Enzo Maresca makes claim about who will start up front for Chelsea vs Southampton

Nicolas Jackson and Marc Guiu are both still absent due to injury, and the boss has moved away from starting Christopher Nkunku as the number nine.

The defeat to Aston Villa saw Pedro Neto start as the striker, and his pace and movement were on display as he set up Enzo Fernandez’s opening goal.

Neto was exhausted at full-time, with him one of the Chelsea players who can say he gave everything despite defeat at Villa Park.

The Blues will be looking to get back to winning ways when they host Southampton at Stamford Bridge midweek. Facing bottom of the league is the best possible opportunity for Maresca to help turnaround their fortunes.

The question remains as to who will start up front for the Blues, with Nkunku and Cole Palmer remaining options.

The manager stated in his pre-match press conference that he believes Neto’s performance up front was a positive one, and could be an option this week against the Saints.

He said: “Could be a good option. We tried with Pedro days before the game, we saw he could do that. It was a positive one. The performance in general was positive. Enzo was fantastic. Reece struggled in some moments but his performance was very good.”

One thing that was clear was that the Portugal international helped the Blues get out of danger with a clear out ball. He also combined well with Malo Gusto on the break.

Neto starting to prove doubters wrong

It is fair to say that not everyone has been convinced by Neto since he joined Chelsea over the summer, with goals and assists not flowing for the former Wolves man.

Martin Keown slammed Neto for his output at Stamford Bridge, however he showed in the striker role that he has the credentials to make regular impacts.

The Blues will just need this to occur on a more regular basis, and with two favourable fixtures in a row there is a great chance for him to do just that.