Chelsea fans can expect to see this Maresca idea in the Premier League more after big win | OneFootball

We had been speculating about Chelsea’s lineup for tonight’s game, and with 20 minutes played we were already starting to get some answers.

We had initially thought that it was going to be a pretty simple back four, with Renato Veiga at left back, Axel Disasi and Benoit Badiashile at centre back, then Marc Cucurella out of position at right back. Or perhaps the same with Veiga and Cucurella swapped.

That would allow the the team to keep the same 4231 formation that’s been consistently deployed between the A team and the B team so far this season.

But it’s a little more complex than that, it seems. At least in possession, the team are doing some interesting things. It’s basically a back 3 of Axel Disasi, Benoit Badiashile and Renato Veiga. Badiashile looks really good dominating the centre and baiting the press.

Then Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Enzo Fernandez make up a pretty flimsy pivot. It’s certainly not one we’d expect to be repeated in a tougher game. Marc Cucurella steps up from left back to help out in the middle when the team are on the ball.

It’s an interesting system, we’ve seen Cucurella do well in that role before, and Malo Gusto could certainly do it if he plays on the left this weekend.

Enzo Maresca speaks during a Conference League press conference (Image: Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC)

Maresca gets to work on new systems

Enzo Maresca has kept things largely pretty steady this season so far, and hasn’t done any of the fancy tactical innovations some people suspected he might. But this sort of 3-2 build up pattern is clearly something he’s been building towards since he arrived. The pressure of getting immediate results is always going to slow things down, but the Conference League can be a useful lab to try these things out.

We expect more of this in the cup games to come – and eventually to see it fully implemented in the Premier League too.