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With Qarabag having been coached by Gurban Gurbanov since August 2008, Enzo Maresca and his Chelsea colleagues had a huge back catalogue of games to analyse before tonight's Champions League clash with the Azerbaijani side.
That isn't quite the case when it comes to the visit of Wolves in the Premier League this Saturday.
With no replacement having been named for Vitor Pereira, Chelsea’s analysts are having to study their opponents' Under 21s and Under 18s sides for clues as to how they will set up tactically at Stamford Bridge, including their approach to set-pieces.
That is because James Collins and Richard Walker, the head coaches of Wolves’ 21s and 18s respectively, are filling in as caretakers of the senior side. Chelsea are now working under the assumption that Collins and Walker will remain in charge this weekend.
Chelsea faced Collins’ youngsters in a Premier League 2 play-off in April. Before that clash, Collins said of the Blues: ‘They’re a strong team, they keep possession well, they threaten in behind a lot, and we will come up with a plan for how we’ll counteract that. We think we’ve got a fighting chance.’
Wolves played a 5-4-1 and Chelsea won 4-0 with goals from Samuel Rak-Sakyi, Harrison Murray-Campbell, Donnell McNeilly and Ryan Kavuma-McQueen.
Enzo Maresca's preparations for Chelsea's clash with Wolves on Saturday have been made harder by the dismissal of Vitor Pereira
Joao Pedro, seen here scoring the winner at Tottenham last weekend, will be hoping for more goals at Stamford Bridge against managerless opponents
Story behind referee gaffe
Speaking of the Qarabag game, last week an Austrian news website called Laola1 reported an exclusive story that Sebastian Gishamer would be the referee in Baku.
They explained they had learned of his appointment after someone senior in the refereeing department of the Austrian FA sent an email to 100 or so people celebrating the fact one of their own had been selected for a Champions League game.
It was supposed to remain confidential, according to the write-up, but clearly did not. UEFA have now officially confirmed that Gishamer will indeed referee tonight’s clash.
Long-serving Blues scout steps down
Chelsea scout Ed Marsh has decided to leave the club after 11 years.
Marsh's title was UK north coordinator. His brother, Josh, is loans and pathways manager at the Blues after arriving last year from Swansea, where he was head of football operations.
Maresca set for a share?
The Chelsea Pitch Owners - who own the freehold of Stamford Bridge - have a nice tradition of giving a share to the club’s manager.
After the last two head coaches left soon after they were gifted theirs, you can understand why Maresca is being allowed a little more time, though I hear it may be discussed at the CPO’s next board meeting.
Boss Maresca could be in line for a classy present from the Chelsea Pitch Owners
Blues calendar boo-boo
I have a friend with a Manchester United club calendar at home. While we will try our best not to hold that against her, she is in for an amusing end to 2025.
Alejandro Garnacho was Mr October, and he joined Chelsea in the summer for £40million. Kobbie Mainoo is Mr November, and his one and only start this season came in the Carabao Cup exit to Grimsby in August. Rasmus Hojlund is Mr December, and he is now on loan at Napoli.
It is a thankless task trying to predict the footballing future when picking these players, and you can imagine the meetings upon meetings which are held when making those selections.
Chelsea’s 2025 edition isn’t much better than United’s. That had Christopher Nkunku (now with AC Milan) for October, Noni Madueke (now with Arsenal) for November, and Nicolas Jackson (now with Bayern Munich) and Benoit Badiashile (still at Chelsea) for December as a duo.
You can still buy that calendar on Chelsea’s official club shop, in the clearance for £6.59.
Nicolas Jackson left Chelsea for Bayern Munich in the summer - but that hasn't stopped him being the Blues' Mr December!
Chelsea’s VAR booth plan
While we await word on the future of Stamford Bridge, Chelsea are awaiting their own answer from Hammersmith and Fulham Council after requesting planning permission to erect a cabin for housing VAR facilities on matchdays to the north of the Matthew Harding Stand.
The 9ft by 24ft unit, finished in a ‘Chelsea blue’ vinyl wrap, would be an upgrade on the current unsatisfactory set-up which sees VAR equipment stored in vans outside for every match.
It would bring Chelsea’s stadium in line with other Premier League grounds.
Delap keeps schtum on seeing red
Liam Delap apologised to his Chelsea team-mates immediately after his silly two yellow cards at Wolves last week, but not to the supporters, partly because he isn’t active on Twitter.
There are fake accounts set up in Delap’s name and one of those parodies fooled multiple national newspapers into quoting him as saying: ‘I take full responsibility for my actions. I will behave next time.’
Delap didn't actually say that, but I don’t mind the silence. I prefer that to the feigned apologies penned by the PR reps of players. They are rife in football.
It would be better for Delap to make it up to fans on the pitch.
Liam Delap is confronted after his reckless red card at Wolves in the Carabao Cup last week
Delap (right), seen here in training this week, has had a challenging start to life at Chelsea thanks to injury and suspension
Cole Palmer sports Chelsea's new commemorative poppy shirt, which will raise money for the Royal British Legion
Chelsea clarify poppy shirt confusion
Chelsea have confirmed to their Supporters’ Trust that they will not be profiting from the sale of their £80 commemorative poppy shirts, of which £15 will go to the Royal British Legion, after the CST contacted them for clarification.
The Blues themselves were never going to profit from those sales at any point. The reason for the £65 difference lies within the supply chain.
Maresca gives himself a red card!
Confidential was at Chelsea’s training session at Cobham on Tuesday when Maresca arrived a little later than everyone else. While walking by, he told us that he was giving himself a red card for his tardiness, as if the Blues needed another one of those!
How '£100m' Estevao is settling in
Estevao Willian is making himself much more at home in London. For starters, I've heard the Brazilian, 18, is no longer living the hotel life as he has moved into a house with his family, including his parents, Ivo and Hetiene, and younger sister Esther.
He is continuing to learn English also, helped by his Brazil boss Carlo Ancelotti conversing with him in the language. Maresca speaks to him in English, too, but if he senses he has not understood his instructions, Chelsea’s head coach will switch to Spanish.
Estevao has been valued at more than 100 million euros by the CIES Football Observatory
Meanwhile, the CIES Football Observatory have used their statistical model to present the players who have not yet turned 20 years old with the highest transfer values in world football. Only in two cases does the estimate exceed £100million with add-ons and for 100 per cent of rights.
Given Chelsea's youthful strategy, it is good news for them that they have two starlets within the top 10. One is Estevao Willian, and the other is Geovany Quenda, the Sporting CP winger who they will be signing next summer for a pre-agreed £44m.
1 – Lamine Yamal, Barcelona – £308m
2 – Estevao Willian, Chelsea – £103.9m
3 – Pau Cubarsi, Barcelona – £99.2m
4 – Franco Mastantuono, Real Madrid – £90.1m
5 – Warren Zaire-Emery, PSG – £81.2m
6 – Ethan Nwaneri, Arsenal – £77.5m
7 – Myles Lewis-Skelly, Arsenal – £74.6m
8 – Geovany Quenda, Sporting CP (joins Chelsea next summer) – £70.6m
9 – Endrick, Real Madrid – £64.4m
10 – Lucas Bergvall, Tottenham – £59.9m
