. This is a long way below Europe’s elite and fans expect their team to overwhelm opponents who operate in much smaller financial circles. They are waiting for Enzo Maresca to prove that his positional play can dazzle.
This was another strange Stamford Bridge occasion. The mood was muted, even though Chelsea advanced to the last eight by beating FC Copenhagen 3-1 on aggregate. A fourth consecutive win in all competitions was not without its complications and that meant the doubts around Maresca are not going away before Sunday’s trip to Arsenal.
Admittedly, Maresca could take satisfaction from Chelsea securing a slender win thanks to a piece of individualism from Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. His goal had nothing to do with coordinated team play. It was all down to Dewsbury-Hall’s persistence and opportunism.
The former Leicester midfielder will hope this can kickstart his Chelsea career. He was crucial when Maresca’s Leicester won promotion last season but has struggled since being reunited with the Italian. It is an odd situation. Dewsbury-Hall is the Maresca stalwart who rarely plays for Maresca. He is the replacement for Conor Gallagher, who was busy scoring for Atlético Madrid against Real Madrid this week. Fans who wonder about the wisdom of Chelsea’s project have buys like Dewsbury-Hall in mind.
The disconnect between Maresca and the crowd was impossible to ignore. There was more booing at the end of a first half in which Chelsea fell woefully short of producing anything resembling incision in the final third. Copenhagen, who had hope of pulling off an unlikely comeback after a late goal left them 2-1 down after the first leg, did not have to extend themselves to keep their hosts at bay.
Everything was too robotic and restrained. Only Tyrique George, the 19-year-old winger, threatened to inject some urgency with a few direct runs down the right. On the whole, though, there was little flow or …
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