Chelsea

Image source, Getty Images

Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca, speaking to TNT Sports: "The red card changed the game. We know how difficult it is when we get a red card.

"We started well. With 10 changes... it's a very demanding season so we need to rotate because it's complicated for the ones who play all the games.

"We know when you concede a red card with 10 minutes to go it's OK but when it's more than an hour to play it's difficult for everyone.

"We trust a lot the younger players. The strategy of the club. Not only the ones we buy but the ones from the academy."

On Estevao: "Exciting to see him. The odd thing about Estevao is with young players you're worried they have one good game and think they're top. Estevao is polite, he's humble, he wants to learn. His family make a big job there. We're happy not only way with way he performs but he's a nice boy, a good boy.

"I think in the Premier League he needs a little more time. It's very similar to Cole Palmer. I had him same age with Manchester City's under-23s. Cole played wide and now he's inside. Now Estevao plays wide but in the future I think he's more of an inside player.

"We could have scored more goals - but we tried to manage the game. On Saturday we have Sunderland here. They're physically strong. We're happy. Every game is different."

Did you know?

• In Marc Guiu, Estevao Willian and Tyrique George, Chelsea became the first side in European Cup/Champions League history to see three different teenagers score for them in a single match.

• Estevao is the youngest player to score for Chelsea in the Champions League (18 years, 181 days). The Brazil international is also the third youngest penalty scorer in Champions League history, behind Bojan (18y 90d for Barcelona v Sporting in 2008) and Lamine Yamal (18y 100d for Barcelona v Olympiakos on Tuesday).

Nizaar Kinsella
Chelsea reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Ten players aged 21 or younger featured for Chelsea in this non-contest in west London.

Forwards Estevao Willian, Marc Guiu and Tyrique George will all remember scoring their first Champions League goal while Reggie Walsh's record as the youngest player to play in the competition, having just turned 17 on Monday, could stand for some time after taking it from now-Tottenham striker Dominic Solanke.

Enzo Maresca's use of his players, with Josh Acheampong, Jorrel Hato, Romeo Lavia, Jamie Gittens and Facundo Buonanotte also being either 21 or younger, will have delighted the hierarchy at Stamford Bridge.

The only surprise was not seeing 16-year-old winger Ryan Kavuma-McQueen make his debut having made a senior matchday squad for the first time.

Chelsea have not used a player over 30 since the beginning of last season.

And this team selection and outing will have delighted the sporting directors and owners, who entered the dressing room again after the match, just as they do after every game regardless of the result.

They have purposely built the youngest team in the Premier League, which is also among the youngest in Europe's top five leagues, with a view to seeing them grow together and someday challenge for major honours.

It is a model akin to the one that Ajax, one of the great talent factories in European football, have been famed for.

However, the Amsterdam club look in disarray and are a shell of Erik ten Hag's team that drew 4-4 at Stamford Bridge with nine men in 2019, with their best academy product, Hato, having been poached by the Blues in the summer.

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

What did you make of Chelsea's display?

Come back to this page on Thursday to find a selection of your replies

Chelsea make 10 changes for Ajax's visit to Stamford Bridge, including the recall of Enzo Fernandez and Wesley Fofana as they return from injury.

The only Blues player to retain his place from the 3-0 win at Nottingham Forest is Romeo Lavia, who played just 45 minutes at the City Ground.

Meanwhile, a struggling Ajax team includes Liverpool loanee James McConnell.

Chelsea XI: Jorgensen, Caicedo, Fofana, Adarabioyo, Hato, Lavia, Fernandez, Estevao, Buonanotte, Gittens, Guiu.

Ajax XI: Pasveer, Lucas Rosa, Ikatura, Moro, Taylor, Gloukh, Godts, Baas, McConnell, Weghorst, Sutalo.

There are nine games in the Champions League, three of them involving Premier League teams, on Wednesday and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.

• Athletic Club v Qarabag (17:45)

• Galatasaray v Bodo/Glimt (17:45)

• Atalanta v Slavia Prague

• Bayern Munich v Club Brugge

• Chelsea v Ajax - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Eintracht Frankfurt v Liverpool

• Monaco v Tottenham

• Real Madrid v Juventus

• Sporting v Marseille

Kick-off times 20:00 BST unless stated

Follow all of the action and reaction here

You can also listen to 5 Live commentaries on most smart speakers. Just say "ask BBC Sounds to play Chelsea v Ajax".

Find out more about how to listen to football on BBC Sounds

Watch highlights of every Champions League game from 22:00 on Wednesday on BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website and app.

There will also be a Champions League Match of the Day on BBC One on Wednesday, from 22:40 to 00:00.

Paul Birch
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

When Ajax face Chelsea in the Champions League on Wednesday, they will be aiming to address their shocking form against English sides. The Dutch giants have failed to win any of their past 11 European encounters (drawn two, lost nine).

This poor run was kick-started by their dramatic 3-2 loss to Tottenham in the second leg of the 2019 Champions League semi-finals. It also includes two matches against Chelsea in the 2019-20 Champions League group stage that ended 1-0 to the Blues in Amsterdam, before a 4-4 draw at Stamford Bridge.

They have failed to score a goal in any of their past five fixtures versus English clubs, since Mohammed Kudus netted against Liverpool in September 2022 - a game they lost 2-1.

John Heitinga's side go into this game on a five-game losing streak in Europe, having lost three Europa League games last season and against Inter Milan and Marseille in the opening two games of this campaign's Champions League - both without scoring a goal.

They last lost six in a row in Europe between April 1988 and September 1989.

Nizaar Kinsella
Chelsea reporter

Trevoh Chalobah's place at Chelsea has been the subject of several questions sent in via our 'Ask about Chelsea' form this week, given the club's reported willingness to sell him over the past two summers and the emergence of Josh Acheampong.

Chalobah is highly respected internally at Chelsea despite previous attempts to sell him.

There was much less of a push to offload him this summer, albeit with a clear message that he must not expect to be an automatic starter this season.

However, Chalobah continues to play a prominent role and has backed himself to keep convincing the hierarchy at Stamford Bridge that he is capable of making the grade.

In my view, and from what I have heard over the past few months, Chalobah still sits on the cusp of make or break and is continually fighting to avoid being a PSR asset who is sold.

It must be said, the wider context is that Chelsea could well sell any player at any given moment for the right price - aside from a few untouchables like Cole Palmer or Moises Caicedo - given the aggression at which the club pursues both the buying and selling of young players.

Acheampong is highly rated and Strasbourg loanee Mamadou Sarr is on the Golden Boy list, highlighting the precarity of poor form for Chelsea's current centre-backs - the Blues have players ready to take their place.

Ask Me Anything is a service dedicated to answering your questions.

We want to reward your time by telling you things you do not know and reminding you of things you do.

Find out more here

Nizaar Kinsella
Chelsea reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Chelsea have registered 33 academy players - including legendary defender Thiago Silva's son Isago - for the upcoming match at home to Ajax.

The host of players aged between 16 and 19 have been added to an unlimited B list, which is fully within Uefa's rules.

Sources at Stamford Bridge say the abnormal move has been made for administrative reasons.

It will allow Chelsea to call upon youngsters for the Champions League league phase as and when they choose instead of needing to make the changes before each match.

The B list players from the academy are as follows:

Goalkeepers: Ted Curd, Max Merrick, Jack Austin, Hudson Sands, Toby Bell.

Defenders: Genesis Antwi, Richard Olise, Harrison Murray-Campbell, Kobe Barbour, Harry McGlinchey, Kaiden Wilson, Olutayo Subuloye, Joseph Wheeler-Henry, Calvin Diakite, Isago Silva, Lewi Richards, Dante Waite.

Midfielders: Samuel Rak-Sakyi, Jimi Tauriainen, Reggie Walsh, Harrison McMahon, Leo Cardoso, Landon Emenalo, Sol Gordon, Ollie Harrison, Yahua Idrissi, Frankie Runham, Shaun Wade, Charles Holland, Ibrahim Rabbaj.

Forwards: Ato Ampah, Shim Mheuka, Chizaram Ezenwata, Ryan Kavuma-McQueen, Joel Vidal Philbert.

Image source, Getty Images

Ajax manager John Heitinga says Jorrel Hato "hardly plays" for the Blues and this "says a lot about the strength of this Chelsea".

Hato became Ajax's youngest captain when he led the team out against AEK Athens in the Europa League aged 17 in December 2023 and made the move to Stamford Bridge for £37m this summer.

However, the now 19-year-old has only started twice in the Premier League so far and is yet to feature in their opening two Champions League matches. He will hope that changes when his former side visit west London on Wednesday.

"They have a lot of quality in every position," Heitinga said.

"To name one example, Jorrel Hato was one of our best players at Ajax. He is bought by Chelsea. He is sitting here on the bench. He hardly plays.

"That says a lot about this Chelsea, about the quality, because Jorrel is a difference maker for us.

"Of course, he needs the time. Just like with us. The guys we have attracted - you have to give them the time. But if a player is bought for so much money and hardly plays here, that says a lot about the strength of this Chelsea."

Asked about legendary Ajax figure Johan Cruyff's famous quote that he has "never seen a bag of money score", Heitinga said: "I've never seen a bag of money score but I think Chelsea have spent a lot of money in recent years.

"We play against teams that are stronger than us but it's about how we get on the pitch [on Wednesday]. And that doesn't matter, it can go either way.

"We've seen [those] results in the last two rounds in the Champions League. It's one game."

Nizaar Kinsella
Chelsea reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Eyebrows were raised when Mahdi Nicoll-Jazuli became the youngest player to start a Uefa Youth League match for Chelsea last month.

The midfielder is yet to finish secondary school and does not turn 16 until January, yet he is playing in Europe's elite youth competition, lining up for Chelsea's under-21s and has faced men the same age as his father in the EFL Trophy.

This is down to both Nicoll-Jazuli's talent and the academy's strategy of giving chances to younger players, with Chelsea's first team currently the joint youngest in the Premier League.

But who is Nicoll-Jazuli? He was born in Sydney to an Australian mother, while his father hails from a region around the Chad-Sudan border.

He is playing up an age group with England Under-17s but could also be eligible to play for France, highlighting a potential future international tussle.

Nicoll-Jazuli's football journey began at Afewee Training Centre, located in Brixton Recreation Centre in south London. He was quickly spotted by Chelsea, Arsenal and Crystal Palace, but opted to join the Blues as a six-year-old, with his younger brother also now at the club.

Previously a reluctant centre-back, Nicoll-Jazuli moved into midfield in the under-13s and has since proved capable of playing as a number six, number eight or number 10 in midfield.

Personality-wise, Nicoll-Jazuli is said to be friendly, confident, energetic and chatty, while part of his success has been down to doing extra running in the Blackheath area.

His involvement in first-team training before the match against Ajax in the Champions League highlights how highly rated he is.

It also raises the question of whether he could make his debut this season - and if Nicoll-Jazuli makes his senior debut before May, he could become Chelsea's youngest ever player.

Image source, Getty Images

We asked for your views on whether Josh Acheampong's can establish himself as first choice at Chelsea after our fan writer Will Faulks described the 19-year-old as "the perfect modern defender".

Here are some of your comments:

Alex: I remember having question marks over Josh in the first game against Palace as Mateta's physicality in the first half of that game isolated him a few times, but honestly can't remember seeing too many mistakes since - something I can't say for the rest of our centre-backs this season.

Freddie: I think he has to start and keep starting. His composure on the ball is great and he can drive the ball forward just as Colwill did. Plus, its another sign that we give academy products a route to the first team which will be invaluable for the future. Him and Colwill (once he's back) will be a defensive partnership to be feared!

Stuart: Acheampong has all the attributes to develop into a top-class centre back. The concern is that we seem to regard academy players as expendable due to their "pure profit" status for PSR - hence selling Gallagher last year and attempting to sell Chalobah and George this summer. Hopefully I'm proven wrong, it'd be great to see Colwill and Acheampong anchor our defence for years to come.

William: Yes he is the next Virgil van Dijk. Give him a decent run and he will be an England regular.

Nick: Josh Acheampong's class and ability were obvious from the first time he played at Chelsea and I firmly believe he will be an England regular within a couple of years. He'll need to gain more experience this season, so the World Cup will come too soon, but he is the ideal successor to John Stones as England's right-sided centre-back - alongside Marc Guehi and with Reece James next to him at right back. The sky is the limit for Josh.

Nizaar Kinsella
Chelsea reporter at Stamford Bridge

Image source, Getty Images

There is no doubt the underlying interest was around indiscipline and the response at Chelsea's news conference against Ajax was clear.

Both Enzo Maresca and Chelsea's oldest player, Tosin Adarabiayo, batted away concerns about the accumulation of four red cards in four consecutive matches.

The Blues already had a poor record of red and yellow cards but it has got worse lately.

Yet the two figures talking before the Champions League league phase match denied any concerns.

Maresca says he prefers not to discipline players for being sent off, but Tosin acknowledged there is a player-led fine system in place.

With a smile, the defender also declined to comment on how much fine money is in the kitty for the upcoming Christmas party after the recent spate of red cards.

Image source, Getty Images

Tosin Adarabioyo says he is trying to support 19-year-old team-mate Josh Acheampong in the same way Vincent Kompany did for him as a youngster at Manchester City.

After coming through the youth system at City and graduating to the first team in the latter years of legendary captain Kompany's career at the club, Tosin spent four years at Fulham and, at 28, is an elder statesman within the youthful Chelsea squad.

In fact, he is the only player aged 28 or over to be used by Enzo Maresca while head coach of the club.

"Whenever I know he's going to be on the pitch I try to give him every support possible," Tosin said of Acheampong.

"Every single day I'm on to him to try to make sure he's doing the right things.

"When I was his age I had people like Vincent Kompany doing the same for me. It's very important to have somebody older than you and performing at a higher level than you to support you in any way possible.

"We can all see Josh's qualities. His qualities on the ball, especially when he's driving with the ball, are unmatched. He's the best at it and he just needs to continue working in the same way, keeping that confidence. In time, he's going to be a great player for us."

Despite only featuring as a late substitute at the City Ground on Saturday, Tosin was a vocal presence on the sideline as Acheampong scored his first senior goal against Nottingham Forest.

"Even when I'm on the side of the pitch I'm always trying to help," he added. The most important thing is getting the three points so any details I can give to the boys off the pitch is very important.

"It's part of my leadership role within the team. I do the same when I'm on the pitch and will continue to do the same off it.

"I feel my age, I feel 28. I think 28 is a great age to start kicking on and doing great things.

"As long as you play at a high level and perform well, I don't think your age matters. If you are a young player - like Josh, aged 19 - performing at the weekend you can come and play for this club."

Can Acheampong establish himself as first choice at Stamford Bridge?

Tell us here

Nat Hayward
BBC Sport journalist

Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca has been speaking to the media before Wednesday's Champions League game against Ajax at Stamford Bridge (20:00 BST).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Maresca began by confirming Enzo Fernandez trained yesterday and is in contention to play on Wednesday: "We have one more session this afternoon and we will decide with him tomorrow. It is not something we have to be worried about. It's to try and protect Enzo."

• He also provided an update on Liam Delap's fitness: "Liam is very close. He is not working with us yet. He is still out. Hopefully in the next days he can start training with us."

• On adapting without multiple injured players: "It's difficult, especially because most of the injuries we had were one or two days before the game. We are trying to adapt. It's complicated because sometimes you plan for some players to play one week, but then you need that player because of another injury."

• On his side's run of red cards: "For sure, it's something we can do better. Some of the red cards, we can avoid that. Personally, I'm not that kind of manager to punish players. In my view, I don't think it is the right way to do things. I prefer to help them understand and then do the right things. It depends. They are different kinds of red cards."

• Asked about his comments around a year ago asking for more leadership from captain Reece James, Maresca said: "It's much better compared to one year ago. I think Reece has improved a lot. We are very happy with Reece."

• On 19-year-old defender Josh Acheampong: "We are very happy with Josh since last season. When you are 18, 19 there are many thing you can do better. Josh is hard worker, humble for sure and wants to learn. He can be a better player in the future."

• On Ajax, who have lost their opening two Champions League fixtures: "They always try to play their football. For sure, it will be a difficult game. They are a club that have won this competition in the past. They want to prove to everyone that they can come here and beat us. We are going to try and do exactly the same."

Follow all of Tuesday's European news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

Listen to live commentary of Chelsea v Ajax from 20:00 on Wednesday on BBC Sounds

Will Faulks
Fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

It is a great day to talk about Josh Acheampong.

The defender has been highly rated at Chelsea for years, but his appearances so far have largely been limited to the youth teams and to the Conference League last season, where he made his senior breakthrough.

But a start, and the opening goal against Nottingham Forest at the weekend have brought him to the attention of a broader audience, and his renown is only going to grow if he continues to perform at such a high level.

He is a perfect modern defender - technical, athletic, versatile and intelligent. The Chelsea academy has a well-earned reputation for producing quality players, but it is in defence that they excel in particular.

Why were the Blues not keen to replace (academy product) Levi Colwill with (academy product) Marc Guehi when the former picked up an injury in the summer?

Largely because they had (academy product) Acheampong waiting in the wings. On Saturday, he put in a great showing alongside (academy product) Trevoh Chalobah at the back.

Questioned in the past about when the young defender will get more first-team chances, Enzo Maresca has pointed out Acheampong is already more than just an emergency option. He played in league games last year when senior defenders were available, and it was the same story on Saturday. He started while Tosin Adarabioyo sat on the bench.

The question now is what Acheampong needs to do to become truly first choice for Maresca. Colwill will likely miss the whole season, Benoit Badiashile is out injured again and Wesley Fofana's status is always in question.

The 19-year-old has a superb chance over the next few weeks to continue proving he should be starting even when everyone around him is fit.

On the evidence of what we have seen in his young career so far, we back him to take it.

Find more from Will Faulks at Chelsea News, external

Do you agree with Will on Acheampong's future?

How can he establish himself as first choice at Stamford Bridge?

Tell us here

Nizaar Kinsella
Chelsea reporter at Stamford Bridge

Image source, Getty Images

Chelsea are trying to build enough 'escape velocity' to see off problems related to injury, form, and a high workload caused by the Club World Cup in the summer.

Escape velocity, in space exploration and astronomy, is the momentum needed to propel an object away from a gravitational centre - like a planet.

In this case, those aforementioned problems were apparent despite Chelsea's 3-0 win at Nottingham Forest on Saturday – an even match that the Blues won through superior finishing rather than brilliant all-round play.

Dutch giants Ajax, in their current guise, are very beatable, and a win would be Chelsea's fourth in a row across all competitions, putting them in a strong position in the Champions League.

That would nicely tee up a busy period of six games in 18 days from the end of October to the mid-November international break.

After that, Maresca would hope the likes of Cole Palmer and Liam Delap return from injury, with Benoit Badiashile also out until December and Levi Colwill out for most of the season after knee surgery.

Leading into Maresca's press conference on Tuesday, key themes might be:

• Enzo Fernandez's fitness,

• The importance of Reece James,

• The emergency of Josh Acheampong,

• And Jorrel Hato facing his former club.

Nizaar Kinsella
Chelsea reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Historically, Chelsea's disciplinary problems have been poor under the current ownership. They break records for yellow cards and they are bottom of the combined Fair Play table since 2022-23.

In 2022-23, Chelsea accumulated 86 points in the Fair Play table (the sixth most in the Premier League) and in 2023-24 they had 117 under former manager Mauricio Pochettino, including a Premier League record 105 yellow cards.

That was followed by a 106-point season under Enzo Maresca to finish second-bottom in the table.

A total of 301 yellow cards is the most in the Premier League over three years.

Meanwhile, 12 red cards place Chelsea second behind Wolves (13) over the same period.

Under Maresca, Chelsea are a team that look to control games through possession and clever pressing, but it is notable to break down what the Blues have received bookings for since 2022-23:

• Tactical fouls: 89 (highest in the Premier League)

• Reckless offences: 89 (second, behind Crystal Palace)

• Dissent/arguments: 67 (highest)

• Time-wasting: 38 (second, behind Aston Villa)

• Diving: Seven (highest)

• Excessive celebration: Four

A total of 113 of their 301 yellow cards have come in the final 15 minutes of matches.

In that time, Chelsea have had 15 cards for dissent (fourth most), 10 for arguments (joint third most) and two for simulation (joint most).

The trend of yellow cards - 2.8 per game under Pochettino and 2.6 under Maresca - highlights that it could be more than a tactical issue and may be linked to how a youthful squad built under Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital handle their emotions.

The average age of the Chelsea squad is just over 24 and, on Saturday, Maresca named the youngest XI in the Premier League so far this season.

The question now is whether the Italian can resolve the issue.

His low-hanging fruit would be to ensure his players get fewer bookings for dissent and poor behaviour on the pitch.

It may take Chelsea simply becoming a better team to avoid receiving bookings for reckless offences and tactical fouls, while the squad may naturally mature over time as they build their experience together.

Read more on whether Chelsea have a discipline problem

We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's Premier League game between Nottingham Forest and Chelsea.

Here are some of your comments:

Hecksy: We look a better team when playing on the front foot, and have so many attacking players, yet still we play with the handbrake on. I understand you can't be gung-ho for 90 minutes, but we just keep on gifting chances when doing this, especially when playing out from the back. Lucky not to be punished in the first half. Still, three points and a clean sheet.

James: Good performance against a struggling side. However, what can't be overlooked is the lack of discipline. While on this occasion it wasn't costly, that is not always going to be the case. Thought Reece James was excellent - hopefully he can stay fit and get a good run of games.

Jack: We're fast becoming Second Half FC. It is great that Enzo Maresca is able to make tactical changes at half-time and tweak things, but frustrating that the first halves are quite often really shaky. Would be nice to play 90 consistent minutes. A boy can dream.

Martin: Nice to get the three points but still not very convincing. Any other team could have beaten us in the first half. They definitely need to get this discipline sorted. We can't afford any more red cards - it will cost us more games.

Nick: Happy with the result, but if we give better teams than Forest that many chances we will come unstuck - and the lack of discipline is becoming a real issue.