On Thursday, Chelsea played their first leg of their UEFA Conference League Round of 16 tie against Copenhagen, winning by two goals to one in a vociferous, packed Parken stadium.

The Danish side earned the ticket to continue their journey in the competition after defeating the Germans of Heidenheim.

Meanwhile, the Blues automatically qualified for this stage after finishing the league phase in the first place, having dropped no points.

In this article, the three most important deductions extracted from the game will be treated in terms of what each of them may mean for the future.

1 – The Flatness has Become a Norm for Chelsea

Despite ultimately proving to be able to take a lead with themselves back in London, Chelsea produced another considerably lacklustre performance.

Sterile possession and drought when it comes to chance creation were once again endemic to the Blues’ collective showing.

With a Copenhagen team designed and inclined to sit deep, make the pitch as narrow as possible, and the spaces between the lines as small as possible, Chelsea players were forced to circulate the ball wide, horizontally, and backward in an excessively tedious manner.

The absence of a genuine attacking sharpness and glow was backed by the numbers as well.

The data provided from the Fotmob website demonstrates a meagre 0.08 xG figure generated by the away side, compared to 0.09 created by their opponents.

Zero shots on target in total, aside from 66% of possession, make for grimmer reading.

The second half brought a small improvement, but if the two goals are ignored, the difference is not a substantially impressive one.

The xG figure accounted for 0.29, although the possession percentage fell to 58%, whereas Copenhagen’s Expected Goals number was 0.36.

A generally balanced game, which could have gone either way, characterised by a stark dryness in terms of overall quality and sophistication.

2 – Reece James’ Positioning: A Positive Headache or an Annoying Conundrum?

Chelsea’s academy product Reece James has always been deservedly heralded for his positional versatility.

He has seamlessly managed to play as a right-back, right wing-back, and right centre-back in a back three system.

He has produced his composure in one-on-one scenarios and his sharp inswinging crosses in the final third.

James has also represented a very functional right centre midfielder for Wigan Athletic on loan during the 2018-19 season.

It is precisely the latter way of deployment in which Enzo Maresca sees the 25-year-old England international as most suitable for him, a role hardly ever preferred by his previous managers for both club and country.

In Copenhagen, Denmark, he embodied an oasis in the middle of a desert, giving a bright spark to a generally scarce team output.

The Chelsea captain scored a long-range strike hit with precision, and ultimately was the highest-rated player by Fotmob, with an 8.4 grade, 0.6 higher than fellow teammate Marc Cucurella in second.

Considering Chelsea’s glaring defensive frailties throughout the season and the hope that James will stay fully fit, it will be interesting to see if Maresca will need him back in his natural position.

Alternatively, he may stick to his idea of primarily using James as a midfielder, leveraging his shooting ability from distance and his physicality in the centre of the park.

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3 – Enzo Fernandez: Both Passionate and Productive

Since his arrival from Benfica on the deadline day of the January 2023 transfer window for a club record €121m, Enzo Fernandez’s two years in West London have been patchy and underwhelming to say the least.

Still, the Argentinian midfielder has had a relatively eye-catching influence in the last few games, scoring against Aston Villa in a 2-1 defeat in Birmingham two weeks ago and being visibly upset bordering on angry after the full-time whistle.

He followed this with a positive display against bottom-table Southampton three days after, and versus Copenhagen, the third plus in a row was recorded, as Enzo found the back of the net from inside the box, doubling Chelsea’s lead.

Fotmob rated his 45-minute cameo, courtesy of replacing Moises Caicedo at half-time, with a 7.5 mark, just short of the 7.8 assigned to Marc Cucurella, who in himself was impactful in recording one assist.

Conclusion

Although the match in itself was far from eventful and conclusive, it provided enough evidence to suggest that Chelsea need to elevate their level of quality much higher than the one they are showing to have at the moment.

Some bright individual performances aside, including those of Reece James and Enzo Fernandez, it would not be overly diplomatic to say the UEFA Conference League is a tournament the Blues should feel comfortable winning.

However, they must do so while keeping their feet on the ground.

The current status quo, though, might put this expectation in jeopardy.

No one will roll out the red carpet, so Enzo Maresca and his players must find the fluidity and balance back quickly enough in order to save themselves from a gigantic embarrassment.

Main Photo

Credit: IMAGO / Michael Barrett Boesen

Recording Date: 06.03.2025