Enzo Maresca explains tactics and why Newcastle would have destroyed Chelsea otherwise

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The Mag

·28 October 2024

Enzo Maresca explains tactics and why Newcastle would have destroyed Chelsea otherwise

Enzo Maresca has been reflecting on Sunday at Stamford Bridge.

Jackson giving Chelsea the lead on 18 minutes thanks to a sweeping move that was initiated by Cole Palmer.

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Only for Newcastle United to reply in similar fashion 14 minutes later, Isak finishing off a great team move set in motion by Tino Livramento’s determined run.

Plenty chances and great situations at both ends and maybe the biggest surprise was that only three goals were scored in total.

Chelsea getting the winner very early after the break, when a number of Newcastle players should have done better, from Isak losing possession right through to Pope beaten by a shot that on most days he would have comfortably saved.

Enzo Maresca reflecting on Chelsea 2 Newcastle 1:

“There are games, especially today, where if you do a basketball game, they [would] destroy us because Newcastle are strong.

“They are good, they have some very good players in transition.

“If you want to attack with two passes, they are long distance and they [Newcastle] can recover the ball and create and cause problems.

“The reason why I was shouting all game ‘calm, calm, calm, make passes’ was because against Newcastle, if you do an up and down game, they’d destroy us, they [Newcastle] would destroy every team.

“I am very happy with the performance because in some moments on the ball, we were unbelievable. There were some good combinations and the way we prepared the game was exactly there.

“Off the ball, they fought together and showed they deserved to win.

“This is important.

“We moved Reece to the left side and Cole for the first time this season into the left pocket. The reason was to try to attack down that side and a bigger reason was to have Malo [Gusto] in the right pocket. In the end, it worked very well.

“The problem is if you attack quick, you are going to concede a quick attack and it’s not our idea, it’s not our football.

“Today with Pedro on one side, Noni the other, Cole in the pocket, Malo in the pocket, and Nico [Jackson] there, they are also good at making passes and arriving in the last third to create and score goals.”

Enzo Maresca asked about Chelsea playing it out from the back and getting caught out with it by Newcastle United:

“It is football and I’m the guy who asks Robbie {Sanchez] to do that [playing out from the back].

“Robbie is going to do that because the moment he stops, he isn’t going to play.

“If he makes a mistake, it’s not Robbie’s problem, it’s my problem, my mistake, because I ask that of him.

‘I am happy with how Robbie is playing and building from the back.

“All the goal kicks we had where he passed to Pedro and Noni, that kind of ball gave us a chance to attack.

“Sometimes you make a mistake but it’s not going to change the way we play.’

Chelsea 2 Newcastle 1 – Sunday 27 October 2pm

(Stats via BBC Sport)

Goals:

Newcastle United:

Isak 32

Chelsea:

Jackson 18, Palmer 47

Possession was Newcastle 49% Chelsea 51%

Total shots were Newcastle 11 Chelsea 17

Shots on target were Newcastle 3 Chelsea 7

Corners were Newcastle 4 Chelsea 7

Touches in the box Newcastle 26 Chelsea 32

Newcastle United team v Chelsea:

Pope, Livramento, Schar, Burn, Hall (Kelly 89), Joelinton (Osula 89), Bruno, Tonali (Longstaff 68), Barnes (Willock 68), Isak, Almiron (Jacob Murphy 68)

UNUSED SUBS:

Ruddy, Krafth, Lewis Miley, Vlachodimos

((BBC Sport comments from ‘neutrals’ – Interesting on Newcastle United after Chelsea defeat – Read HERE)

(This is the time to back Eddie Howe and not sack him – Read HERE)

(This perfectly sums up the divide between Chelsea and Newcastle United – Read HERE)

(Chelsea 2 Newcastle 1 – Instant Newcastle United fan / writer reaction – Read HERE)

Newcastle United upcoming matches confirmed to end of January 2025:

Wednesday 30 October – Newcastle v Chelsea (7.45pm) Sky Sports+

Saturday 2 November – Newcastle v Arsenal (12.30pm) TNT Sports

Sunday 10 November – Forest v Newcastle (2pm) Sky Sports

Monday 25 November – Newcastle v West Ham (8pm) Sky Sports

Saturday 30 November – Crystal Palace v Newcastle