said many times he’s a top player and a top guy because he enjoys football and is so happy. When we don’t win or he doesn’t score he looks frustrated, but it’s normal.
“We are completely happy with him. He is happy and he knows what is happening in this moment is completely normal.”
There could be a temptation on Maresca’s part to use Palmer in Denmark next week as he looks for his No.20 to get back to goal scoring form ahead of a crucial period in the season for Chelsea. Although, with Leicester City coming to Stamford Bridge just three days later in the Premier League, there may be a logic in using Palmer from the bench if absolutely needed, or for him to just travel and not play.
Chelsea used the Conference League as an opportunity for their fringe players to get some much-needed minutes in the first part of the season but as the competition has advanced, the opponents are likely to become tougher, and there may not be as much leeway for Maresca. This is one of several big selection dilemmas the head coach faces before he and his players jet off to Scandinavia.
Robert Sanchez has recently been demoted to the No.2 goalkeeper, so there is every chance the Spaniard gets the nod over Filip Jorgensen for the Conference League tie. Wesley Fofana returned to the bench for Tuesday’s win over Southampton after nearly three months on the sidelines because of a hamstring injury, but the Frenchman has not been included in the squad for the competition.
Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez are first and fourth, respectively, in terms of minutes played in all competitions for the Blues since the beginning of the season and this could be an opportunity to rest them both ahead of the Premier League game at the weekend. Maresca, however, lacks options in the centre of midfield but the Italian could potentially call upon new signing Mathis Amougou, brought in over the January transfer window from Saint-Etienne, with the teenager included in the squad.
