Joao Félix‘s fall seems to have no end. It’s going downhill. Nobody trusts him. Neither his coach, Enzo Maresca, nor the Portugal coach, Robert Martínez. The Catalan barely gave him a chance in the two matches Nations League that the ‘quinas’ played in the last international break. Substitute and without participation in the Portuguese victory against Poland (1-3). Just two minutes into the tie against Scotland (0-0). The footballer seems to have fallen into apathy, with no desire to vindicate himself. Prisoner of apathy and with a performance not in line with the footballer who marveled at Benfica. And his cache collapses. From the 100 million that it was worth in its day, it has gone down to 30 ‘kilos’, and falling.
A price outside the market
Chelsea paid 52 million in the last summer marketat a price very far from its market value and in a transaction two-way game that brought Conor Gallagher to Atlético de Madrid. The change of scenery has not benefited him either. In London, a city where he already lived, it has not just taken off. Enzo Maresca does not trust him and his stay on the pitch is totally residual. A rotation almost forced by the accumulation of games in a hellish calendar. Added to all this is that ahead of him he has Cole Palmer, one of the fashionable players at the European level, and Jadon Sancho, who seems to recover the level he exhibited in his day in Dortmund.
Joao Félix had fun on the pitch in the duel against Ghent / AP
Another ‘banquilla’
Joao Félix was totally unprecedented against Liverpool in the ‘blue’ defeat at Anfield (2-1). Maresca did not resort to ‘Menino’, not even when things were going badly. In fact, so far in the Premier League, The Portuguese barely has 117 minutes of playcoming out in five games as a shock and remaining in two completely unprecedented.
The only stronghold that the ex-atlético and ex-azulgrana has found are the minor tournamentswhere he has managed to shine. In the Carabao Cup he started and scored in the rout of modest Barrow. He repeated in the eleven against Ghent in the Conference League in a convincing performance and in which he was very participatory. On Thursday you will have a new opportunity. Maresca will rotate and Joao will appear in Chelsea’s eleven in the always hot trip to the Panathinaikos field. Your performance could be worth it an opportunity at Premier… or ostracism.
