Maresca could deploy proven Chelsea strategy vs Barcelona despite risks ahead of Arsenal | OneFootball

Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca will have to make a crucial decision on who to play as a number 10 in Tuesday's Champions League clash with Barcelona.

In the last three games, Maresca played Joao Pedro in the number 10 position, with various levels of success.

The Brazil international scored in the 3-0 win over Wolves before the November international break, but Chelsea had to mostly rely on the wingers to score in the other two games.

Barcelona have had just one clean sheet in the last 11 games, and Chelsea rank third in the Premier League in terms of goals, so scoring is unlikely to be the biggest problem; rather, it is about the balance of the team.

Fielding Joao Pedro behind another striker means Enzo Fernandez often has to roam forward to help orchestrate the attack.

This leaves just one holding midfielder - such as Andrey Santos in the last game and Moises Caicedo before that - to shield the backline.

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Tactically safer choice, but risky squad management-wise

The more pragmatic option is to use Fernandez in the central attacking midfield role, allowing Chelsea to have two defensively solid midfielders behind him.

This is what Maresca did against Tottenham Hotspur and in several other games. Against Spurs, Caicedo played alongside Reece James in midfield.

Obviously, Andrey Santos could easily slot in for James. After his impressive performance at Burnley, he arguably deserves another start.

Another benefit of having two midfielders behind Enzo Fernandez is that the fullbacks can make forward runs with less risk.

Marc Cucurella rarely stays in his post, which makes him such an important piece in Chelsea's system in the first place; however, there is no denying this could backfire when he is supposed to defend against Lamine Yamal.

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Fernandez's being able to drop back seamlessly in midfield could be useful as well.

Hansi Flick's Barcelona do not always play with a traditional number six, with Pedri and Frenkie de Jong often playing as a midfield duo.

Pedri is out of contention due to a thigh injury, but Fermin Lopez, who started in their win over Athletic Bilbao, is not exactly a defensive midfielder, either.

Having Fernandez as a number 10 can help deal with the pressure from Barcelona's midfield.

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Arsenal challenge ahead awaits Chelsea

There are downsides to this strategy, of course.

If Andrey Santos starts alongside Caicedo and Fernandez, Chelsea will be left without natural central midfield cover on the bench.

Similarly, if Reece James starts in midfield, that means Malo Gusto will also be playing as a right-back, leaving Chelsea without a proper backup in this position.

In addition to these, Maresca will have to keep Sunday's Premier League match against Arsenal in mind. The result of this derby will have a huge impact on the title race.

That said, Arsenal are going to play against Bayern Munich on Wednesday, so both sides are arguably on a level playing field heading into the weekend's clash.