“Perfect for our system” – Enzo Maresca gives the highest possible praise to debutant | OneFootball

Chelsea had a fairly routine 4-1 win over Djurgarden tonight in the Conference League semi final, but there was a lot to like beyond the result.

Enzo Fernandez gave a superb performance, and Nicolas Jackson scored two to continue his sudden return to form after a long drought.

Academy debut for Walsh brings smiles all round

Reggie Walsh playing in the FA Youth Cup. (Photo by Bryn Lennon/Getty Images)

But by the far the most beautiful moment for many fans was the debut for 16 year old Reggie Walsh from the academy. Enzo Maresca brought him on with 10 minutes to go, making him the 3rd youngest player to play for the club ever.

Speaking after the game, Maresca had some really encouraging words for the young midfielder:

“I felt excited to give him a chance. He’s suited to our style. We’re happy. He’s the eighth debut from the Academy. He is perfect for our system, but of course he’s also young so we need to protect him. I just told him to enjoy the experience before he came on.”

There’s something lovely about the way he says he’s “perfect for our system,” that’s a real compliment coming from someone who is very concerned with their system in general.

Maresca let down by one area of Blues’ performance

Maresca was pretty pleased with the performance overall, but had some reservations about what his side could have done better:

“We’re very happy with the result and performance. It’s a European semi-final, so very important,” the manager said.

“We planned the game to play one way, and a different way in the second half. It was a good performance despite dropping a bit in the final 15. We had a 3-0 lead against Legia and then struggled, and now we need to make sure we finish the job at home.”