Carney Chukwuemeka has just given everyone another little glimpse of why he’s a special talent on Chelsea’s books waiting to explode into life.
It’s been a 2023/24 campaign so far wrecked by injuries for Carney Chukwuemeka, who’s only played nine first-team games for the Blues.
However, we’re absolutely convinced by his talent! Let’s point out that Marcel Desailly described Chukwuemeka as an “artist” when he’s on the ball earlier in the season, as quoted by Premier League productions (5:30pm, 20th August 2023).
The 20-year-old playmaker is someone we’re hoping to see much more from during the rest of the season.
Chukwuemeka certainly made an impact with an eye-catching substitute performance in Sunday’s FA Cup quarter-final win at home to Championship club Leicester City.
The attacking midfielder scored a seriously composed winning goal in the 92nd minute after a clever one-two with Cole Palmer inside the penalty box.
We’re desperate for the £20 million youngster (Sky Sports) to get more consistent game time from now until the end of the season, but his path into the starting XI does look somewhat blocked. Therefore, we think his best route into the line-up at this current moment may be by playing slightly out of position.
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In our view, Chukwuemeka’s best position is as a No 10. The creative attacking midfielder is a big threat when he’s working in-between the lines and knitting the play together. It should be his long-term role, too.
Unfortunately, we can’t see Blues head coach Mauricio Pochettino moving away from his preferred midfield combination when it’s available to him. His usual formula is Conor Gallagher roaming in a No 10 position, just in front of an expensive pivot of Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez.
We’d like to suggest Chukwuemeka getting one or two starts after the international break starting on the left wing. Also, it would need to involve giving him a licence to drift and come link up the play more centrally in patches.
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The left wing spot should be up for grabs because Blues stars Raheem Sterling and Mykhailo Mudryk are still pretty inconsistent, so let’s see what Chukwuemeka could do with the extra minutes. He certainly seems an intelligent young player with the football brain to adapt and perform, plus he’s usually a massive goal threat.
Chukwuemeka’s goal versus Leicester came when he drifted infield from the left, so it’s something the manager should be pondering during the break. Incidentally, Chukwuemeka’s just been called up for England’s Under-21s squad for the first time in his career.
We’re intrigued to see the starting line-up Pochettino selects when his side return to action on 30 March at home to Burnley. The Chelsea Chronicle has predicted the starting XI for the league clash against Burnley.
