King Carlo confirmed today what he had said in the preseason - and what many of us were hoping. A nice chunk of youth will be on display in this season's Carling Cup.
Chelsea host Newcastle at Stamford Bridge in the third round of the competition on Wednesday. Ancelotti announced that Daniel Sturridge, Gael Kakuta, Patrick Van Aanholt and Jeffrey Bruma will all start against the Magpies. I think we can expect to see several other youth products - Josh McEachran, Billy Clifford, etc. - on the bench as well.
"It is a good experience for them to play this kind of game," Ancelotti said. "They are involved this season more compared to last season and when there is an opportunity I want to give them the opportunity to play and show their quality. They were involved in the last games, Sturridge played in the Champions League, Kakuta played two games, Bruma played in the last game against Blackpool and they will get more opportunities to play.
"The Academy did a good job in the last years and now we have the young players ready to play in our squad. Obviously against Newcastle it is important to win to maintain a good atmosphere here but the most important thing is that these players can show their quality for the team."
Who are you most looking forward to seeing play Wednesday? Kakuta would be the obvious choice, but all these kids are fun to watch. Either way, I'm just excited we're going to get a chance to watch these fine prospects. It should be excellent.