To most people, this midweek EFL Cup game is an inconvenience, distracting us from the real action in the Premier League and Champions League.
But pundit and Chelsea fan Paul Merson sees it very differently. According to him, Chelsea’s form in th eleague makes this a huge game for the Blues.
Marc Guiu on the scene as Chelsea concede. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)
“It makes the game against Wolves on Wednesday crucial. It’s a big football match.
“Chelsea would have gone second in the league with a win on Saturday but now they are ninth. That result has really cranked up the pressure, especially with a trip to Spurs next Saturday too.
“The project is based on winning trophies and they are not going to win the Premier League. The Champions League will be difficult with the calibre of teams in it and with ties being over two legs as the competition progresses, so it leaves the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup.
“The FA Cup is very draw dependent and that’s why the Carabao Cup is a good opportunity for Chelsea, and why the Wolves game is massive.”
It’s hard to disagree – Maresca needs to constantly be building his CV, and adding trophies is the best way to do that. This team have already set themselves up for an uphill battle to make the top 4, so qualifying tonight is massive to keep morale and momentum up.
Enzo Maresca took the chance in his pre-match press conference to moan about how other teams were switching to a back 5 to face Chelsea. We wonder what Wolves will do tonight…
