Get rid: Maresca can bench Gittens by unleashing Chelsea's £40m "superstar"
da blaze casino： It would be fair to say that Chelsea have not had the best of starts to the season.
da apostaganha： Enzo Maresca’s side picked up seven of nine points in the Premier League prior to the international break, but dropped two against Brentford on Saturday.
Now, it was a heavily rotated side, but there was enough talent in the starting lineup to collect three.
One of the worst performers was summer signing Jamie Gittens, and while it might sound harsh, he should be dropped ahead of tomorrow’s Champions League clash with Bayern Munich.
Gittens' disappointing display
Now, to be clear, there were several Chelsea players who really let themselves down on Saturday, but when it comes to the most disappointing display, it’s hard to look past Gittens.
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The club paid Borussia Dortmund around £48m for him in the summer in the hope he’d be able to come into the team and make the left-hand side more direct and more dangerous.
Unfortunately, he flattered to deceive in his appearances before the international break and, against Brentford, he looked somewhat out of his depth.
It might sound overly harsh, but we aren’t the only ones who were left unimpressed, as the Express’ Charlie Malam awarded him just 4/10 on the day, writing that he ‘faded out’ after the first 20 minutes.
Unsurprisingly, while it may sound harsh, such an appraisal of the 20-year-old is more than justified by his statistics.
In 56 minutes of underwhelming action, the Reading-born ace amassed a combined expected goals plus assists figure of just 0.04, took just 17 touches, played a single key pass, had one shot, didn’t attempt a single dribble and was offside twice.
In all, it was a terrible showing from Gittens, and considering how much of a step-up in quality Bayern will be, Maresca has to drop him for another of Chelsea’s young wingers tomorrow night.
The Chelsea ace who should start in place of Gittens
While some might view it as being too soon, Maresca should look to start £40m man Alejandro Garnacho against Bayern.
Now it’s undoubtedly the case that the young Argentine should have tracked Fabio Carvalho for the equaliser on Saturday, but when it came to the offensive side of the game, he offered so much more than Gittens in such a short amount of time.
For example, while he didn’t get the assist, it was his driving run and ball into the penalty area that directly led to Moises Caicedo’s thunderous strike in the second half.
Moreover, while there are certainly questions over this temperament that may well be answered this season, the 21-year-old’s footballing ability is undeniable.
For example, despite being just 20 years old at the start of last season and playing for a historically terrible Manchester United side, the Madrid-born gem was able to score 11 goals and provide ten assists in 58 appearances, totalling 3568 minutes.
Garnacho in 24/25
Appearances
58
Minutes
3568′
Goals
11
Assists
10
Goal Involvements per Match
0.36
Minutes per Goal Involvements
169.90′
All Stats via Transfermarkt
That means the “superstar” in the making, as dubbed by journalist Liam Canning, maintained an average of a goal involvement every 2.76 games, or 169.90 minutes.
Moreover, with a goal in the 2024 FA Cup final, against Manchester City, the dynamic attacker has proven he can handle the biggest of stages.
Ultimately, Gittens may well come good for Chelsea, but he has flattered to deceive thus far, and with Garnacho making an impact in just 11 minutes of action, he should get the start against Bayern tomorrow night.