Chelsea left-back Emerson Palmieri was handed a rare start by manager Frank Lampard as the Blues came out convincing 4-0 winners against Sevilla in the Champions League last night.
The victory came despite Lampard naming a much-changed team from the 0-0 draw against Tottenham but, despite the rotation, the players who came in performed well, helping to secure the team’s place at the top of the group.
Emerson was solid throughout the 90 minutes, and fans on Twitter believe having such a strong understudy for Ben Chilwell demonstrates the strength in depth that there is in Chelsea’s squad:
Baller
— Zach (@CFCZach123) December 2, 2020
Facts. He had such a good game ? our depth just gets better
— Scott (@SDN21) December 3, 2020
Criminally
— Zach (@CFCZach123) December 2, 2020
He's had a great game today
— London is foreverblue (@LForeverblue) December 2, 2020
he’s having a good game!
— Nyumah (@NyumahStewart) December 2, 2020
Improved a lot
— Satyajeet Patil (@_satyajeeet) December 2, 2020
Emerson showing revival as a backup LB. Great set piece option too.
Could be damn useful this season.
— Nicholas Benedict (@mailme2x) December 2, 2020
He’s been great. So amazing to have Chilwell and Emerson goin for that starting spot
— NattMan (@well______smh) December 2, 2020
Yes noticeable difference now , playing very well lately
— Muza (@WeLoveToSeeIt_M) December 2, 2020
The Italian has certainly had to bide his time for chances with Lampard having favoured Chilwell and Marcos Alonso during the first few months of the season. It remains to be seen whether he’ll stay at Stamford Bridge beyond the January transfer window.
Emerson is reportedly attracting interest from the likes of Inter Milan and he may feel he needs more game time to ensure he is in Italy’s squad for the European Championships.