Chelsea

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We asked for your views on whether Josh Acheampong's can establish himself as first choice at Chelsea after our fan writer Will Faulks described the 19-year-old as "the perfect modern defender".

Here are some of your comments:

Alex: I remember having question marks over Josh in the first game against Palace as Mateta's physicality in the first half of that game isolated him a few times, but honestly can't remember seeing too many mistakes since - something I can't say for the rest of our centre-backs this season.

Freddie: I think he has to start and keep starting. His composure on the ball is great and he can drive the ball forward just as Colwill did. Plus, its another sign that we give academy products a route to the first team which will be invaluable for the future. Him and Colwill (once he's back) will be a defensive partnership to be feared!

Stuart: Acheampong has all the attributes to develop into a top-class centre back. The concern is that we seem to regard academy players as expendable due to their "pure profit" status for PSR - hence selling Gallagher last year and attempting to sell Chalobah and George this summer. Hopefully I'm proven wrong, it'd be great to see Colwill and Acheampong anchor our defence for years to come.

William: Yes he is the next Virgil van Dijk. Give him a decent run and he will be an England regular.

Nick: Josh Acheampong's class and ability were obvious from the first time he played at Chelsea and I firmly believe he will be an England regular within a couple of years. He'll need to gain more experience this season, so the World Cup will come too soon, but he is the ideal successor to John Stones as England's right-sided centre-back - alongside Marc Guehi and with Reece James next to him at right back. The sky is the limit for Josh.

Nizaar Kinsella
Chelsea reporter at Stamford Bridge

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There is no doubt the underlying interest was around indiscipline and the response at Chelsea's news conference against Ajax was clear.

Both Enzo Maresca and Chelsea's oldest player, Tosin Adarabiayo, batted away concerns about the accumulation of four red cards in four consecutive matches.

The Blues already had a poor record of red and yellow cards but it has got worse lately.

Yet the two figures talking before the Champions League league phase match denied any concerns.

Maresca says he prefers not to discipline players for being sent off, but Tosin acknowledged there is a player-led fine system in place.

With a smile, the defender also declined to comment on how much fine money is in the kitty for the upcoming Christmas party after the recent spate of red cards.

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Tosin Adarabioyo says he is trying to support 19-year-old team-mate Josh Acheampong in the same way Vincent Kompany did for him as a youngster at Manchester City.

After coming through the youth system at City and graduating to the first team in the latter years of legendary captain Kompany's career at the club, Tosin spent four years at Fulham and, at 28, is an elder statesman within the youthful Chelsea squad.

In fact, he is the only player aged 28 or over to be used by Enzo Maresca while head coach of the club.

"Whenever I know he's going to be on the pitch I try to give him every support possible," Tosin said of Acheampong.

"Every single day I'm on to him to try to make sure he's doing the right things.

"When I was his age I had people like Vincent Kompany doing the same for me. It's very important to have somebody older than you and performing at a higher level than you to support you in any way possible.

"We can all see Josh's qualities. His qualities on the ball, especially when he's driving with the ball, are unmatched. He's the best at it and he just needs to continue working in the same way, keeping that confidence. In time, he's going to be a great player for us."

Despite only featuring as a late substitute at the City Ground on Saturday, Tosin was a vocal presence on the sideline as Acheampong scored his first senior goal against Nottingham Forest.

"Even when I'm on the side of the pitch I'm always trying to help," he added. The most important thing is getting the three points so any details I can give to the boys off the pitch is very important.

"It's part of my leadership role within the team. I do the same when I'm on the pitch and will continue to do the same off it.

"I feel my age, I feel 28. I think 28 is a great age to start kicking on and doing great things.

"As long as you play at a high level and perform well, I don't think your age matters. If you are a young player - like Josh, aged 19 - performing at the weekend you can come and play for this club."

Can Acheampong establish himself as first choice at Stamford Bridge?

Tell us here

Nat Hayward
BBC Sport journalist

Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca has been speaking to the media before Wednesday's Champions League game against Ajax at Stamford Bridge (20:00 BST).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Maresca began by confirming Enzo Fernandez trained yesterday and is in contention to play on Wednesday: "We have one more session this afternoon and we will decide with him tomorrow. It is not something we have to be worried about. It's to try and protect Enzo."

• He also provided an update on Liam Delap's fitness: "Liam is very close. He is not working with us yet. He is still out. Hopefully in the next days he can start training with us."

• On adapting without multiple injured players: "It's difficult, especially because most of the injuries we had were one or two days before the game. We are trying to adapt. It's complicated because sometimes you plan for some players to play one week, but then you need that player because of another injury."

• On his side's run of red cards: "For sure, it's something we can do better. Some of the red cards, we can avoid that. Personally, I'm not that kind of manager to punish players. In my view, I don't think it is the right way to do things. I prefer to help them understand and then do the right things. It depends. They are different kinds of red cards."

• Asked about his comments around a year ago asking for more leadership from captain Reece James, Maresca said: "It's much better compared to one year ago. I think Reece has improved a lot. We are very happy with Reece."

• On 19-year-old defender Josh Acheampong: "We are very happy with Josh since last season. When you are 18, 19 there are many thing you can do better. Josh is hard worker, humble for sure and wants to learn. He can be a better player in the future."

• On Ajax, who have lost their opening two Champions League fixtures: "They always try to play their football. For sure, it will be a difficult game. They are a club that have won this competition in the past. They want to prove to everyone that they can come here and beat us. We are going to try and do exactly the same."

Follow all of Tuesday's European news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

Listen to live commentary of Chelsea v Ajax from 20:00 on Wednesday on BBC Sounds

Will Faulks
Fan writer

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It is a great day to talk about Josh Acheampong.

The defender has been highly rated at Chelsea for years, but his appearances so far have largely been limited to the youth teams and to the Conference League last season, where he made his senior breakthrough.

But a start, and the opening goal against Nottingham Forest at the weekend have brought him to the attention of a broader audience, and his renown is only going to grow if he continues to perform at such a high level.

He is a perfect modern defender - technical, athletic, versatile and intelligent. The Chelsea academy has a well-earned reputation for producing quality players, but it is in defence that they excel in particular.

Why were the Blues not keen to replace (academy product) Levi Colwill with (academy product) Marc Guehi when the former picked up an injury in the summer?

Largely because they had (academy product) Acheampong waiting in the wings. On Saturday, he put in a great showing alongside (academy product) Trevoh Chalobah at the back.

Questioned in the past about when the young defender will get more first-team chances, Enzo Maresca has pointed out Acheampong is already more than just an emergency option. He played in league games last year when senior defenders were available, and it was the same story on Saturday. He started while Tosin Adarabioyo sat on the bench.

The question now is what Acheampong needs to do to become truly first choice for Maresca. Colwill will likely miss the whole season, Benoit Badiashile is out injured again and Wesley Fofana's status is always in question.

The 19-year-old has a superb chance over the next few weeks to continue proving he should be starting even when everyone around him is fit.

On the evidence of what we have seen in his young career so far, we back him to take it.

Find more from Will Faulks at Chelsea News, external

Do you agree with Will on Acheampong's future?

How can he establish himself as first choice at Stamford Bridge?

Tell us here

Nizaar Kinsella
Chelsea reporter at Stamford Bridge

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Chelsea are trying to build enough 'escape velocity' to see off problems related to injury, form, and a high workload caused by the Club World Cup in the summer.

Escape velocity, in space exploration and astronomy, is the momentum needed to propel an object away from a gravitational centre - like a planet.

In this case, those aforementioned problems were apparent despite Chelsea's 3-0 win at Nottingham Forest on Saturday – an even match that the Blues won through superior finishing rather than brilliant all-round play.

Dutch giants Ajax, in their current guise, are very beatable, and a win would be Chelsea's fourth in a row across all competitions, putting them in a strong position in the Champions League.

That would nicely tee up a busy period of six games in 18 days from the end of October to the mid-November international break.

After that, Maresca would hope the likes of Cole Palmer and Liam Delap return from injury, with Benoit Badiashile also out until December and Levi Colwill out for most of the season after knee surgery.

Leading into Maresca's press conference on Tuesday, key themes might be:

• Enzo Fernandez's fitness,

• The importance of Reece James,

• The emergency of Josh Acheampong,

• And Jorrel Hato facing his former club.

Nizaar Kinsella
Chelsea reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Historically, Chelsea's disciplinary problems have been poor under the current ownership. They break records for yellow cards and they are bottom of the combined Fair Play table since 2022-23.

In 2022-23, Chelsea accumulated 86 points in the Fair Play table (the sixth most in the Premier League) and in 2023-24 they had 117 under former manager Mauricio Pochettino, including a Premier League record 105 yellow cards.

That was followed by a 106-point season under Enzo Maresca to finish second-bottom in the table.

A total of 301 yellow cards is the most in the Premier League over three years.

Meanwhile, 12 red cards place Chelsea second behind Wolves (13) over the same period.

Under Maresca, Chelsea are a team that look to control games through possession and clever pressing, but it is notable to break down what the Blues have received bookings for since 2022-23:

• Tactical fouls: 89 (highest in the Premier League)

• Reckless offences: 89 (second, behind Crystal Palace)

• Dissent/arguments: 67 (highest)

• Time-wasting: 38 (second, behind Aston Villa)

• Diving: Seven (highest)

• Excessive celebration: Four

A total of 113 of their 301 yellow cards have come in the final 15 minutes of matches.

In that time, Chelsea have had 15 cards for dissent (fourth most), 10 for arguments (joint third most) and two for simulation (joint most).

The trend of yellow cards - 2.8 per game under Pochettino and 2.6 under Maresca - highlights that it could be more than a tactical issue and may be linked to how a youthful squad built under Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital handle their emotions.

The average age of the Chelsea squad is just over 24 and, on Saturday, Maresca named the youngest XI in the Premier League so far this season.

The question now is whether the Italian can resolve the issue.

His low-hanging fruit would be to ensure his players get fewer bookings for dissent and poor behaviour on the pitch.

It may take Chelsea simply becoming a better team to avoid receiving bookings for reckless offences and tactical fouls, while the squad may naturally mature over time as they build their experience together.

Read more on whether Chelsea have a discipline problem

We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's Premier League game between Nottingham Forest and Chelsea.

Here are some of your comments:

Hecksy: We look a better team when playing on the front foot, and have so many attacking players, yet still we play with the handbrake on. I understand you can't be gung-ho for 90 minutes, but we just keep on gifting chances when doing this, especially when playing out from the back. Lucky not to be punished in the first half. Still, three points and a clean sheet.

James: Good performance against a struggling side. However, what can't be overlooked is the lack of discipline. While on this occasion it wasn't costly, that is not always going to be the case. Thought Reece James was excellent - hopefully he can stay fit and get a good run of games.

Jack: We're fast becoming Second Half FC. It is great that Enzo Maresca is able to make tactical changes at half-time and tweak things, but frustrating that the first halves are quite often really shaky. Would be nice to play 90 consistent minutes. A boy can dream.

Martin: Nice to get the three points but still not very convincing. Any other team could have beaten us in the first half. They definitely need to get this discipline sorted. We can't afford any more red cards - it will cost us more games.

Nick: Happy with the result, but if we give better teams than Forest that many chances we will come unstuck - and the lack of discipline is becoming a real issue.

Chelsea are ready to offer more than 100m euros (£87m) to sign 21-year-old Spain striker Samuel Omorodion from Porto next summer. (Fichajes - in Spanish), external

Meanwhile, the Blues are in talks to appoint former Liverpool director of scouting and recruitment Dave Fallows, who helped secure deals for Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane at Anfield. (Sun), external

Want more transfer news? Read Monday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Pundits Alan Shearer and Micah Richards join host Gabby Logan to bring you the action and talking points from Saturday's Premier League fixtures.

Watch on BBC iPlayer here

And listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Manchester City 2-0 Everton

• Crystal Palace 3-3 Bournemouth

• Fulham 0-1 Arsenal

Nizaar Kinsella
Chelsea reporter

Image source, Getty Images

When Gusto was sent off in the 87th minute, it had no bearing on the result but highlighted Chelsea's disciplinary issues.

That red card was Chelsea's fourth in six matches.

Maresca was also banned for celebrating Estevao Willian's late winner against Liverpool before the international break, resulting in a one-match ban.

It was Chelsea's third red card in the Premier League this season - more than any other club.

This is only the third time Chelsea have had three players sent off after eight matches, having done so in the 2001-02 and 2017-18 seasons.

Despite Maresca playing it down, Chelsea's discipline problem can be costly after causing defeat against Manchester United and Brighton, but not on this occasion.

Maresca must address this or risk it becoming a recurring issue. The squad, despite their talent, lack experience, and it was the Premier League's youngest XI of the season on Saturday.

Enzo Maresca spoke to BBC Match of the Day after Chelsea's victory against Nottingham Forest:"It's not good [the touchline ban], I don't like, I prefer to be in the dugout. It was a good game, first half we struggled a bit, second half was much better and we controlled the game better.

"We made some mistakes where we gave them a boost in the first half, it's better if we avoid that. Some of my changes [at half-time] were already planned. We know Romeo Lavia can't play a full 90 minutes.

"This season suddenly we have many injuries. One of the main things is to rotate players and manage them."

On goalscorer Josh Acheampong: "He's a big name. He scored, but also he played very good. With personality. Since last season we have trusted Josh. He just has to work hard and then the future will be on his side."

On Ange Postecoglou's sacking: "They've just told me. Unfortunately it's our job. It's a business where you need to win games and if you don't win games the consequence is always the same."

Goalscorer Pedro Neto spoke to TNT Sports fter Saturday's victory: "I thought in the beginning of the game we started well, but after that it was a little bit difficult for us. As always, I like to step up in these kinds of moments.

"After the international break the last month, we didn't start well. We didn't win the three games that we had.

"We needed to change some things and be more aggressive and in the second half we kept more of the ball score three goals, and we are really happy."

Did you know?

• Chelsea are the first team to have two teenagers score in the Premier League this season (Estevao and Acheampong), while it's Chelsea's first time having two teenagers score in the same season since 1998-99 (Mikael Forssell and Celestine Babayaro).

• Reece James made his 200th appearance for Chelsea in all competitions, both scoring and assisting in the same game for the first time since October 2022 against Milan in the UEFA Champions League.

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

Have your say on Forest's performance

What did you make of Chelsea's display?

Come back on Monday for a selection of your replies

Under-fire Ange Postecoglou makes five changes as he searches for his first win as Nottingham Forest boss.

Taiwo Awoniyi makes his first appearance since being put in an induced coma in May, following urgent abdominal surgery after a collision with the post during last season's game with Leicester.

Murillo, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Douglas Luiz, and Ibrahim Sangare return from the 2-0 defeat at Newcastle while striker Chris Wood is on the bench having picked up a minor knee issue with New Zealand.

Nottingham Forest XI: Sels, Milenkovic, Murillo, Morato, Williams, Douglas Luiz, Sangare, Anderson, Zinchenko, Gibbs-White, Awoniyi.

Substitutes: John, Hudson-Odoi, Wood, Ndoye, Domínguez, I. Jesus, Yates, Jair Cunha, Savona.

Trevoh Chalobah, Andrey Santos and Romeo Lavia come in for Chelsea at the City Ground.

Defender Chalobah returns after suspension while Lavia makes his first start of the season with Santo making just his second.

Benoit Badiashile, Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo drop out, although Caicedo is the only one to make the bench.

Chelsea XI: Sanchez, James, Acheampong, Chalobah, Cucurella, Gusto, Lavia, Neto, Andrey Santos, Garnacho, Joao Pedro.

Substitutes: Jorgensen, Tosin, Hato, Caicedo, Gittens, George, Guiu, Estevao, Buonanotte.

There are seven games in the Premier League on Saturday and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.

• Nottingham Forest v Chelsea (12:30)

• Brighton v Newcastle

• Burnley v Leeds United

• Crystal Palace v Bournemouth

• Man City v Everton - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Sunderland v Wolves - listen on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

• Fulham v Arsenal (17:30) - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

Kick-off times 15:00 BST unless stated

Follow all of the action and reaction here

You can also listen to today's 5 Live Premier League commentaries on most smart speakers. Just say "ask BBC Sounds to play Fulham v Arsenal", for instance.

Find out more about how to listen to Premier League football on BBC Sounds

Matthew Hobbs
BBC Sport journalist

Nottingham Forest resume Premier League proceedings aiming for a first win at the eighth attempt under Ange Postecoglou against a Chelsea side who defeated champions Liverpool last time out.

BBC Sport examines some of the key themes ahead of Saturday's lunchtime clash at the City Ground.

Postecoglou's poor start

Five defeats, two draws and 15 goals conceded is not the start Ange Postecoglou may have envisaged when replacing Nuno Espirito Santo as Nottingham Forest boss.

The Australian has barely been in the job a month but is already facing question marks over his future, with reports last weekend suggesting former Everton manager Sean Dyche is waiting in the wings should Forest's poor form continue.

Postecoglou has now lost 30 of his past 49 Premier League games with former club Tottenham and Forest, a recent record that may not help dissuade his detractors.

However, Forest's problems, particularly in defence, predate Postecoglou's arrival: they haven't kept a clean sheet in any of their past 15 Premier League games, their joint-longest run since returning to the competition in 2022.

And the task for Forest's manager does not get any easier. Next up, its Chelsea and Postecoglou has lost all four Premier League meetings against the Blues.

Chelsea aim to back up Liverpool win

Chelsea counterpart Enzo Maresca had been under some pressure following back to back defeats to Manchester United and Bayern Munich, although a 2-1 victory against Liverpool ahead of the international break has assuaged some of the unease at Stamford Bridge.

Willian Estevao's stoppage-time goal knocked Liverpool off top spot in the Premier League and he is one of several key players whom Maresca will rely on as injuries continue to take their toll on Chelsea's squad.

Maresca could be missing up to nine players for the trip to the City Ground, including Cole Palmer, who has been ruled out for another six weeks due to an ongoing groin injury.

In the absence of other star names, Chelsea's key performer so far this season has undoubtedly been Moises Caicedo.

The combative Ecuador international has been one of the most effective midfielders in the Premier League this season, making more tackles and more interceptions than any player so far.

On Saturday he will face another in-form midfielder in the guise of Forest's Elliot Anderson, who again impressed on international duty with England in the World Cup qualifying win against Latvia on Tuesday night.

The 22-year-old has won back possession a league-high 55 times this season and his battle with Caicedo could go a long way to deciding the outcome of a crucial match for Forest's manager.

The treatment that Ange Postecoglou is getting from Nottingham Forest fans is just ridiculous.

It saddens me, actually, that they are calling for him to be sacked after just seven games - and I don't think it's fair at all.

I covered Forest's defeat at Newcastle before the international break. That was the result I expected, and Newcastle thoroughly deserved to win too, but it still showed all this talk of how Ange can only play one way is wrong, because Forest were not open at all at St James' Park - they tried to contain Newcastle and played on the counter.

The problem they had was that they could not get up the pitch, but if you were a Forest fan watching that game then you would be thinking that Ange did try and play with a bit of balance.

Now they are at home, the onus will be on them to go forward more against Chelsea, whose manager Enzo Maresca has also come under pressure this season.

Chelsea's late victory over Liverpool last time out was important for Maresca after back-to-back league defeats.

In many ways I hope Forest win, to take the heat off Postecoglou a little, but I don't see it happening.

Sutton's prediction: 1-2

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Nizaar Kinsella
Chelsea reporter

Image source, Getty Images

A recent report from footballers' union Fifpro revealed that Moises Caicedo faces an "unequal workload" compared to other footballers.

The report detailed how Caicedo travelled almost 25,000km (15,500 miles) to play four matches in 14 days for club and country in October 2024.

It read: "In 14 days, Caicedo played a total of 360 minutes across two continents and three countries, with an average recovery time of 110.8 hours, while flying more than half the length of the equator." It also said Caicedo "made 27 trips across borders and was in transit for 175.6 hours" last season.

Chelsea's players had only 20 days off this summer (eight fewer than recommended) and 13 days of pre-season (15 fewer than recommended), because of their Club World Cup-winning campaign, which added seven matches in the US.

Asked about Caicedo after the win over Liverpool, assistant manager Willy Caballero said: "He has played a lot of games with the Club World Cup and with the national team, so we need to manage him sometimes."

Caicedo has since received his first break from international duty since joining Chelsea. Sources close to him described him as "exhausted" in recent weeks.

Still, Caicedo takes his international commitments seriously, having helped Ecuador finish second in the South American qualifying group, ahead of Brazil, to qualify for the 2026 World Cup.

Caicedo, the youngest of 10 siblings, grew up in poverty in Ecuador but has lifted himself and his family out of it through football, becoming a footballing icon back home. In a recent interview in Ecuador, one commentator described Caicedo as "our [Michael] Jordan."

Having focused entirely on football until recently, Caicedo is now earning from sponsorships, signing deals worth millions with nine brands over the past year, including Ecuadorian bank Banco Guayaquil and a Chinese internet provider.

A Mini Moi children's cartoon is also in development to share his story with Latin American audiences.

Read more about how pivotal for Chelsea Caicedo is here

Nizaar Kinsella
Chelsea reporter

Image source, Getty Images

It is no secret that Cole Palmer is one of Chelsea's star players, so any prolonged absence is a major blow.

The 23-year-old was involved in 39 Premier League goals in 2024 (26 goals and 13 assists), breaking Chelsea's club record for a single calendar year.

Last season, Palmer starred in the Conference League and Club World Cup finals, delivering two goals and three assists across both matches.

Medical staff have since dealt with Palmer's painful recurring groin injury, trying unsuccessfully to manage him through the season so far.

Palmer withdrew from the warm-up minutes before facing West Ham in August, pulled out of England international duty in September, and came off after 21 minutes in the defeat at Manchester United.

That game at Old Trafford proved to be the final straw, as Chelsea stopped trying to manage Palmer through the season and sought to resolve his injury once and for all.

The current stance from Maresca and the club is that surgery will not be needed, but it remains to be seen whether Palmer can fully overcome the injury after this latest setback within the new time frame.