Enzo Maresca Thread

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Frank Lampard pinpoints one key issue that could hold Chelsea back under Enzo Maresca

https://metro.co.uk/2024/09/02/frank-lampard-pinpoints-key-issue-may-hold-Chelsea-back-enzo-maresca-21529986/?ito=newsnow-feed

Frank Lampard fears Chelsea’s youthful squad could hold them back under new boss Enzo Maresca after they were held to a 1-1 draw by Crystal Palace on Sunday.

The Blues were at their scintillating best in a 6-0 win over Wolves last weekend but were brought back down to earth in midweek after a 2-1 loss to Servette in the Europa Conference League.

Another inconsistent display followed at Stamford Bridge on Sunday as Maresca’s side surged ahead through Nicolas Jackson but were pinned back and forced to settle for a point after Eberechi Eze’s second-half strike.

With a new manager and plenty of fresh signings still to blood into the team, Lampard urged caution from fans, insisting those factors and the squad’s youthful make-up will lead to inconsistent performances.

‘Inconsistency will be there – young players bring that,’ the former Chelsea midfielder said on Match of the Day 2.

‘If you look at moments in the game where Chelsea are on top, maybe they aren’t clinical enough and then you can always feel the game can swing on them.

‘You do wonder if that bit of experience through the spine of the team isn’t there and you’ll have to wait for that but there’s certainly a lot of talent in there.’

Despite that, however, Lampard remained optimistic in the direction of travel under Maresca and believes the club have turned a corner from the negative atmosphere that was all-encompassing during his ill-fated second stint in the dugout.

‘In terms of where they are at, Maresca mentioned today that they aren’t the same team that won the Champions League and he is right,’ Lampard added.

‘I was there 18 months ago and at that point, it was a really low point from my point of view because it didn’t feel like the club that it had been which was so successful for 20 years.

‘A lot of that was the environment and getting that right. I feel like they are on an upward curve but there will be good days and bad days because of the squad.

‘But there is a lot of talent and if they can keep improving, especially at the top end of the pitch, they can give teams a lot of problems.’

Chelsea will look to get back to winning ways after the international break when they travel down to the south coast to take on Bournemouth.

Trending 

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Chelsea

https://thedailybriefing.io/i/148844156/Chelsea

• Official, confirmed. Nicolas Jackson signs a new deal at Chelsea valid until June 2033. “It feels great the club has confidence in me. I am working very hard. I am very happy to extend my contract and stay here for many years.”

• Enzo Maresca: “I really, really like Carney Chukwuemeka... but we have so many attacking midfielders. Unfortunately, we didn't find solutions in the summer. Now we can use him.”

• Maresca opens the doors to a Ben Chilwell return: “We will sit with him and find a solution. He is probably going to be back with us, we will see. At the moment, he is not training with us. The reason why he was training apart, is because the idea was for him to leave.”

• Enzo Maresca: “Reece James is not ready and he needs more time. Malo Gusto is also out. Romeo Lavia is very close, hopefully he is back for the next game.”

• Enzo Maresca: "Jadon Sancho, I am seeing him the way I expected to. It's a matter of finding the right moment to give him the chance."

• Enzo Maresca: “I don't consider Jadon Sancho a risk off the pitch. Whatever's happened with Erik ten Hag… I have no idea. I can only judge the player on the weeks he's been with us. He's been perfect.”

• Enzo Maresca: “The reason why Cole Palmer, Romeo Lavia, Wes Fofana are out of the Conference League squad is because we try to protect them. Cole is fit, he’s fine. We are happy with how he is.”

• Enzo Maresca: “I was in love with the squad and now I’m in love with the club. It’s one of the best clubs in the world and I’m happy with what we are doing.”

• David Datro Fofana leaves Chelsea to join Göztepe SK on loan until June 2025. Deal includes re-call clause for January.

• Chelsea star’s controversial stance should be respected says Fabrizio Romano.

• Si Phillips discusses the “hard facts” that William Gallas has spouted about the Chelsea owners.

Edited September 14 by Vesper

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Enzo Maresca’s big call at Chelsea: Nkunku or Jackson up front?

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5773427/2024/09/18/Chelsea-jackson-nkunku-maresca/

Jabbing a finger into his own chest as he ran towards the travelling Chelsea supporters at the Vitality Stadium, Christopher Nkunku’s energy in celebrating his winning goal over Bournemouth was as much angry defiance as pure jubilation.

“The reason I used Christo in that moment was I thought we were creating chances but we lacked quality inside the box,” Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca said after the match, explaining his decision to introduce Nkunku from the bench in place of Nicolas Jackson in the 79th minute. “So the idea to use him as a No 9 was because, any ball inside the box, we know he’s a quality player and could decide the game.”

Nkunku revealed that Maresca had told him to “enjoy” his 11 minutes on the pitch. He certainly relished receiving Jadon Sancho’s clever pass on the swivel, bouncing between two Bournemouth defenders and poking the ball just inside Mark Travers’ far post, but the frustration that poured out of him immediately after the goal was equally understandable.

Having featured more than anyone else in Maresca’s squad during pre-season, Nkunku appeared primed to announce himself in the Premier League in the manner that was denied him by a succession of injuries in 2023-24. Instead, he has found himself the most unexpected victim of an attacking rotation at Chelsea that became markedly more crowded in August with the arrivals of Pedro Neto, Joao Felix and Sancho.

As he had been against Crystal Palace a week earlier, Nkunku was Maresca’s third attacker off the bench against Bournemouth. A growing number of Chelsea fans are wondering if he should instead be the team’s first-choice striker — particularly since the words of his head coach could also be viewed as an implicit criticism of Jackson, who drew one reasonable save from Travers but rarely looked a threat at the Vitality Stadium.

The lobby for deploying Nkunku as a No 9 is as much about Jackson, who continues to be a strangely polarising figure in the grand Chelsea picture.

Scoring 14 non-penalty goals in his debut Premier League campaign helped secure a new contract that extends his stay at Stamford Bridge until June 2033 — the joint-longest commitment in the squad along with the improved deal given to Cole Palmer earlier this season — and yet the Senegal international remains a popular target of mockery for rival fans as well as derision from vocal sections of the Chelsea support.

Jackson has not yet proven himself capable of being a finisher on par with Nkunku’s highest levels of efficiency at RB Leipzig (the Frenchman scored 32 non-penalty goals, 5.4 more than expected, in his two final Bundesliga campaigns). Jackson significantly underperformed relative to his non-penalty xG (npxG) in the Premier League in 2023-24, scoring around 4.6 goals fewer than expected, according to Opta.

This stands out relative to the top 10 scorers of non-penalty goals in the Premier League last season, though it is interesting to note that Erling Haaland also underperformed his npxG:

Jackson’s return of two non-penalty goals in the first four Premier League matches of 2024-25 also constitutes an underperformance relative to his npxG of 2.5. But to focus solely on finishing efficiency (which can fluctuate wildly from season to season) is to relegate the single most reliable indicator of a player that has the capability to be a prolific goalscorer: the ability to generate expected goals (xG) in the first place.

Haaland was the only player in the Premier League to generate more non-penalty expected goals than Jackson in 2023-24. Even adjusting for minutes played, the Senegal international’s 0.6 npxG per 90 minutes ranked behind only the Manchester City phenomenon and Newcastle star Alexander Isak, whom Chelsea enquired about signing in the summer:

Jackson may not be converting his scoring chances with elite efficiency just yet, but he is getting himself into scoring positions with elite regularity. It is little wonder why Chelsea are so bullish on a 23-year-old who has only played as a No 9 for 18 months, particularly since composure and finishing technique are easier to learn and hone on the training pitch than the subtle nuances of movement, timing and instincts.

None of which is to discount the possibility that Nkunku might be the better No 9 option for Chelsea right now. There is an increasingly substantial body of evidence over the past four years to indicate that he is an above-average finisher, and it is hard to imagine Jackson being able to manufacture the narrow shooting window in a crowded Bournemouth penalty area as deftly as he did.

Jackson’s other skills are the bulwark of his case to remain a Chelsea starter: his selfless pressing, his intelligent movement, his improving hold-up play and his often sublime link-up with attacking teammates. He more often than not makes those around him better but similar can be said of Nkunku, who can do most of the same things to at least an equivalent level.

The best argument against regularly starting Nkunku as a No 9 is that he has even less experience leading an attack as a lone striker than Jackson; his two best scoring seasons at RB Leipzig were achieved orbiting Andre Silva, a more traditional focal point frontman.

Many of Chelsea’s best pre-season moments under Mauricio Pochettino in the summer of 2023 came from Nkunku and Jackson combining in the final third. Maresca would do well to get them both into the same team, but at whose expense? Nkunku is not a winger, and he is unlikely to be deployed as the left-sided No 8 as long as Palmer also operates centrally — not least because Moises Caicedo needs someone standing within 30 yards of him in midfield.

Maresca’s primary duty is to pick a balanced, coherent team, regardless of who is in it. Chelsea’s summer transfer activity has left him with far more attacking weapons than Pochettino had, but also many more difficult decisions.

“At the end of the game I just said to the players — Christo, Cole, Jadon, Joao, Noni (Madueke), Misha (Mykhailo Mudryk), Pedro — they are not all going to play all the games,” Maresca said after the Bournemouth win. “All they need to do is exactly what they did tonight.”

A run of games as a No 9 at Jackson’s expense could be in Nkunku’s future at Chelsea. Or there could simply be more cameo appearances, and enjoyment tinged with anger.

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Chelsea and an unfamiliar feeling of… sheer positivity

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5783603/2024/09/22/Chelsea-west-ham-maresca-boehly-eghbali-positivity/

Here are words I do not get to type very often: I have nothing to be negative about regarding Chelsea this weekend.

Some readers of The Athletic, or regular listeners to the Straight Outta Cobham podcast, might regard this as a collector’s item. Perhaps mark the moment down on a piece of paper so you can remember it for posterity or even as a souvenir of the 2024-25 season? A possible ‘you have to see it to believe it’ moment.

When you report on a club like Chelsea, there is plenty of opportunity to criticise and highlight where things are going wrong. Since the Todd Boehly-Clearlake consortium bought the club in May 2022, there have been more bad moments than good, more drama than stability.

If you have to write about lots of doom and gloom, it can have an impact on how you are perceived. Let’s just say this writer is fully aware of how he is regarded as a tad pessimistic, some might say miserable.

Let me provide a few arguments in my defence.

It is what naturally happens when your 50th birthday is on the horizon. I prefer to think it is more a case of being honest and realistic, having covered the club for more than 20 years. A reporter’s job is not to be confused with acting as a cheerleader and turning a blind eye to the bad stuff.

Anyway, brace yourself as I attempt to go a whole piece without a single grumble, a caveat or a ‘but’.

Let’s get to the point… or should I say all three of them.

Chelsea’s 3-0 win against West Ham at the London Stadium on Saturday was just the kind of serene day everyone connected to the club was looking for and needed. It was one of those rare moan-free games among the Chelsea contingent in the crowd. There was not a tut or groan to be heard.

Going into this fixture, Chelsea had won just once at West Ham in seven visits, so it would have been understandable if people were a little apprehensive. The weather forecast warned of thunderstorms and heavy rain as well. But instead, late-summer sunshine lit up Chelsea’s display throughout.

It helped that West Ham gave Nicolas Jackson the freedom of east London to score the opening goal after four minutes. Goalkeeper Alphonse Areola also left a gap between his legs almost as wide as the nearby Blackwall Tunnel, which allows road traffic to pass under the River Thames, for him to knock the ball through.

Jackson had his second 14 minutes later. The style of football Chelsea hired head coach Enzo Maresca to provide was on show as a neat move ended with Moises Caicedo, a player fewer and fewer mock over the £115million ($153m at the current exchange rate) price tag that brought him to the club 13 months ago, playing in Jackson to double the lead.

The Senegal international striker’s display provided more evidence the club now have a €35million (£29.3m/$39.1m at current rates) bargain on their hands following his arrival in that same summer 2023 window. After setting up Cole Palmer to make it 3-0 shortly after half-time, Jackson has 23 goal involvements (16 goals, seven assists) in his past 29 Premier League starts, and 11 (eight goals, three assists) in 10.

There in the posh seats to see it were Chelsea’s co-owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali. You had to check the monitor in the press box a few times to believe it. They were not just at the same game, a rarity in the past year, but actually sitting next to each other. The image was extraordinary given it is just two weeks since news of their ‘palpable discord’ — thanks to Chelsea’s former technical director Michael Emenalo for that gem of a quote to sum up a major divide when he was interviewed about the club’s decision to sack Jose Mourinho in 2015 — came to light.

Some of the footage caught on camera did not reflect the warmest rapport between the two. Other photos did capture them appearing to exchange a few words at least. One showed Eghbali holding a small bit of paper. A cheque to buy out Boehly’s stake? No, it was just his match ticket.

So were they counting down the minutes to the final whistle so they could get away from any awkwardness and each other as fast as possible? Nope. When the match was over, the influential duo headed down to the away dressing room. “They were in the changing room, they were all happy,” Maresca said. “It’s always good when we win games for them. As you said, because they were both here, we can give them some good moments.”

If being together like this gets this kind of result then, instead of divorcing, should they hang out together more often? Why go their separate ways just when all their efforts are starting to bear fruit?

Careful, Simon, you’re in danger of wandering off upbeat mode here.

OK. Here are some good-looking stats to remain on message:

• Maresca is the first manager or head coach to win his first three Premier League away games at a club since Pep Guardiola did it with Manchester City in 2016.
• Since the start of May, Chelsea have won more Premier League points than any other club (25 — played 10, won eight, drawn one) — although they have played two more games than City (24; played eight, won eight) in that time and three more than Arsenal (19; played seven, won six, drawn one).
• Chelsea have scored 10 times in their three away league games this season. This figure is only bettered in club history by their 1925-26 side, who got 13 in the same period. And with 11 goals in total, they are the division’s joint top scorers with champions City (before their game against Arsenal on Sunday).
• Since Palmer made his Chelsea debut last September, only City’s Erling Haaland (44) has more goals for a Premier League club in all competitions than his 27.

Oh, and to finish off, a once-porous defence has kept back-to-back clean sheets in the league, following last Saturday’s 1-0 away win against Bournemouth.

OK, that’s enough positivity for one article. I need to go for a lie-down.

GO DEEPER

What is the true value of a Premier League goal?

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Palmer and Jackson are the Premier League’s best partnership – Chelsea need to build around it

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5790511/2024/09/25/cole-palmer-nicolas-jackson-Chelsea-analysis/

Enzo Maresca doesn’t seem the type to share Mauricio Pochettino’s belief in the spiritual power of lemons, but he should remember that their best use is to make lemonade.

That is, in tactical terms, building his Chelsea team according to the profiles of the best players, rather than fitting them to the system. In particular, Nicolas Jackson and Cole Palmer — as they proved in scoring the goals in their 3-0 win at West Ham United.

Chelsea were three up in 50 minutes. It was convincing and controlled, especially considering they last won at the London Stadium in April 2021.

Speaking to TNT Sports afterwards, Maresca was asked how the players have bought into his style so quickly. “It’s quite easy, if they don’t buy in, they don’t play,” he responded, with a smile.

It wasn’t menacing and didn’t seem directed at anyone, but was a reminder of how dogmatic Premier League coaches are.

Maresca was pleased with the result but unsatisfied tactically: “Sometimes we need more passes and (to) keep the ball but we are in a rush and trying to attack immediately.”

Chelsea’s third goal was pure counter-attack. A 13-second move with five passes, going box-to-box. On a three-v-two, Palmer overlapped Jackson, the striker slotted him through on the angle and Palmer fired in off the post.

Top PL duos since the start of 2023-24

Duo	Chances	Goals ▼
Palmer & Jackson	22	10
Bailey & Watkins	22	8
Saka & Havertz	26	7
Nunez & Salah	39	7
Elanga & Wood	16	7
Son & Johnson	24	6
Watkins & Diaby	33	5
Solanke & Senesi	9	5
Palmer & Madueke	21	5
Mbeumo & Wissa	17	5
Haaland & De Bruyne	22	5
Foden & Rodri	22	5
Eze & Mateta	24	5

There was a similar counter-attack for the opener versus Crystal Palace, this time Palmer assisted Jackson.

On that occasion, they only needed three passes in 11 seconds to create a tap-in. Palmer ran inside Chris Richards and onto Noni Madueke’s diagonal pass, before squaring it to Jackson at the back post.

Then there was Palmer’s exceptional lob at Wolverhampton Wanderers. After Robert Sanchez launched a quick goal kick, Jackson flicked it on and the England international spotted Jose Sa off his line.

All three goals were this season, and while last term there were more instances of Palmer assisting Jackson against a settled defence, clearly the pair work better in transition.

This season, only Liverpool and Fulham can match Chelsea’s 23 direct attacks. Opta define these as sequences which start just inside a team’s half, include at least 50 per cent forward movement, ending in a shot/touch in the opposition’s box.

Of those 23, six have led to goals, the most in the league.

Palmer and Jackson suit transitions because of their versatility. Jackson can operate like a winger out on the left, running at defenders, which allows Palmer to crash the box or run in behind.

Similarly, they can combine close to each other to create shooting angles or play the other in-behind, like a conventional No 9 or No 10. Examples include Palmer’s goals at home against Everton and away at Luton Town.

“We’re young, but we’re good players. So once we gel, we’ll be alright,” said Palmer last season.

The last two seasons were unstable for Chelsea because of a high volume of players and head coach turnover. There was the ignominy of finishing 12th on 44 points in 2022-23 with Thomas Tuchel, Graham Potter, Bruno Saltor and Frank Lampard in charge during their worst Premier League campaign.

Having Kai Havertz finish top scorer that season with seven goals emphasised how blunt they were in attack. However, the biggest problem was their lack of relationships.

They made the most starting XI changes (139) and were one of two teams — along with Brentford — to not name an unchanged lineup. Tellingly, of their 38 goals, 26 were assisted and every single one had a unique assister-scorer combination.

The success of Palmer and Jackson’s partnership is simply from playing together more. This applies especially to a possession-based and pressing team which requires structure and understanding.

Chelsea are considerably better when the duo start. Since 2023-24, Palmer and Jackson have started 27 Premier League games, with 15 wins, seven draws and only five losses, outscoring opponents 66-41.

They lose more (seven) than they win (six) without both starting and have been outscored 27-22 in those 16 Premier League games. Interestingly, Chelsea’s possession remains stable regardless of Palmer/Jackson’s presence, but they shoot more and cross less with the pair starting.

With and without statistics are not a perfect science, but Chelsea’s points-per-game (1.9) with Jackson and Palmer in the team from the off is worth 72 points per season, compared to 49 points without (1.3 per game). In each of the last six seasons, 72 points secured a top-four finish.

Any Chelsea attacking partnership will inevitably draw comparisons to Didier Drogba and Lampard, who combined for 36 Premier League goals.

They were so prolific that it was only in February 2022 that Tottenham Hotspur’s Harry Kane and Son Heung-min overtook them. By that point, Lampard had retired, started coaching, managed Chelsea for 84 games and been sacked.

If penalties won are included as assists, then the Palmer/Jackson combination (a league goal every 242 minutes) is more fruitful than Lampard/Drogba were (every 323 minutes).

However, there are caveats. Palmer and Jackson are playing in a Premier League era which is significantly more attacking and where the single-season goals record has been broken two years in a row.

Further, Lampard and Drogba combined for significant goals, including seven times in semi-finals and finals. Their final two combinations were Lampard assists for Drogba in the FA Cup semi-final and final in 2012.

Palmer and Jackson are yet to reach those levels, and sustaining that form is a test. However, they are a more versatile pair.

Lampard primarily assisted Drogba, but for Palmer and Jackson’s 10 Premier League goals, five have been from Palmer to Jackson, and five assists by Jackson for Palmer.

Last season, Palmer either played the final pass or was involved in the build-up of 3.9 shot-ending sequences per game, with 2.3 for Jackson — and those are excluding sequences when they took the shots.

They should benefit from Maresca’s insistence of putting players in set positions (having two for each position), regardless of versatility.

The Chelsea head coach was full of praise for how Jackson and Palmer pressed West Ham’s defence despite being outnumbered two-v-three.

However, Maresca should not compromise their counter-attacking quality for whatever possession system he is dreaming of.

In the past five years, there have only been four instances of a Chelsea player scoring 10-plus goals in a Premier League campaign — two of those were Jackson and Palmer last season.

Chelsea’s recent failures have been underpinned by issues building a coherent style around key players. Maresca needs to make lemonade: let Palmer and Jackson counter-attack.

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Enzo Maresca calls on Chelsea players to attend matches even when not selected

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5799245/2024/09/27/enzo-maresca-Chelsea-players/

Enzo Maresca has told his Chelsea players they must attend home games even if they have not been selected in the matchday squad.

Maresca has put the rule in place since taking over this summer and several first team players, including Cole Palmer, Jadon Sancho and Marc Cucurella, attended the club’s 5-0 win over Barrow in the midweek Carabao Cup third-round tie, rather than being given the day off.

Chelsea players have attended games they were not picked for before, but Maresca has made it an official guideline to encourage unity.

The Chelsea head coach explained: “I don’t know whether we say it is a rule but when there is a game the players have to be there. In a normal team you have to behave like a team.

“For sure it will happen tomorrow (against Brighton and Hove Albion). If there is a problem and some of them cannot come then that is not a problem.

“In terms of culture I think it is quite normal that if my team-mate is playing a game, I am there before the game to support him and I am there after the game to support him in case he wins, loses, does well or does badly.

“I think it is normal for them to be there whether it is Premier League or Carabao Cup, whatever competition. If we want to create something then these small things they are very important.”

GO DEEPER

Palmer and Jackson are the Premier League's best partnership - Chelsea need to build around it

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Full-backs moving into midfield: The many different interpretations

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5796256/2024/09/27/full-backs-moving-into-midfield-the-many-different-interpretations/

The concept of a full-back drifting into central midfield positions still seems relatively novel.

Yet it’s now over a decade since Pep Guardiola started doing it at Bayern Munich, taking advantage of the fact that his full-backs were Philipp Lahm and David Alaba, two outstanding technicians who both had experience of playing in the engine room for Bayern’s youth sides.

Guardiola continued his plan at Manchester City — initially unsuccessfully. The likes of Pablo Zabaleta, Bacary Sagna and Gael Clichy struggled to get to grips with the position. Others have had more success. Oleksandr Zinchenko was a central midfielder almost permanently fielded ‘out of position’ at left-back. Joao Cancelo felt like a playmaker more than a defender. Rico Lewis is perhaps the first player groomed specifically for this in-between ‘half-back’ role — part-defender, part-midfielder.

By this point, it’s not simply commonplace, but almost mandatory at top clubs. And with so many different players interpreting the role in so many different ways, perhaps it’s time to differentiate the use of these players more precisely.

1) One or two full-backs moving inside?

When Guardiola first unveiled his plan at Bayern Munich, his approach involved bringing both full-backs inside into midfield together. It was almost transformative, treating those players as part of the midfield structure, with the wingers told to remain in the positions where overlapping full-backs would previously have sprinted into.

But in recent years, it’s been more common to play something of a hybrid system, in part because many managers — including Guardiola — prefer his defensive block to take a 3-2 structure rather than a 2-3 structure.

So when Arsenal played Brighton earlier this season, for example, Jurrien Timber pushed inside to become a central midfielder, allowing Declan Rice to become a fifth attacker, while Ben White narrowed his position and formed part of a back three. This is probably the more common version.

But Manchester United have often brought both full-backs inside this season. In their defeat to Liverpool, for example, Diogo Dalot and Noussair Mazraoui both shifted inside at the same time, allowing two midfielders to push on.

2) Are they there to attack or to defend?

Every player on the pitch has responsibilities in both respects, of course. But the original idea of the half-back approach was keeping the back four close together, and ready to act as a defensive unit if the opposition counter-attacked quickly.

So when Arsenal have used White moving infield into midfield, for example, you tend to think it’s primarily about defensive shape — here, they’re playing against a Brentford side using a counter-attacking front two, and therefore Arsenal want a good defender in that zone, rather than out wide.

That’s very obviously not the thinking when Liverpool managers Jurgen Klopp and Arne Slot have moved Trent Alexander-Arnold infield. That’s a more proactive move, about getting their best passer on the ball more regularly, and in positions where he can play a wider variety of passes.

 

3) Are they acting as a defensive midfielder or an attacking midfielder?

The general understanding is that if a full-back pushes infield into the midfield zone, they are becoming a temporary holding player — most of the aforementioned screengrabs demonstrate that.

But in Manchester City’s 2-2 draw with Arsenal last week, Josko Gvardiol’s role was more advanced — he was tasked with moving inside from left-back to become City’s inside-left, with Rodri (and, when he departed through injury, Mateo Kovacic) as the sole holding player in a 3-5-1-1. As City maintained that shape even after Arsenal went down to 10 men, Gvardiol become a penalty-box threat, and had a couple of decent efforts at goal.

Again, our instinct is to group the roles together, because any full-back moving into midfield still feels like something of a novelty.

But if we differentiate between a holding midfielder and an attacking midfielder in general — and of course we do — we should do the same with regard to these players too.

4) Are they a ball player or a runner?

A tougher one to define, here, because most roles will combine the two. But again, you can say that for any position on the football pitch.

We can probably agree that Liverpool’s Alexander-Arnold and Destiny Udogie of Tottenham Hotspur are both brought inside for primarily attacking purposes. But while the idea is to get Alexander-Arnold on the ball because he can play the final pass so effectively, like for his assist for Luis Diaz at the weekend…

…Udogie feels like more of a “willing runner”, helping to take opponents away from the flank, allowing Son Heung-min — Spurs’ key attacker — to receive passes and find more space out wide. Udogie is decent enough in possession, of course, and get onto good forward passes, but he’s not a playmaker in the manner of Alexander-Arnold.

 

5) Natural or inverted?

The tendency to call these players ‘inverted’ full-backs doesn’t really make sense — the idea of inverted wingers is that they’re fielded on the opposite side to their strong foot, and cut inside and use their stronger foot to shoot. Alexander-Arnold, fielded in a narrower position from the right, isn’t really inverted when playing passes like this.

But Cancelo, when playing for Manchester City from left-back, was a different case. Although he had a fondness for using the outside of his right foot, when hitting crosses like this towards the far post, he was effectively acting as an inverted winger would.

 

There are further complications, of course, according to different formations and responsibilities with and without the ball. Guardiola has also increasingly turned to using a centre-back, rather than a full-back, stepping into midfield.

But this position has become so common that it’s no longer a variation on a role, as we previously considered it — but a role in itself, with its own variations.

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Chelsea’s Enzo Maresca supports players’ complaints over intense fixture schedule

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5781981/2024/09/20/enzo-maresca-player-schedule-Chelsea/

Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca believes players are right to complain about the intense schedule and says going on strike may be one of their options to change things.

Player welfare has become an escalating concern, with Manchester City midfielder Rodri and Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson among those voicing complaints about the increasingly demanding fixture list for athletes representing both club and country.

Chelsea are one of the clubs most affected. They could play in excess of 70 games this season due to their involvement in the UEFA Conference League and expanded FIFA Club World Cup next summer.

The new Champions League format, a 36-team league phase, has added two more games for teams involved. It is one of the reasons why Rodri, who was part of the Spain team to win the European Championship earlier this summer, warned that strike action could be considered if things get any worse.

While stopping short of supporting a strike, Maresca understands why it has been mentioned as a possibility.

The Italian, who represented 11 clubs over 19 years before going into coaching, said: “In terms of (the amount of) games it is too much. I don’t think we protect players.

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Will Premier League players really go on strike?

“The only ones who can do something are the players and we can help them. In the last one or two weeks some of the players have tried to explain what they think and it is a good starting point. Some of them said that (about going on strike) and it could be an idea for them.”

Maresca, meanwhile, admits he has no timeframe for when right-back Reece James will return to Chelsea’s line-up following a hamstring injury.

The Athletic exclusively revealed in August that he had suffered a setback in pre-season and was not going to return until the Bournemouth game (played last weekend) at the earliest.

James’s recovery is taking longer than expected and Maresca said: “Unfortunately we do not have an idea (when he will be back) at the moment.

“His injury is a bit delayed but the most important thing for him, and for any injury, is that they come back when they are 100 per cent fit and Reece is still out. Hopefully we can have him back as soon as possible.”

Fellow right-back Malo Gusto is still ruled out with a thigh injury, so Axel Disasi will be in contention to start in their absence again this Saturday at West Ham United.

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Maresca's big call at Chelsea: Jackson or Nkunku up front?

[TheHulk 1,847]

This is my fucking gaffer!

[Vesper 28,716]

“Furious” Enzo Maresca could bring summer signing into the team after incident in win

https://Chelsea.news/2024/09/furious-enzo-maresca-could-bring-summer-signing-into-the-team-after-incident-in-win/

Poor Robert Sanchez. He had only just put his head above the parapet this week and claimed he was in the “best form of his career”… and we could all predict what would come next.

The Spanish goalkeeper made a crazy dash off his line to try to claim a loose ball, but ended up looking foolish as Georginio Rutter was able to just head it into the net which Sanchez had just vacated.

That mistake seemed to spook him – as we saw last season, he often follows one error with another – and his play on the ball was horrendous after that. The start of the second half brought no relief, and he started that period with two sloppy efforts that had Enzo Maresca screaming at him.

Sanchez did make some good saves later in the game, but the damage was done, the downward confidence spiral had begun. Maresca will surely be thinking more than ever about summer signing Filip Jorgensen and his potential to one day be the first team option.

 

Difficult circumstances for keeper to earn his place

Jorgensen hasn’t looked all that impressive in his games either, so it’s not like it will be easy for him to force his way into a team which is doing well and winning, even if that’s despite Sanchez rather than because of him at times.

Jorgensen’s other problem is that the games he gets – in the domestic cups and in the Conference League – are generally against teams which sit deep and barely test him, so it’s very difficult to impress defensively. He will get plenty of the ball though, and can try to show the calm and assurance that Sanchez lacked today.

We still don’t think it’s happening anytime soon, but the dossier of Sanchez flaws only grows larger.

[Vesper 28,716]

“I have said many times” – Enzo Maresca gets impatient with questions over outcast midfielder

https://Chelsea.news/2024/09/i-have-said-many-times-enzo-maresca-gets-impatient-with-questions-over-outcast-midfielder/

Chelsea are on a really strong run and the questions in press conferences before and after games are accordingly positive.

But someone in today’s post-match, following the big win over Brighton, decided to question Enzo Maresca about a player who wasn’t present even on the bench today. Carney Chukwuemeka’s only minutes all season have come in a short cameo against Barrow on Tuesday night.

“I will say exactly the same thing I have said many times: Carney is a very good player, but for the amount of players we have, we decided at the beginning of the season it is probably better to leave and go somewhere, prove himself and playing 30 or 35 games than being here and play less games,” Maresca responded.

“Unfortunately that didn’t happen. He is our player. He had some minutes the other day, today he was not involved. Hopefully we can give him more minutes.”

Even those Carabao Cup minutes are going to be hard to come by – Cesare Casadei moved ahead of him in the pecking order, and Romeo Lavia is fit now too.

Chukwuemeka damned long before season began

It was a slightly odd time to ask the question, as Maresca pointed out, he’s addressed this a few times before. We all know why Carney Chukwuemeka isn’t in the squad – because more money was spent on Enzo Fernandez, Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia. Even Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall can’t get into the squad at the moment, so Chukwuemeka will have no chance.

It’s a brutal pity he didn’t get a move – but nobody can say they’re surprised he’s not featuring this season. Hopefully something can be sorted out in January – otherwise a third season with little progress for the former Aston Villa man is going to pass by.

[Reddish-Blue 2,341]

4 hours ago, Vesper said:

We all know why Carney Chukwuemeka isn’t in the squad – because more money was spent on Enzo Fernandez, Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia. Even Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall can’t get into the squad at the moment, so Chukwuemeka will have no chance.

He's also not in the squad because he's more of an attacking mid than a central midfield player. 

[IMissEden 18]

He’s also not in the squad because he’s an erratic shit who takes too long to make every decision, barely different to the revised iconography of Loftus Cheek. Play half a mile slower in their minds than should. Is like every other player is elegant and then comes along a taxi with one wheel missing. And people compliment it.

[NikkiCFC 7,927]

There is something special between Chelsea and Italian managers. They are always successful here. 

Conte won PL and FA Cup

Ancelotti won PL, FA Cup and CS

RDM won CL and FA Cup 

Sarri won EL

Vialli won FA Cup, League Cup, CS, UEFA Super Cup and UEFA Cup Winners Cup

Ranieri didn't win trophies but did solid job as well. CL qualifications before Roman buy was massive. 

Maresca will be success as well. No doubt 🤌

[Vesper 28,716]

Should Chelsea be worried about their discipline problem?

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5808802/2024/10/02/Chelsea-discipline-yellow-cards/

Chelsea are well on track to beat their numbers from last season.

Normally such a statement would be regarded as a good thing, a reason to be optimistic. Chelsea are eight points better off at the same stage — six fixtures played — so results and performances are certainly providing cause to be so.

However, this is a piece highlighting a negative that needs to be addressed by head coach Enzo Maresca — and soon: the team’s poor disciplinary record.

In 2023-24 Chelsea broke a Premier League record for most yellow cards received in a single season. When Malo Gusto received the club’s last booking in the 78th minute of their final game against Bournemouth, it took their tally to 105 (plus four reds), beating the previous best (or worst depending on how you see it) of 101 set by Leeds in 2021-22. There were only two matches in the league campaign where Chelsea did not get a card (Manchester United away and Tottenham at home).

Those grim numbers were achieved under former head coach Mauricio Pochettino, but things do not seem to be improving under Maresca. Chelsea sit top of the bookings table again with 21 accrued in half a dozen fixtures. That works out as an average of 3.5 per game and if this rate is maintained, it would see the club end up with 133 by the end of May. According to whoscored.com, it also puts them in fourth spot among the top five leagues in Europe.

It can be argued that the numbers have been skewed by the Bournemouth fixture last month when referee Anthony Taylor booked eight Chelsea players. It was not one-way traffic as Bournemouth fell foul of the official six times themselves, meaning the 14 yellows (not including the two shown to the two head coaches), is another Premier League disciplinary record with Chelsea’s name on it.

But while some of the transgressions could be dismissed as a bit harsh that night, there were incidents where Taylor will argue he was not left with much choice and had to apply the letter of the law. Nicolas Jackson and Jadon Sancho were both punished for dissent. Renato Veiga was booked because he jumped into the crowd to celebrate Christopher Nkunku’s late winner.

But Bournemouth is not the only match where Chelsea have fallen foul with the referee. So far they boast a 100 per cent record in the Premier League in terms of at least one player being booked per match. Here is a breakdown of their wrongdoings in the six league fixtures they have played:

When The Athletic raised this topic with Maresca a week after the Bournemouth game, the Italian downplayed it. “I don’t think it is a discipline problem at all,” he said. “The Bournemouth game was the kind of game because of the pitch, because of the game, sometimes you are required to make some fouls.

“I don’t think it’s about that. The day after, I watched Arsenal and Tottenham and I think in the first-half there were seven or eight yellow cards, so the average was there.

“Have I spoken to the players about it? No, no, absolutely (not). It was a normal game and some of the yellow cards were probably avoidable from the referee, but he decided to go another way.”

Maresca’s views will have been treated with a lot of sympathy from a fanbase that is not shy in expressing their frustration whenever Taylor is in charge of one of their games — the events of the 2017 and 2020 FA Cup finals alone are usually met with swear words by the regulars at Stamford Bridge.

But Chelsea have not reached such large numbers of yellow cards over the last 13 months due to just one strict match official. They do need to look in the mirror.

As Maresca concedes, in a fast, tough, competitive sport, fouls do happen and on many occasions, a yellow card soon follows. But Chelsea are guilty of picking up a lot of ‘cheap’ bookings too. Look at this table below where we have taken away all the yellow cards shown for fouls since the start of last season. There are far too many for needless offences which could be easily avoided:

Football is an emotional game and players are not robots so no one should expect their players to be angels for 90 minutes every week. But 23 cards for dissent, with five already this season, is definitely far too many. There is a bit too much time-wasting going on as well.

Chelsea are not an overly physical team. Statistics compiled by Opta show they average 10.5 fouls per game. Only Brighton, Manchester City and Brentford make fewer. Their average for tackles is just 16.7 per match, which ranks them 16th in the Premier League. This shows that Maresca’s side are getting booked more than they should for how they play.

Marc Cucurella and Wesley Fofana, two of Maresca’s regulars in defence, are already on four bookings. Premier League rules dictate that you have to serve an automatic one-game ban if you get five in the first 19 fixtures. There is a two-match ban should you reach 10 yellows in 32 fixtures and a three-match ban for 15 yellows before the end of the season.

Jackson serves as an example of how you can avoid trouble when you put your mind to it. The striker was one of Chelsea’s worst offenders last season with nine yellow cards in the first 24 league matches. But he then went 11 league games (15 all competitions) without further punishment to avoid the two-game suspension.

Maresca has responded modestly to any questions regarding whether Chelsea can challenge for the title, saying there is a lot to improve in attack and defence. Trying to reduce the yellow card count should be added to the list.

 

[Ledg 638]

The only thing I can blame him for today are the late subs.

It was not suprising he wanted to ride the momentum after Noni's equalizer but he should've brought the attackers right after the goal.

Nico was a passanger the whole game and by the time we equalized Sancho was fading out of the game as well.

[Vesper 28,716]

Enzo Maresca needs solutions as injuries and bans threaten Chelsea progress

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5822645/2024/10/07/Chelsea-forest-maresca-fofana-colwill-cucurella-liverpool/

Premier League football is a weekly exercise in high-stakes problem-solving. Like most coaches, Enzo Maresca knows when his team does not have all the answers.

There was a reason, beyond mere expectation management, why Maresca insisted this week that Chelsea are not ready to compete with Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool at the top of the Premier League just yet. The contrasting experiences of their last two league games at Stamford Bridge succinctly summed up why.

Against Brighton & Hove Albion, as against Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux last month, Chelsea proved they are even better equipped than last season to destroy teams who afford them space to attack. They can overwhelm less talented opponents who seek to do what they do: press the passer and pass through pressure.

Nottingham Forest arrived at Stamford Bridge determined to deploy asymmetric strategies.

You want to dominate open play? We will look for set pieces. You want to control the ball on the ground? We will control the air. You want to play fast? We will waste time on every restart. You want to press us into turnovers? We will grab the ball in both hands to stop you from getting away.

 

Marc Cucurella, who is now suspended, and Maresca at the final whistle (Jacques Feeney/Offside/Offside via Getty Images)

James Ward-Prowse’s second yellow card is likely to be the funniest seen in the Premier League all season, but it was also indicative of Forest’s broader approach. Nuno Espirito Santo’s team were dogged in a low block that only got lower after being reduced to 10 men, but were unerringly wily. They were every bit as sure of their own advantages as they were of their limitations and utterly focused on dictating the terms of engagement.

Chelsea controlled the first 49 minutes, but it was no great shock when they were stung by a well-worked set piece.

Even with an extra man, they gave up almost as many good chances to lose the game during 13 mad minutes of stoppage time as they generated to win it. They also got sucked into a mass brawl that came within one rush of blood to the head (beyond Nicolas Jackson’s moment of silliness to strike Morato) of returning the two teams to equal numbers.

On another day — perhaps one on which Matz Sels does not react with such spectacular agility to deny two quick Cole Palmer shots after a genius first-time flick around a defender, or one on which Joao Felix finds the target with a surprisingly towering header — Chelsea might have won this game anyway.

 

Sels was inspired in the Nottingham Forest goal (Clive Mason/Getty Images)

The point is that days like this one happen, and tend to happen fairly frequently in the Premier League, to teams who are less than fully formed.

Maresca will be less worried about the problems his Chelsea team could not solve against Forest than the ones he now faces on the other side of the October international break. Marc Cucurella and Wesley Fofana are both suspended for the trip to Anfield to take on Liverpool, having picked up their fifth yellow cards in seven appearances on Sunday.

Levi Colwill signalled to Maresca early in the second half that he had pulled something on his left side, and was substituted in clear discomfort in added time. Noni Madueke also limped heavily out of the mass brawl, though Maresca was keen to play down both issues in his post-match press conference.

Last but not least, Jackson could also face retrospective action from the Football Association for striking Morato, even though the VAR mysteriously decided that his actions fell short of violent conduct.

 

Players, staff and substitutes from both sides clash on the touchline late on (Bradley Collyer/PA Images via Getty Images)

Add all of those together and Chelsea could look very different against Liverpool. Any suspension for Jackson may not spark much anxiety in supporters if it means giving Christopher Nkunku a chance in the Premier League, while Pedro Neto’s increasing sharpness makes it easier to stomach a short Madueke absence, despite his well-taken goal against Forest.

The defence is a different story.

Chelsea have not exactly been shutting down opponents in the Premier League — of their two clean sheets in seven games, the one recorded against Bournemouth was highly fortunate — but there has at least been a consistency in selection and a sense of growing familiarity within the unit.

Colwill and Fofana in particular show real promise as a partnership, with highly complementary skill sets and styles. Malo Gusto looks more comfortable ‘inverting’ into midfield by the week, and Cucurella has built on his Euro 2024 form by providing a consistent, effective nuisance to opponents. Behind them, Robert Sanchez rebounded from several bad errors against Brighton to make a series of excellent, vital saves against Forest.

Only a minor injury to Gusto has disrupted that back five in Chelsea’s first seven Premier League games, but Maresca is certain to be without Cucurella and Fofana against Liverpool and may also have a difficult decision to make about the readiness of Colwill, who punctuated a largely impressive display against Forest by brilliantly blocking a goal-bound Ryan Yates shot towards the end of the first half.

 

Colwill squares up to Neco Williams (Bradley Collyer/PA Images via Getty Images)

As highlighted by his decision to square up to Neco Williams after the Wales international sent Cucurella flying into Maresca in the Chelsea technical area, Colwill is also a leading purveyor of the “spirit” that his head coach referenced repeatedly in his post-match press conference. If he is not fit enough to play against Liverpool, that might be missed most of all.

Tosin Adarabioyo and Benoit Badiashile are capable players who will be motivated to seize an opportunity like this one, but their partnership did not fully convince in the Conference League league-phase opener against Gent. Axel Disasi looks unlikely to be picked at centre-back ahead of either. Renato Veiga has shown flashes of improvement and increasing assurance in recent weeks, but that progress is insufficient to put the mind at ease when the assignment is defending Mohamed Salah at Anfield.

“We have the international break, time to see how we can organise,” Maresca said when asked about the suspensions Cucurella and Fofana must now serve. The problems never stop coming in the Premier League, and the next two weeks might constitute the biggest test yet of Chelsea’s head coach and his ability to provide solutions.

GO DEEPER

The Briefing: Chelsea 1-1 Nottingham Forest - Madueke's threat, centre-half promise but was Maresca proved right?

Edited October 8 by Vesper