Chelsea’s loss to Brighton in FA Cup showed key player may need to leave, he doesn’t suit Enzo Maresca at all
https://www.thechelseachronicle.com/columnist/chelseas-loss-to-brighton-in-fa-cup-showed-key-player-may-need-to-leave-he-doesnt-suit-enzo-maresca-at-all/
Chelsea cannot blame resting all of their key players for why they exited the FA Cup at the fourth round stage last night.
The Blues were beaten 2-1 by Brighton at the Amex, with the comical own goal that was handed to them just five minutes in being the sole bright spot.
There were no real clear-cut chances for Chelsea, even when they were chasing the game and introduced the likes of Enzo Fernandez and Noni Madueke off the bench.
Very few players did well in The Chelsea Chronicle’s player ratings for the defeat, and one of those who did not score highly is Malo Gusto.
Malo Gusto may need to leave Chelsea as he doesn’t suit Enzo Maresca’s system
The Frenchman has been a key player for the Blues since he became a first team player in the summer of 2023. The injury woes for Reece James have seen him have to step up as a regular.
The club captain was absent from the squad last night, however Enzo Maresca cleared up that James was not expected to be missing for the next game.
At times this season, Gusto has been asked to invert into midfield to suit the system that the new manager wants to play, and it is clear that this has not been a seamless transition.
In fact, it seems realistic at this point to think the 21-year-old could soon be on the chopping block if the club believe Maresca is the man to carry the project forwards.
It is incredible to think this opinion can even surface, given just how important he was to the squad last season.
Cole Palmer voted Gusto as his Chelsea player of the season for 2023/24, and it looked as if he was in for a very successful career in West London.
Gusto’s terrible stats from Chelsea’s loss to Brighton
Given that Chelsea operated in a more traditional back four last night, it could be expected that Gusto could be back to his best in a Chelsea shirt.
However, the Frenchman really struggled up against Kaoru Mitoma and even Tariq Lamptey, losing the most duels of any player in the match.
Even if James is not fit, Chelsea have the option of starting Josh Acheampong in that position after he was promoted to the first team earlier this season and signed a long-term contract with the club.
Given he can shift into midfield or a back three far easier, this could spell bad news for Gusto’s future at Stamford Bridge.
