Madness: Chelsea stuff bench with tired stars, while wonderkid they let get away plays for Liverpool | OneFootball

Chelsea’s team sheet for today’s match against Morecambe is out, and it’s caused some controversy.

There is one thing the fans love – the sight of Reece James and Romeo Lavia returning to the team after their respective injuries. This is the perfect game to give them some match minutes and help their progress back to being ready for the Premier League.

But that’s when you get to the thing that a lot of fans hate. When those two are tired and we want to take them off, or indeed when we want to make any changes, the only options on the bench are first team players.

Bizarrely, the likes of Malo Gusto, Marc Cucurella, Enzo Fernandez, Cole Palmer and Nicolas Jackson are sat there. These are guys who have started pretty much every single league game this season. They need a rest, not cameos in a third round cup game.

Meanwhile a wealth of academy talent which is more than qualified for a paltry appearance off the bench, are shown once again just how difficult their pathway is. If Rio Ngumoha hadn’t left for Liverpool (he started for them today, by the way) in the summer, don’t you think he’d be looking to leave after this sort of snub?

Short term thinking continues under new owners

Rio Ngumoha plays for Chelsea’s Under-16s.

It’s one thing to play the squad players who are starting today – you’ve got to keep them happy and keep them fresh for coming into the lineup. Fair enough. But it’s another thing entirely to pack your bench with the first team players who would probably quite enjoy having their feet up.

It’s just crazy short term thinking, and these are the moments you need to remember when brilliant young talents like Ngumoha leave. It all plays into their thinking.