Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca lavished praise on a fringe member of his squad ahead of their Champions League clash with Ajax on Wednesday.
Chelsea back to winning ways after straight victories
Chelsea’s resurgence in form since their tepid loss at home to Brighton has been a welcome boost for the club amid their real injury woes.
Despite major concerns over defensive depth, the Blues have managed to steady the ship and produce encouraging results that suggest they are finding some rhythm under Maresca.
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A key storyline behind this revival has been Chelsea’s ability to cope with a severely depleted backline.
Benoit Badiashile and Levi Colwill, two important players, are sidelined with injuries, leaving the squad very thin at the back, with youngster Josh Acheampong repaying Maresca's faith so far.
Chelsea injury worries Problem Potential return date
Enzo Fernández Knee Ajax
Cole Palmer Groin December
Dario Essugo Thigh Early 2026
Benoit Badiashile Muscle December
Liam Delap Hamstring November/December
Levi Colwill ACL Spring 2026
Tosin Adarabioyo and Wesley Fofana only recently returned to fitness after their own spells out, meaning Chelsea had to navigate a tricky period with very limited defensive options, with the latter not even selected for Maresca's last matchday squad at Nottingham Forest.
Trevoh Chalobah was also available once again after his suspension and immediately returned to the starting line-up against Forest.
While Chelsea looked far from resolute — giving the ball away carelessly in their own half on three separate occasions in the first 45 at the City Ground — Maresca's tinkering at half-time shored his side up as the west Londoners eventually secured all three points, a clean sheet and Ange Postecoglou's sacking in the process.
This vital win followed a statement 2-1 victory at home to Premier League champions Liverpool and all three points against José Mourinho's Benfica in Europe, with Chelsea expected to continue this trend against Ajax.
As Maresca turns to Acheampong to provide cover for his backline, summer signing Jorrel Hato will perhaps feel quite hard done by.
The Netherlands international could face-off against his former club this evening, but has hardly been given a full game by Maresca since arriving at Stamford Bridge from the Eredivisie.
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Primarily viewed as a left-back to cover Marc Cucurella, a role he shone in last season for Ajax, Hato can also operate as a centre-back when required and attracted long-term interest from Arsenal before his move to the other side of London.
The 19-year-old finished Chelsea's 2-1 win over Lincoln City in the Carabao Cup but is yet to make a single Champions League appearance, starting just two of Chelsea's eight Premier League games so far as well.
Enzo Maresca praises Jorrel Hato after Chelsea performances behind-the-scenes
According to Maresca, via his pre-Ajax press conference, Hato struggled at Chelsea initially, mainly due to the physicality of English football.
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However, since then, Hato has got "better and better" behind-the-scenes and Maresca is thrilled with the teenager's steady progress.
"He is trying to adapt a little bit to different competitions, English football, but we are very happy with him," Maresca said.
"The first two, three weeks he struggled a little bit in terms of physicality, in terms of intensity, but he is getting better and better."
This is echoed by Tosin, who told reporters that Hato is impressing in Cobham training and working tirelessly every day.
“Yeah, very well. He’s working incredibly hard every single day, learning our system and getting used to the way we play and English football, we’re all very happy with Jorrel,” he said via Hayters TV.
“To be honest, I think his all-round game is top. The way I’ve seen him go forward in training is amazing. The way he’s composed and the way he brings that aggressivity into his game is something that is great to see.”
The Dutchman, regardless of his very young age, was given the captain's armband on occasion during his time at Ajax, and Maresca could well gift Hato his first European appearance for Chelsea against the club who nurtured him.
Coming to England with a stellar reputation as one of Europe's rising defensive stars, he's found it hard to battle his way into the first team so far, but according to Maresca, he's doing all the right things.