By The Telegraph (World News) | Created at 2024-10-29 18:11:43 | Updated at 2024-10-31 01:31:10
6 days ago
These are strange times for Joao Felix. Once the great wonderkid of the European scene, he now finds himself as the maestro of Thursday night football who seemingly cannot get a game on weekends.
Chelsea’s trip to face Panathinaikos in the Uefa Conference League brought about only the third start of the season for Felix, the £45 million summer signing from Atletico Madrid. The previous two were against Gent, also in Europe, and Barrow in the League Cup.
Barrow, Gent, Panathinaikos. It would be safe to say that this is not the calibre of opponent that Felix expected to be playing at the age of 24, as he approaches his peak years as a footballer.
It would also be safe to say that he is far too gifted for this level. The Portugal international hardly moved out of second gear here but he still spun past his opponents, sprayed the ball around the pitch and left the field with two goals to his name.
Too good for the Conference League, but not good enough for the Premier League? That seems to be the current situation for Felix, for whom life is complicated by the brilliance of Cole Palmer. Felix and Palmer are both competing for the No 10 role in the league side (the ‘A team’, if you will), so Palmer’s class means that Felix currently must settle for a role in the ‘B team’.
Felix is a confident chap, as you might expect of a player who was signed by Atletico for £113 million at the age of 19, and he made it clear this week that he believes his time will come. “Nothing will stop me achieving my dreams,” he declared on Wednesday.
If Enzo Maresca’s system is to remain as it is, though, then it is hard to see how Felix can become a key player. Palmer is clearly Chelsea’s most important figure and the playmaking position is firmly within his grasp. It seems it would require a change in shape or a change in Felix’s position for him to become a regular starter in this team.
His versatility could be useful in that regard. Felix can play as a striker, a No 10 or a winger. In this game against Panathinaikos, he occasionally dropped into midfield and then occasionally pushed forward as a more advanced attacker. He can do both, when he gets the chance.
His first goal here, for example, was a fine striker’s finish, converted from close range after Mykhailo Mudryk had surged into space. Like Felix, Mudryk enjoyed an encouraging night in Athens, and the Ukrainian’s back-post header, from Pedro Neto’s cross, doubled Chelsea’s lead a few minutes after the break.
“We are working with Misha [Mudryk] and all the wingers to arrive in the box, into the position where he scored,” said Maresca. “He struggled to arrive there [earlier in the season] and now he is starting to arrive there. That is where we are going to score goals.
“We want the best for Misha. Since day one, we are trying to help Misha. Probably for him, he is one of the guys that the learning process is more slow compared to the rest but he is improving. I’m sure that slowly, slowly we will have Misha scoring more goals and being important for us.”
Felix’s second was also created by Mudryk, whose short pass allowed the Portuguese to shoot from range. With the help of a deflection off Nemanja Maksimovic, his effort spun into the corner.
Chelsea were predictably dominant in these stages, despite the annoyance of being targeted by laser pens from the stands. “Here in Greece, the laser belongs to the competition,” said Maresca. “It’s almost impossible to control with 60,000 people.”
Felix was involved in the fourth, too, as his cross forced a handball from Daniel Mancini in the penalty area. Christopher Nkunku converted from the spot.
By this point it was clear that the match was no longer a contest, but Panathinaikos were able to conjure a consolation goal for their home crowd. Facundo Pellistri, once of Manchester United, tapped in at the back post after Georgios Vagiannidis had surged down the right flank.
Match details
Panathinaikos (4-2-3-1): Dragowski 5; Kotsiras 5, Schenkeveld 5, Jedvaj 5, Mladenovic 5 (Vagiannidis 60); Maksimovic 5, Cerin 6; Mancini 5 (Tete 60), Ounahi 6 (Bakasetas 80), Pellistri 6 (Duricic 70); Jeremejeff 5 (Sporar 71)
Subs: Bregou, Dabizas, Fikaj, Ingason, Lilo, Lodygin, Arao
Booked: Mladenovic
Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Jorgensen 6; Disasi 7, Badiashile 6, Veiga 7, Cucurella 6; Fernandez 6 (Casadei 71), Dewsbury-Hall 6 (Chukwuemeka 77), Neto 7 (George 62), Felix 8, Mudryk 8; Nkunku 7 (Guiu 61)
Subs: Bergstrom, Sanchez, Madueke, Mheuka, Tosin, Rak-Sakyi, Sancho
Booked: Disasi
Referee: Antonio Nobre (POR)
