
Chelsea’s goalless draw against Everton on Sunday raised eyebrows, not just for the result but for Enzo Maresca’s reluctance to use his star-studded bench.
Among the unused substitutes was Joao Felix, wrapped in a windbreaker coat, watching on as the Blues searched for a late spark at Goodison Park.
Despite naming a bench worth £184 million—including academy graduates Tyrique George and Josh Acheampong—Maresca only introduced two players in the final stages of the match. Noni Madueke and Christopher Nkunku replaced Pedro Neto and Nicolas Jackson in the 76th minute, leaving Felix, Cesare Casadei, Renato Veiga, and Marc Guiu—who had scored a hat-trick just days earlier—unused.
For Joao Felix, a £42 million signing from Atletico Madrid, the lack of game time is becoming an increasingly worrying trend. His limited role under Maresca could signal a bleak future at Stamford Bridge, despite the team’s need for creative solutions during matches like Sunday’s stalemate.
Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher had already questioned Felix’s signing back in August, expressing doubts about where the Portuguese star would fit in Chelsea’s overcrowded squad.
“You have bought Joao Felix, right? Tell me where he is going to play,” Carragher said on Sky Sports.
“They signed Neto a week ago. Where is he going to play when you have already got Cole Palmer? Where would you play Enzo Fernandez (if Felix, Neto, and Palmer played together)? Where would you play Nkunku?”
Maresca seems to be grappling with these very dilemmas week in, week out. For now, the UEFA Conference League appears to offer the clearest path to regular minutes for Felix and others struggling to break into Chelsea’s Premier League XI.