Will Estevao Willian start against Arsenal in the weekend? Maresca opens up

Enzo Maresca is doing his best to protect wonderkid Estevao Willian at Chelsea, however must be finding it incredibly difficult to continue to do so following his latest performance.

Estevao started on the right against Barcelona in the marquee tie of the group stages at Stamford Bridge, and found the net in fantastic fashion to put his side in a dominant position in the game.

Chelsea would go on to win 3-0, with Liam Delap chipping in with his first Champions League goal late on after coming on off the bench.
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Enzo Maresca unsure if Estevao Willian will start for Chelsea vs Arsenal

The Brazilian made it three goals in as many starts in the competition, with him finding more success starting games in Europe than he is in the Premier League.

So far, he has only started three league games for the Blues, and hasn’t featured from the start since the defeat against Brighton at Stamford Bridge.

The argument now is as strong as ever for the youngster to start their next game against Arsenal, however Maresca remains undecided as to whether he will hand him that responsibility on Sunday.

When asked by Amazon Prime, the boss simply replied: “We’ll see.”

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Pedro Neto keeping Estevao sidelined

Maresca decided to name Pedro Neto as the striker for the game against Barcelona, with the Blues looking to frequently get in behind the high line set by the Catalan side.

The Portugal international has enjoyed a really strong season with the youngster firmly on his heels, and he is currently clearly one of the boss’s favourite players in this side.
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There is certainly an argument that both could feature. Neto is very strong on the left-wing as well.

However, Alejandro Garnacho is now really finding his feet as a Chelsea player, and dropping him would also be a controversial call based on his recent performances.