Loftus-Cheek and Kenedy must play for Chelsea
Chelsea has nothing left to play for this Premier League season so it must play two of its prized youngsters the rest of the way
Chelsea has no pressure to win anything as the Premier League season rolls on. They have no shot at defending their Premier League title and no motivation to strive for European qualification. As a result, Guus Hiddink should use Stamford Bridge as a laboratory the rest of the way. That should mean a heavy dose of starlets Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Kenedy as the season progresses.
To the interim manager’s credit, he seems to know that part of his duty to Chelsea as the season progresses is to evaluate the current roster. Part of this certainly means identifying whether or not Chelsea’s youth can contribute to the first-team next season. The two best bets to impact the squad for the next permanent manager are clearly Loftus-Cheek and Kenedy.
Both players featured for Chelsea in today’s FA Cup match versus Scunthorpe United and the results were quite encouraging. In particular, Loftus-Cheek really made an impact when he came on as a substitute for the second half.
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His 68th minute goal gave Chelsea a comfortable 2-0 advantage and Hiddink was effusive in his praise for the young midfielder after the match. He not only claimed to believe Loftus-Cheek has a bright future at Chelsea but also that he’s capable of being called upon for help in the short-term as well.
Kenedy also showed real potential for Chelsea in today’s match. The Brazilian forward will be a little tougher to fit into the side with the presence of forwards like Diego Costa and whomever else may come in January, but he needs playing time as well. He isn’t the finished product that Loftus-Cheek is but he flashes potential every time he steps out on the pitch.
Critics will point out that we can’t get too carried away with FA cup performances by the youngsters and that’s certainly a fair point. Still, both men are too advanced to learn anything in the U21 ranks so they have to either receive meaningful first team action or be accommodated with a suitable loan move. They are certainly too much a part of Chelsea’s future to risk their development elsewhere.
Chelsea fans and management already know the pluses and minuses of their veteran regulars. They’ve seen their best during the title run and their worst during Mourinho’s last days. There’s nothing they can learn about many of their regulars under Hiddink.
Instead, they should use the rest of the season to the test Loftus-Cheek and Kenedy to really see what they’re made of. Only then, can their future manager really know if they have what it takes to succeed in the Premier League.