Josh Acheampong's long wait for his first Chelsea start may come at a greater cost than meets the eye | OneFootball

An unfortunate opportunity missed, for player and club alike

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It was Axel Disasi, one of the handful of senior Chelsea players not spared the trip to Kazakhstan, who suggested that a freezing night a few thousand miles from home might be “not the best game to start” for the club’s potential debutants.

In truth, though, Thursday night’s Conference League meeting with Astana came as an early Christmas bonus eagerly accepted by the dozen Cobham graduates making up the numbers in Enzo Maresca’s squad. Seven were involved in some capacity, five making either first senior starts or appearances outright, and several of those ahead of schedule.

Among them, though, was a player in Josh Acheampong who has had to wait longer than expected for a European chance.

At the start of the season, the highly-rated full-back had seemed the most likely of the club’s academy crop to profit from their involvement in the Conference League, having been part of Maresca’s squad for the preseason tour of the US.

The 18-year-old, who made his first-team debut against Tottenham at the end of last season, also featured against Barrow in the Carabao Cup in September, but was then frozen out amid a contract stand-off. His first Chelsea start, in Almaty last night, was also his first senior appearance in almost three months.

Out from the cold: Josh Acheampong on his first Chelsea start, away to Astana in Kazakhstan

Chelsea FC via Getty Images

In the interim, four Conference League group stage matches in which he might have played - as academy peer Tyrique George did - came and went.

His return to the fold now is a positive, with Maresca suggesting on Wednesday he is close to agreeing a new deal, and that short period in exile ought not to harm the Englishman’s development in the long run, for all it is hardly ideal. But for Chelsea, in the more immediate term, it may have come at greater cost than meets the eye.

Had things played out differently, the Blues would by now have a decent bank of match evidence to determine whether Acheampong is ready to serve as cover to the injury-prone Reece James for the rest of the season, or whether they need to move when the transfer window opens next month.

By the turn of the year, Chelsea will have played half of their 38 Premier League games and, lest he make an unexpected comeback before then, James will have been available for just four.

With the Club World Cup and FA Cup to come, as well as European games that should grow at least slightly in importance and difficulty, the second half of Chelsea’s season promises to be more demanding and Maresca surely cannot afford to enter it relying on a player with that kind of fitness record. Malo Gusto - the only other senior specialist right-back on the books - is not exactly bulletproof himself.

Chelsea could by now have a decent bank of evidence on whether Acheampong is ready to cover Reece James

The past fortnight has shown that Moises Caicedo is a viable option, but also the perils of moving the Ecuadorian away from his best role. Having started at right-back against Tottenham on Sunday, it was only once Caicedo was restored to the heart of midfield at half-time that Chelsea assumed some authority and came from behind to win. In any case, using him at right-back more regularly would leave a heavy midfield burden on Romeo Lavia, whose workload the club are desperate to control.

Acheampong did well on Thursday night, his ball-carrying catching the eye in particular, but there is only so much you can take from this kind of contest, against a ring-rusty side on an ice-rink pitch. Can you think of a game bearing less resemblance to any other Chelsea will play this season? Snakes & Ladders, perhaps.

Next week’s home meeting with Shamrock Rovers may tell us a little more and there is an FA Cup tie against League Two outfit Morecambe a month away, too.

But it is tough not to look back on this group stage as an unfortunate opportunity missed, for player and club alike.

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