So far this season, Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has had to contend with a lot of injury issues.
Before the campaign even started, Maresca lost Levi Colwill to an ACL injury. At times, he has also been without Wesley Fofana, Benoit Badiashile, Tosin Adarabioyo and Trevoh Chalobah.
Badiashile is back and has been impressing, but Chelsea will have to manage him carefully because of his injury record.
They will also have to be wary of not running Joao Pedro into the ground, with the Brazilian playing a lot of football at the minute amid Liam Delap’s absence. With all of that in mind, The Chelsea Chronicle has looked at three players Maresca needs to utilise more after the international break.
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca during a training session.
Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
Marc Guiu
Marc Guiu was recalled from his loan at Sunderland following Delap’s hamstring injury but has barely played.
In total, the Spaniard has made just one appearance for Chelsea, which came against Liverpool last weekend. Guiu played just over 15 minutes that day, but if the Blues want to avoid Pedro picking up an injury, they need to use the 19-year-old a bit more as an alternative to his teammate.
Josh Acheampong
Josh Acheampong playing for Chelsea against Liverpool in the Premier League.
Photo by Robin Jones/Getty Images
Maresca seems to trust Josh Acheampong, who is also 19 years of age, a bit more than Guiu. The defender started in the victory over Liverpool and showed why he should be getting more first-team opportunities.
Alongside Badiashile, Acheampong was excellent. Former Chelsea defender Frank Leboeuf was impressed with Acheampong, describing him and Badiashile as “outstanding” after the game.
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Jorrel Hato
Liverpool's Mohamed Salah battling with Chelsea's Jorrel Hato in the Premier League fixture.
Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images
Jorrel Hato had a game to forget against Brentford last month, really struggling in the left-back position before being taken off at half-time.
However, the 19-year-old Dutchman has recovered from that disappointing performance. Despite losing the game, Hato showed a lot of promise against Brighton.
He also showed plenty of confidence in the Liverpool win, stepping out of defence with the ball. After the international break, Chelsea fans will surely want to see more of their new signing, while the same can be said about Acheampong and Guiu.