With 9 wins from their last 9 games, Antonio Conte’s Chelsea have made great strides from their previous campaign which was nothing less than a disaster. The Italian manager has made a number of changes to the squad and the system at the Stamford Bridge, going into the busiest part of the season. His summer transfers; N Golo Kante, David Luiz and Marcos Alonso are an integral part of the first team at the club but one player who has not been able to break into the starting XI is Belgium international Michy Batshuayi.
Having made a big money move to Chelsea after Conte decided to spend on his as a cover for Costa, Batshuayi never really had a chance to start the games in the Premier League this season. Diego Costa, the current top scorer in the Premier League, was always Chelsea’s first choice and Batshuayi was purchased as a backup. The 23-year old is a raw talent who has not yet been tested at the biggest stage and even though though Conte believes in his abilities, it is hard to see him get a chance ahead of Costa in crunch games.
Chelsea are not entertaining European football and they were knocked out of the League Cup early this campaign, leaving even less playing time to offer to the squad. Though the FA Cup provides a perfect chance for Batshuayi, it also is a good opportunity for silverware in his first season at the club for Conte and he might play his best team for the Cup games as well.
Competing with a goal scorer like Diego Costa for a place in the first team is never going to be easy but Batshayi has a chance to get some invaluable experience under his belt this season. He is relatively at the start of his playing career at the moment and will only get better the more he is exposed to the best in the game. Playing alongside the likes of Eden Hazard, Pedro, Willian and Costa will also help him grow as a player and though he may not get too many first team opportunities, he will surely be given enough chances to prove himself.
Chelsea are undoubtedly one of the favourites to the lift the Premier League title this season and with due respect to the 23-year old, he is not yet at a level where he can play regularly for a title winning side. Costa is also a robust player who never gives up and he is a player who is hard to keep out of the games and though his game style is prone to injuries, he has hardly ever picked up any long term ones which will come handy for the Blues.
But that will mean that the Belgian striker will have to wait for his turn at the club this season. Conte might yet buy a superstar in the summer pegging Batshuayi even further down the order but they will probably be fighting on all 4 fronts, giving Batshuayi plenty of opportunities to stay at the top of his game. But at the moment, he should concentrate on trying to have an impact from the bench or whenever he is called upon by the manager in crunch games.
Do you think Batshuayi will be wasted at Chelsea?