Two rarely-seen Chelsea players among trio who must start vs Wolves after Qarabag horror show
Chelsea were held to a shock 2-2 draw against minnows Qarabag in the Champions League in midweek and so need to bounce back with a win against Wolves this weekend.
Enzo Maresca‘s side were nowhere near their best in Baku as they had to battle to come from behind and take a point back to West London on Wednesday (5 November).
Estevao had put Chelsea into the lead early on before two quickfire Qarabag goals saw them leading at the break, with Alejandro Garnacho the scorer after the interval as it ended 2-2.
They will now turn their focus back to the Premier League, with managerless Wolves making the trip to Stamford Bridge on Saturday (8 November).
Maresca is almost certain to ring the changes after a poor Champions League showing, and Football Insider have picked out three Chelsea players who deserve to start against Wolves this weekend.
Alejandro Garnacho
Maresca had started Garnacho in the Blues’ two league games prior to Qarabag, and the Argentine forward proved why he should have remained in the starting eleven with a strong performance off the bench.
He instantly made an impact with a well-taken finish to get his side back on terms, and certainly did more than Jamie Gittens, who was seriously disappointing throughout the first-half.
Garnacho failed to even appear in the squad when Chelsea faced Wolves in the Carabao Cup on 29 October, so will want to prove that he has what it takes to nail down the left-wing position from now on.
Liam Delap
Liam Delap was sent-off against Wolves not long after coming on last week as he returned to action for Chelsea following a long-term injury, but his substitute appearance against Qarabag was much more fruitful and should cement his place in the team from now on.
The 22-year-old was a nuisance throughout the second period as his runs in-behind the defence helped to stretch the game and create space for the likes of Estevao and Garnacho to work their magic.
Maresca has been crying out for a bit more consistency in his starting lineups going forward, and Delap is surely in line to be given a chance from the off for the first time since 22 August.
Wesley Fofana
Jorrel Hato had an absolute nightmare against Qarabag as he failed to deal with a long-ball that led to their first goal and then gave away the penalty which saw them double their lead after a clear handball.
Maresca has made 85 different changes to his starting eleven so far this season, and the defence has been another area in which he has chopped and changed, with the Dutch centre-back surely set to be on the bench this Saturday after his horror show.
That leaves one of either Wesley Fofana, Trevoh Chalobah or Josh Acheampong to come in on Saturday, and the former is the most deserving of a chance to show what he can do.
Fofana has dealt with numerous injury concerns since he joined Chelsea, but has been impressive when he has started this season, with a stellar 89-minute showing as they beat Tottenham 1-0 last weekend.