Joao Felix has been told starts for Chelsea are likely to remain a rarity despite his stunning double in the FA Cup demolition of Morecambe. The talented Portuguese forward, who once cost Atletico Madrid a whopping £113m in 2019, has struggled to find minutes since sealing his £46.3m move to Chelsea at the end of August. But ex-Barcelona striker Felix was a timely reminder of his quality on Saturday when he fired two brilliant second-half goals to rain on The Shrimps' parade. However, Blues boss Enzo Maresca is still unsure whether he can start Felix in the Premier League because he looks too much like MVP Cole Palmer.
Asked if he wants more from the 25-year-old, the Italian said: “No, the only thing I have said since the start of the season is that it is difficult to play against him with so many attacking players.” it means if Joao plays, it means Cole doesn't play. Or, if Joao plays, he has to play with Cole, but that depends on the game. “For me it's quite simple. We have three players, but they are more or less similar; Cole, Joao and Christopher Nkunku. “Joao has played a few games, Christo [Nkunku] also played and they both started against Ipswich and Southampton they played, Leicester they played. Some games they can both play together, but not every game because every game is a little different.”
It is believed that Nkunku is considering his future at Stamford Bridge and would be open to leaving if the opportunity arises, as both he and Felix are not satisfied with just minutes in cup matches. Chelsea host Bournemouth in top action tomorrow night as they look to rectify their poor league form.
The Blues have taken just two points from the last possible twelve and to make matters worse, Newcastle and Manchester City are now breathing down their necks in the race for Champions League qualification. It is partly why Maresca resisted all temptation to throw the likes of Palmer, Nicolas Jackson and Enzo Fernandez off the bench against Morecambe. Maresca continued: “This was kind of the idea from the beginning. We've been trying to share minutes since we started all competitions. The idea tonight was to rest for Tuesday and hopefully we can be ready for Tuesday's game. ” . The desire is good, that they can show the desire that they want to play all the games. “But there are also more players who don't get many minutes in the Premier League, so they played [against Morecambe] in a different kind of competition. But the good thing is that they show that they always want to play.” Maresca also provided an update on absent duo Moises Caicedo (rested) and Noni Madueke (sick) ahead of the clash against Andoni Iraola's high-flying Cherries, explaining: ” Moises is OK, he was the only one with Noni who didn't finish the session on Friday, but he is doing well.”
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