Chelsea FC: 4 Reasons We Will See Josh McEachran Very Soon

When Andre Villas-Boas came to Chelsea in June, he had no intention of gutting and renovating the current squad. He felt very comfortable with the players he had, and spent a majority of his time and transfer money building a team for the future around the young talent he already had.

Players like Gael Kakuta and Daniel Sturridge had begun to prove themselves last season. on loan to Fulham and Bolton respectively. But one youngster stayed and made a name for himself at Stamford Bridge.

Josh McEachran is the first promising product that was raised in Abramovich’s revamped youth academy. He featured 17 times in his first season, where he spent consistent time with the senior team. In those appearances he showed his inexperience, but also great potential.

This past preseason, Villas-Boas gave him every opportunity to shine, and shine he did. He would feature in all seven games and play better in each, even netting a goal. The club, the coach and the fans all seemed keen on the midfielder, and are excited to see him more often.

However, since those exhibition matches, McEachran has yet to find himself playing time. He has been included on all three game day rosters, but would finish each match as an unused substitute. As Chelsea continue to struggle to play up to their potential, fans have begun to call for the 18-year-old to see some action.

Here are four reasons why we could see him playing very soon.

Lack of an Offensive Midfield

Going into the season the concern at Chelsea was on the defensive side of the midfield.

With Michael Essien being ruled out until January, John Obi Mikel being inconsistent at best, and Ramires not quite the holder of the ball you would like, it appeared that it would be a real point of weakness opponents could exploit. But that is why the game is not played on paper.

Mikel and Ramires have been exceptional in their midfield roles. Mikel has been playing with the same reliability you would expect out of Essien with his sure tackles and crisp passes.

Ramires has been by far the best player in each of the first three games, winning 50/50 balls and replacing that box-to-box play Essien had been made famous for. With the purchase of Raul Meireles, the position is now looking to be one of their strongest points.

However, the opposite end of the midfield, the offensive attack, is looking much thinner. Frank Lampard has done an excellent job as usual in the role, leading the league in chances created (14). But the loaning of Yossi Benayoun to Arsenal has left McEachran as the only natural center attacking midfielder on the roster.

Juan Mata, Florent Malouda and Meireles are all capable of filling in in a pinch, but they all are better suited elsewhere. Lampard at his advanced age will need some rest sooner or later, especially with Euro qualifiers going on, and him fighting for a place on the English team.

McEachran would be the best choice to replace him.

The Future of Chelsea

Villas-Boas’ transfers this offseason were obviously looking toward the future of the club. Four of the six players he brought in are under the age of 19, and will most likely not feature too much this year. Same goes to the many other youngsters on the roster that featured this preseason.

He has already loaned out Thibaut Courtois, Patrick van Aanholt, Ulises Davila, Jeffery Bruma, Tamas Kalas and Gael Kakuta. Of the U-21 players still at the club, Romelu Lukaku has already gotten a few minutes of playing time where he impressed.

Oriol Romeu and McEachran have been the two left out.

But unlike Romeu, McEachran has been on the bench for every game. It is apparent that Villas-Boas is excited about the player, and thinks he has what it takes to play at this level. If not he would opt for someone else to suit up or rotate the bench.

With all the players above getting playing time, they have begun to develop their game further. By not playing McEcharan, there is a real chance of stunting his growth and putting him behind his teammates.

He is the pride of the modern Chelsea youth academy and it would not only be a shame, but an embarrassment, if all of these other purchased players became more important for the club in the future.

If Villas-Boas really believes that he will be around for when all the youngsters come to fruition, he needs to make sure they all develop at the same rate. McEachran needs to get on the field soon and show the promise that he has.

Future of England

OK so maybe this is a team owned by a Russian, chaired by an American, and managed by a Portuguese but it still is an English team supported mainly by English fans.

Those fans generally have allegiance to country over club, and want nothing more than their Three Lions to regain the glory they once had. With the Euros next summer it presents an opportunity to do so, but the odds are stacked against the fledging senior squad.

However, just after that the Olympics begin in London. The U-21 team that will be competing there is full of some great young talent, including McEachran. It may not be the highest of honors, but a gold medal on home soil would prove to the rest of the world that England is on the road back to being an elite power.

McEachran has been a consistent part of the U-21 squad through their Euro 2011 qualifications.  But if playing time at Chelsea remains minimal, he can be in trouble of losing that place. There is nothing quite like winning an international tournament on your home soil. It would do wonders for his game, his confidence and the people’s confidence in him.

From the standpoint of an English Chelsea supporter this could really be concerning. He has been touted as the next Lampard for the Three Lions. His vision, passing and ability to sneak in behind defenses make him a unique talent that would be a shame to waste.

Villas-Boas is worried much more about Chelsea than the English national team, and rightfully so. But he must be aware that the reason Lampard, Terry and Cole have been such consistent  and loved figures at Stamford Bridge has been as much about the citizenship as their talent.

He could really help himself from a PR point of view if he were to give McEachran every reasonable chance he could to develop into England’s next great midfielder.

The Schedule

Nothing dictates playing time from the bench as much as the schedule.

Chelsea will be playing three games over the next eight days: Sunderland away, Bayer Leverkusen at home and Manchester United away. All three games are big tests for the blues, as dropping points in any of them can damage them as much as any game could this early in the season.

With many players returning from international duty, and having played and traveled quite a bit over the past week, they will need to rest up as they begin to enter the heart of the footballing season.

In just three weeks Chelsea will be involved in three separate competitions, and regularly playing three games a week. With the many veteran legs in the squad, they will have to be rotated and deployed wisely to get the best result, keep them happy, and remain healthy.

The Carling Cup match against Fulham on September 21^st is the most likely place where he will first be used. The game is at home and the least important competition they are in. Not to mention that Fulham will most likely field a decent side, as it is a tournament that they will place a fair amount of weight on.

It would be a great time for Villas-Boas to see where his young midfielder is at.

Your Thoughts?

The fans voice, both on this site and throughout the web, have been calling for McEachran to get on to the pitch, and for good reason. He is an exciting young prospect that figures to be an integral part of the club for years to come. He gives the fans a player they can call their own, a true blue through and through.

Do you think McEachran will find some playing time soon? What are your reasons?

Or do you think Arsenal will win a trophy before he cracks the starting 11?