Chelsea: Michy Batshuayi unlikely to face Everton after blowing opportunity
Michy Batshuayi finally had a chance to strut his stuff but the Chelsea striker failed to take it and will probably not deputise for Alvaro Morata against Everton.
Antonio Conte does not trust Michy Batshuayi, that much is obvious. However, the boss gave the Belgian a chance to prove his quality and importance to the team on Wednesday night. Taking the opportunity to rest his key players, Conte started Batshuayi up front against Bournemouth. It was an invite to fire Chelsea into the semi-finals. Instead, the forward floundered and failed to do anything but prove Conte right.
Despite Chelsea’s weakened side, this was still a cup quarter-final. Moreover, it was a match against a Premier League team. Batshuayi had a chance to show Conte that he can be trusted in Alvaro Morata’s absence and that he can lead the line.
Bearing all that in mind, Batshuayi’s performance was appalling. The more kind critics will talk about his work-rate. There was no doubting his commitment and eagerness to contribute. However, he simply couldn’t convert that attitude into anything tangible.
The Belgian got his feet tangled up on multiple occasions, missing chances to have a shot on goal. He looked out of his depth which, when playing against a struggling Bournemouth side in the Carabao Cup, is quite damning.
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Many Chelsea fans have been staunch supporters of Batshuayi. However, Wednesday’s performance will only allow doubts to creep into their minds. If that was even somewhat representative of what Conte sees on the training field, then the Italian’s mistrust is well founded.
To further rub salt into the wounds, Batshuayi was replaced by Alvaro Morata. The Spaniard seemed to also do little – until Bournemouth equalised. Morata then appeared when Chelsea needed him most and scored immediately to avoid an arduous extra time.
Morata picked up a yellow card in the aftermath of his goal to rule him out of the Everton game. Conte has previously opted to stick Eden Hazard up front instead of using Batshuayi. The Belgian had a chance to force a change in policy. Unfortunately, he did nothing but justify the strikerless back-up tactics. For all of his efforts and evident commitment to the cause, strikers are supposed to hit the back of the net.
Conte gives very few opportunities to fringe players. Hence, Wednesday was even more important. Ethan Ampadu, for example, hit a home run. With uncertainty surrounding David Luiz’s future, Ampadu showed Conte that he could step up and fill his spot.
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Batshuayi did the opposite and should expect to spend even more time on the bench.