On September 9 (CEST), Nizaar Kinsella, a prominent Chelsea journalist, published a column discussing the situation of young Chelsea player Estêvão. Although he has not received sufficient playing time early in the season, the journalist stated that he has not expressed any dissatisfaction. From another perspective, he is also a core member of Chelsea's future plans and is considered a cornerstone asset for the club.

Estêvão's brilliant performance late in Sunday's match nearly helped Chelsea equalize at home against Arsenal. His curved shot was saved by goalkeeper Ramsdale, and Arsenal maintained their lead. However, this once again reminded observers that the 19-year-old Brazilian winger could play an important role under Enzo Maresca.

So far this season, because the club signed Morgan Rogers from Aston Villa for a record £117 million, and with Cole Palmer and João Félix in top form, Estêvão's playing time has been limited.

The young player brought from Brazilian club Palmeiras for £51 million has only played 96 minutes this season, with 80 minutes of that coming in the Carabao Cup against League One side Luton Town.

The remaining 16 minutes were spent as a substitute against Fulham and Premier League champions Arsenal, while he did not feature in Chelsea's narrow victory over Brighton in the third round of the cup this season.

Reports in the Brazilian media claimed that Estêvão was unhappy with his lack of playing time. However, these claims have been denied by sources at Stamford Bridge and those close to the player, several of whom have also expressed enthusiasm about Chelsea's summer signings — including Rogers' arrival.

Chelsea regards Estêvão as one of a small group of "untouchable" players, a group that also includes Palmer, João Félix, and Moisés Caicedo.

The club has no intention of selling any of them, and Estêvão occupies a central position in Enzo Maresca and Chelsea's long-term plans.

Early discussions about a new contract have also begun, with Chelsea hoping to reward key players with improved terms in the coming months, having previously offered João Félix a new deal.

When asked whether Estêvão's lack of playing time meant he was unhappy, Maresca responded: "No, Estêvão is ready and training well. He played an important role when he came on the other day.

"He is fully committed every day and has a very positive attitude. I believe in Estêvão one hundred percent because he has great potential. He is still very young, but he learns quickly and adapts very quickly. The season is still very long."

Estêvão also suffered a severe grade-four hamstring injury at the end of last season, which caused him to miss the World Cup, and he is expected to gradually increase his playing time this season.

What is Estêvão's role in Chelsea's plans?

On Sunday, when Chelsea was trying to equalize, Estêvão came on as a substitute for Pedro Neto, who was playing as a wing-back in Maresca's new system.

Given the defensive and physical demands of that position, it is difficult to imagine another match scenario where Estêvão would assume that role. Instead, Palmer occupies Estêvão's preferred number 10 position on the right wing.

When Maresca uses a four-back formation, Estêvão and Palmer have shown promising signs playing together—but he has only used this formation in the Carabao Cup against Luton Town.

Replacing Palmer in the league could prove quite difficult, as Maresca regards him as a leader in the dressing room and one of the team's main attacking threats.

Even in the Carabao Cup, Maresca fielded an almost full-strength squad—after all, Chelsea are not competing in European competition, and the new manager is keen to establish his tactical philosophy as quickly as possible since taking over.

Estêvão is not the only player struggling to get significant playing time early in the season; if Leeds United defeat Chelsea away in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday, The Blues will have no cup matches until the FA Cup in January next year. From the perspective of maintaining satisfaction with a 27-player squad, Wednesday's match is quietly crucial.

Kunda, Eneme, and Guéhi are also eager for more playing time.

Several other young attacking players at Chelsea are also struggling to become starters, with only Palmer and Rogers being regular starters in every match.

João Félix has been a starter in all three league matches, while experienced striker Danny Welbeck led the front line against Luton. This has resulted in Eneme, who joined from Strasbourg this summer, receiving only one appearance as a substitute.

Similarly, defender Anselmino has not featured and has only been included in the squad once, although both players are currently dealing with fitness issues.

Other attacking options, including Kunda and Jahmari Guéhi, have played only 8 and 10 minutes respectively across Chelsea's four matches this season. Kunda—despite Manchester United's interest in 2024, Chelsea retained him—was also left out of Maresca's squad for two matches.

Were it not for injury issues to Caicedo and Jordan Henderson, which occasionally leave Chelsea's midfield short, the situation could be worse.

Nonetheless, summer signing Barco has made only one start and one substitute appearance, as right-back Malo Gusto has moved to become a starter in midfield, and wing-back Marc Cucurella is injured.

If Chelsea had a fully fit squad, they would need to leave six outfield players out of the matchday squad—under English football regulations, clubs can name 11 starters and 9 substitutes.

Analysis of successful teams not participating in European competition shows that managers tend to rely on a relatively small core group of players. When Leicester City famously won the Premier League title under Ranieri in the 2015-16 season, only 14 players across the squad made more than 15 appearances in all competitions.

The following season, Chelsea, under Conte, won the championship without European commitments. At that time, only 13 players accumulated more than 1,500 minutes of playing time across all competitions.

Although clubs are now allowed five substitutions, when Newcastle United qualified for the Champions League in the 2022-23 season, only 14 players in their squad played more than 1,500 minutes.

Perhaps the most relevant comparison is Manchester United, who finished third in the league last season without European commitments. Although they were knocked out early from two domestic cup competitions, only 13 players across their entire squad played more than 1,500 minutes in all competitions.

For backup players, including Estêvão, a long cup run might help them turn brief substitute appearances into opportunities too significant for Maresca to ignore.

Diterjemahkan oleh AI.

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