By Alejandro Krakowszky
Italian football manager Enzo Maresca is just four years into his managerial career, having already coached the Manchester City elite development squad, first division Italian side Parma and his most recent club and success story Leicester City.
Although he is young and relatively inexperienced, Enzo Maresca is certainly well ahead of his years. Leicester City were relegated to the Championship for the 2023/24 season and so appointed Maresca in search of a quick return.
The Italian, who is known for his footballing brain and tactical ability, was able to take Leicester City to Championship glory, accumulating 97 points over the 48-match campaign.
Only 12 months after his appointment it is safe to say that they were spot on with their assessment of Maresca as Leicester City are heading back to the top flight for the 2024/25 season. However, it’s not all good news for Leicester City as Maresca will leave the Foxes to become the new head coach of Chelsea Football Club, signing until June 2029.
Maresca’s tactics
Looking at the tactics that Maresca employed at Leicester City last season, there are certainly players in this Chelsea squad who either look to fit his system perfectly or have the technical ability to adapt to his progressive style of play.
Maresca set up in a 4-3-3 formation throughout last season. His style of play is heavily possession-based and calls for a goalkeeper who is composed on the ball and good with his feet.
His keeper will often move up into the defensive line and become a ball-playing asset while the centre back shifts over to become either the left back or the right back as shown below.
However, Robert Sanchez and Djordje Petrovic, who were Chelsea’s goalkeeping options last season, have not shown an ability to pass the ball out from the back consistently.
It remains to be seen whether Chelsea will stick to their current options or go to the market for a new No.1.
Inverted Fullbacks
Inverted fullbacks are another tactic that Maresca has been praised for throughout his time managing. His more skilled fullback will slot into the midfield to create more passing options and dominate the opposition. At Leicester City this player was often Ricardo Pereira or, when absent as seen below, Hamza Choudhury.
This was briefly experimented with last season at Chelsea when Marc Cucurella was playing in the same role. It certainly impacted Chelsea for the better as it saw them hold possession for longer as well as transition smoother.
Cucurella is not the only player capable of playing this role, as Reece James is also a suitable option.
In many systems that James has played in, he has been deployed as a wingback rather than a defensive fullback due to his ability to cross the ball, defend against wingers, and shoot from attacking situations.
So a move into the midfield where he has played before is certainly not out of the question.
James’s all-round ability would suit this role perfectly and give balance to a younger Chelsea side which has missed the captain’s presence throughout his injury spells.
Attacking football
Maresca’s progressive style of football has proved to be extremely effective. Although his side sets up in a traditional 4-3-3, it changes throughout the game.
When in possession deep in their own half, the goalie will join the backline and create an unconventional 4-2-2-3.
However, when they reach the final third of the field the goalkeeper plays his normal position, and the team shifts into a 3-2-2-3 as shown below.
Being an attacking side certainly has its benefits, creating many chances and scoring lots of goals, but on various occasions this season a stubbornness to adjust his tactics has been highlighted.
Maresca’s side usually finds itself most vulnerable on the counterattack due to committing so many players forward. When it comes time to track back, his side often struggles due to a lack of pace and structure.
As seen below in a Leicester City game last season, all 10 outfield players are in the final third. Due to this aggressive style of play they were undone with a simple pass and conceded on the break.
This attacking approach could be good for Chelsea, however for many years now the Blues have been known for not taking their chances and scoring as often as they should.
In Maresca’s system, being clinical is vital if you want to win games. Chelsea may stick to its recent ways and go to the transfer market for a new striker who can provide this finishing touch.
The Blues are rumoured to have an interest in Argentine striker Julian Alvarez as well as RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko.
Chelsea has a group of young and inexperienced players so using a set-up that requires so much concentration and discipline will be hard to employ from the get-go. The squad is very skilled, but when you have so many players who do not know each other all that well it can prove to be a very tough challenge for a new manager.
Midfield Roles
Chelsea broke the bank on midfielders Enzo Férnandez and Moisés Caicedo last year, spending more than 100 million Euros on each of them.
The pair has had a complicated start to life at Stamford Bridge. Férnandez was reportedly nursing an injury for the majority of last season while Caicedo has battled with criticism over his performances even though he has been playing very well.
Both are nothing short of exceptional. However, they haven’t had a chance to play in a system where they can express themselves to the fullest.
In Maresca’s system Férnandez may well get his chance to be more creative on the ball and play a lot higher up the field. This sort of role has helped him thrive when playing for Argentina and could be exactly what he needs to show his value at Chelsea.
On the other hand, Caicedo may also be turned into a more progressive player rather than being relied on solely for his defensive abilities.
Seen in the image above, Férnandez and Caicedo could both be used as the players highlighted in green. Alternatively, Férnandez could play that role while Caicedo moves back into the holding midfield position.
Maresca’s use of wingers
Chelsea has a squad with a lot of depth, especially in the attacking department which includes Cole Palmer, Mykhailo Mudryk, Raheem Sterling, Noni Madueke, and many more.
However, who will start in the wide positions come next season remains a mystery.
At Leicester City, Stephy Mavididi and Abdul Fatawu were the most common options on the wing. These two players are known for being skilful, quick, technically good on the ball and able to shoot from range.
The most similar players that Chelsea may be able to use in these positions will be Mudryk and Madueke.
Cole Palmer, who was named the Premier League Young Player of the Season, may also find a spot on the right wing.
However, it is likely that his role will be a bit more central. Palmer is one of the few players at Chelsea who has been coached by the Italian before and the in-form Englishman could well be given license to roam in the attacking third to get the most out of his ability.
Maresca’s wingers are usually isolated next to the touchline, so it would seem like a waste to station Chelsea’s player of the season away from the main action.
Mudryk is a player who could really thrive in this new system as it allows the winger a lot of space and time in one-on-one situations.
The Ukrainian international is most well known for his lightning speed and flashy skills which tick the boxes for a player who will develop well under Maresca.
It is easy to say that right now the Chelsea fanbase is extremely divided, with lots of fans uncertain about this appointment.
However, there are many positives, and this could be a fresh start with a young manager who is set to be at Stamford Bridge for a long time.
Featured image: Will the fans in the Stamford Bridge stands fall in love with Enzo Maresca (inset). Photos: theodoritsis and fuji.tim/CC/flickr
