Enza Maresca is not afraid to play the kids
Coming into this matchup we expected Enzo Maresca to play a strong side to try and put the tie to bed before the second leg. We fully expected him to play his best available XI to put Copenhagen to the sword but instead we got some pretty heavy squad rotation that we are used to in the Conference League.
Maresca made several surprise selections by starting Tyrique George on the wing, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall out wide as well, and 17 year old Shim Mheuka up front as the striker. Mheuka became the youngest ever starter for Chelsea in a European competition and unfortunately he looked the part though it was no fault of his own.
The explanation for such heavy squad rotation is likely because the Blues face Leicester in a few days on Sunday which is crucial for their fight for a top four place. Leicester are well on their way to relegation but undoubtedly possess more quality than Copenhagen does.
At the end of the day, Maresca’s selection worked out as the Blues won but it was the substitutes that made the difference as Marc Cucurella, George, and Enzo Fernandez combined for the game-winning goal. Perhaps if Maresca had started with his big guns they could have won more comfortably and the second leg would have become a formality.