Why Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea Should Be Feared

As one of Pep's many disciples - Enzo Maresca has joined Chelsea with a weight of expectation hanging over his head after successive poor seasons. Adam Clery discusses how he'll set up...
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[@whitecoal8134]

So with the keeper pushing up into the back line Todd Boehly finally got that 443 formation he wanted all along

[@Justcoolanhumble]

😂😂😂

[@rampanswallo]

😂😂😂 this is a good one

[@nahtemerc]

Hilarious how that worked out. 🤣

[@spectaxxx]

Comment of the year

[@kolloh]

goated comment🤣🤣

[@nayeemimani2451]

As a chelsea fan I don’t want to get my hopes up , it’s always the hope that kills you

[@Justcoolanhumble]

Na he’s a great manager I can tell you

[@arfenmalik1717]

​@@Justcoolanhumble Maresca is great but the problem is why does he keep starting the same players that pochettino favoured. We saw how bad the team was last season but pochettino stuck to his favourite players. Maresca has to bench them or loan them out or else it will be a repeat of last season

[@BlueComps_24]

bruh if you don't have any hopes up why do you even watch football

[@pK-kw1zt]

He will turn out like arteta 😂 FA cup and community shield manager

[@christianjohnrojo7966]

I know what you mean. Poch sold us the world last season too

[@83ayodele]

As a Chelsea supporter, I’ll believe it when I see it.

[@pipster1891]

What experts never seem to understand is that plans don't always work.

[@bensmith5288]

Where you from?

[@dedeseth9976]

hope you do now after today's game vs wolves 😂

[@siyabongandlovu]

Are you not entertained

[@tonyd4433]

How's that belief going?

[@tysonngubeni8545]

You said similar things about Poch. You can’t fool me. I am familiar with your game 😅

[@RaftEditz]

And poch didnt do a bad job at Chelsea, we got top 6 and the only reason he left was because of boehly

[@jjtheblue11]

@@RaftEditz Tell me you have no idea what you are talking about without telling me you have no idea what you are talking about. Boehly has nothing to do with the day to day running of the club these days. It was Behdad Egbhali and the sporting directors in the meeting with Poch

[@kobehans7376]

​@@RaftEditzPoch was no good. COle Palmer saved him

[@Edenhazard17-n9z]

Exactly 😂😂😂

[@meentage]

​@RaftEditz he left on mutual consent nothing to do with boehly mate

[@420_Emissary]

That's the second season now Adam's sticking his neck out for us, gotta love the man! I too hope we do well. We have gems in Nkunku, Palmer and Carney. Jackson has everything we want in a striker, just needs consistency. Caicedo will be even better. Lavia is coming back, a fit again James, a newly Euro-crowned version of Cucurella, Noni stepping up etc. We have a decent team at our disposal just need to harness the talent.

[@pipster1891]

"Jackson has everything we want in a striker"...except how to finish.

[@chuwanggyang4061]

This video aged well. You were spot on. You are a tactical prophet.

[@mitcho8649]

The biggest part of Leicester analysis you seem to have missed is they were HUGELY the best team in the league which was nowt to do with Maresca. Team with best players plays well shock.

[@InvaderZim742]

Is that why they were only the 3rd most valuable squad in the championship last season?

[@michaelb1348]

actually everyone was saying that he had a shite team when he joined.

[@willja4297]

enzo more suited to deep role, with caicedo bombing on and counter pressing

[@Erik291098]

Caicedo starting high allows him to drop deep to create space for Palmer, and then inverted James can overlap Palmer and deliver crosses.

[@GD_14-10]

Him liking caicedo to winks kinda put me off really😂

[@Nix-nb3zn]

Enzo only played as an 8 this pre season

[@willja4297]

@@Nix-nb3zn 30 minute sample size while playing alongside lavia or ugochukwu

[@mthobisingubo6990]

That's where Gallagher with him Chelsea is beast of a team

[@gm006b4]

Well done Alan, very good 😄👍

[@ЕвКа-п9п]

Sarri, Potter, Pochettino were promising too

[@jacefitzgibbonTIMB]

Whoa. Adam crossing with my love for chelsea is crazy. Glad hes doing well!

[@hiramcarrero8402]

Enzo F is the perfect harry winks type. He would be world class in that role

[@no1wasgeorgiebest]

You aren't serious

[@hiramcarrero8402]

@@no1wasgeorgiebest I am 100% serious. In his first six months here when he played under potter Enzo played at the base midfield and he looked awesome. If maresca can do the same for Enzo, it would be even better. he needs a lot of touches to make a lot of passes for him to be influential in the game and that’s exactly what Harry did last season for Leicester

[@duckway4733]

That's the role that he did so well in with Argentina. You'll see a massive improvement once he finds form in that position.

[@hiramcarrero8402]

@@duckway4733200000% plus you’ll have so much defensive cover that his lack of athleticism will not be a problem and he’ll be able to control the tempo of the game so much better

[@nickortiz215]

@@no1wasgeorgiebestyou clearly do not know a single thing about football

[@mynqmeis123]

Ik it's just club america but when his system was working they looked unstoppable. Keeping reece as the 3rd cb and having gusto be the inverted full back made all the difference in the world

[@footballfan5048]

Tbf Reece as right back looks like a waste of his offensive talent unless Maresca got a plan to use him on the attacking phase more that's not yet implemented or drilled into them. But if his contribution on the 3 pre-season games will be his role on this system then it would be better to sell Reece with top price and buy another more suited player.

[@TT_2clean]

​@@footballfan5048 Wtf u on abt?

[@WarriorKM35]

@@footballfan5048Nah Reece inverted will be a crazy player over time but for now get him forward whenever we can

[@footballfan5048]

@@WarriorKM35 Can't see how that will be the case. He doesn't have the technique to play progressive pass under pressure nor a left foot to open up passing angle from the middle. Look at Gusto, first time he is used as the inverted role and he showed what he can do. Shown that he is just the right profile for the inverted role. Reece is not.

[@curtarnolds]

Reece is one of the best RWB in the world. Not midfielder, not defender

[@archiebuchan2563]

On Enzo, he’s a bit of a strange one when you map Leicester’s tactics on to Chelsea absolutely but I think he also makes up for a few of the areas where other players in the Chelsea squad don’t fit the tactics. I imagine he’ll be played in a deeper role as a more traditional pivot alongside Caicedo and that gives a few Chelsea players a bit more freedom to do what they naturally want to do. One solution I like is having Cucurella push into the central spot a bit earlier and having Enzo push up from LCM during build up to places where he can pull the strings more, then have Mudryk come in deeper from the LW to collect and run at opposition in more space like he used to have so much success doing. Another solution would be to have Enzo and Caicedo stick as a double pivot more often and have James overlap with Palmer instead of Invert, giving Palmer a ton more freedom to attack space and get away from the touchline and James in the RWB positions that he loves. Another may be to just have Enzo and Caicedo switch as 8 and CDM depending on the attacking move from Chelsea so you can sometimes have Enzo as a more deep line creator, sometimes as a more traditional KDB type.

[@nameanteater4772]

Disappointed that you failed to say “Let’s Chel-see” rather than “Let’s Chelsea F- see”

[@john-francisebunilo6356]

Wonderful analysis... I enjoy your analysis all the time

[@edumarr]

How isn’t Nkunku in you starting 11?

[@Erik291098]

He'll probably be involved in 50+ games next season starting in various positions, but also being a substitute. He might start at LW if Mudryk and Sterling doesn't impress. Selling Gallagher would also give him some playing time in central midfield.

[@GD_14-10]

@@Erik291098blud Nkunku is an outright starter 😂😂

[@confliqted]

@@Erik291098i think ur forgetting that nkunku is a world class footballer, just because he had one season of injury it doesnt mean that u can take that away from him

[@Justfranktalking]

Nkunku is starting for us

[@richardtrueman9093]

Nkunku has had a brilliant preseason

[@alexsmith2630]

Can’t help but think Chelsea had the perfect player for the KDH role in Mason Mount

[@tealsquare]

Absolutely not mate

[@kociananthonyfeveckjr.1282]

Gallagher > KDH

[@djacks247]

Weird lineup but good analysis. Enzo is obviously the 6 since we learned late last season that caicedo is great as an 8. Your description of KDH role was a spot on description of Cole Palmer. You don’t need to force him into the starting lineup just because he’s new. Swap him out for nkunku or palmer

[@GoodsonChiwedza]

Your videos are always satisfying to watch

[@Ibrahim.21]

I don't know but it seems Most managers want to copy PEP. And I don't like it. Hope it works out as a Chelsea fan

[@aftwelve]

Finally a positive Chelsea video. Thx for not hating us

[@elzoemalku4598]

A feel of fresh air

[@notreal1477]

Neutral media surrounding chelsea is rarer than goldust.

[@LanguageCrab]

Looking forward to the Cork City FC video.

[@JonnyHavens]

Given Lavia's preseason form, I'd be shocked if he doesn't start as the lone CDM. Hes been outstanding.

[@Ghfjgjggj123shdhfnfmdk]

Honestly I'm not afraid of Maresca ball because of his history in management. Enzo Maresca had a team full of Premier League footballers and a lot of his team were playing for their country (like Fae) or had been capped (like Vardy), yet he STILL managed to almost bottle a 17 point lead. It's not just that but even Leicester fans think he's shit. Very rarely do "Pep descibles" work, especially in the PL. Arteta has his own ideas and wasn't just a Pep descible he also worked under Arsene Wenger and David Moyes which you can see he's also adapted in his football. He's got different ideologies on the game as well to Guardiola. Kompany and Maresca are just Pep clones, they live and breathe him, they stick to that brand of football no matter what because they claim "It's just how we play" but it's actually because they don't actually know any other way of playing. That works at clubs like Bayern or PSG because the lack of competition but at Chelsea 🤢 Defensively Maresca is weak, his defensive record only came from having a back 4 who all play for their national side. He had a center back partnership who play for Belgium and Denmark ffs. All you have to do is say "go defend" and they'll be the best defense in the league. The best way to describe Maresca is just Pep Guardiola without brain cells

[@theredstonemechanic6838]

What a mad comment lmao, damned if u do because apparently he has the best team ever than can even perform without being coached, why are we acting like that Leicester team was any good before maresca came along, anyway 5 games in now, hope you’re seeing he’s not as rigid as u would’ve thought he was, clearly at Leicester he was simply limited by the talent available to him

[@simplycvrsive]

Im not gonna lie, im also doing mental gymnastics on how to fit enzo in the starting 11 with this formation. Nkunku and cole as well as far as positions are concerned. . . Because, cole and nkunku out wide is a waste but positioning them infield would mean dropping enzo or nkunku but Jackson can rotate with nkunku in game between LW and CF. . . Its a lot.

[@ademkilinc9462]

We've had these videos for a long time lets hope this one finally bangs

[@darriusdias]

An extract from the poem Solarljóð: I saw the sun true star of day drop to the dinning earth; elsewhere I heard the gates of hell groaning, heavy. I saw the sun scored with bloody signs as I was waning in this world fiercer she seemed in many ways than she had before.

[@no1wasgeorgiebest]

Much more sense than any other comment, or this video in general

[@izanudin]

Interesting to who see gets in the side. Who hugs the touchline. What role does Palmer, when I think his ideal position is more central. Also, the box midfield doesn't look physically intimidating and can potentially get bullied around especially aerial-ly.

[@RasenRendanX]

already said Cole will play more central for sure.

[@Aman-ez6km]

Whoo you're right man city feared them 4-2 kind of fear😢.

[@benvictor6329]

It's pre season and he was testing different players so rest

[@aperaiyevictory2762]

You don’t know how long I have waited for this particular video

[@aarondammi8822]

Reece James in Lazarus pit.. that hit😅😅

[@nigelee]

Much appreciation for the Lazarus Pit reference.

[@akbartube88]

You mixed up Justin and Pererria at fullback. It was the RB that inverted

[@Mustang7520]

It just feels to similar to when we brought in Andre Villas-Boas. Young manager with an interesting ideology but who hasn’t proven himself at the top level yet. Let’s hope he doesn’t have a similar career to AVB.

[@Erik291098]

I think we will see a lot of rotations between Caicedo, Palmer and James. They will end up in quite different places from where they start in early build up.

[@pipster1891]

James will end up in the treatment room or suspended.

[@420booth]

Most positive video about Chelsea I've seen all summer. Happy to go with the glass half full approach, til City knock it over on Sunday.

[@veo1123]

Only thing I'm personally worried about is how he's gonna utilize Palmer. I feel like if he is forced to always be pushed out on the wing it could greatly reduce his impact in the game. Which is TERRIBLE since he's out best player.

[@RasenRendanX]

why would cole be pushed out to the wing? its already said that cole will play more centrally by the mgr. cole cant play on the wing in this system. he isnt a pure winger. noni is.

[@veo1123]

@@RasenRendanX Yeah but that’s what I’m worried about. In Enzo’s system all 3 of his midfielders have responsibility to track back & have high motors. I don’t think there’s really a CAM position in his system more like 1 cdm & 2 cm which I think will hinder Cole just a little. Only time will tell however.

[@glowwurm9365]

Enzo is almost un-pressable on his day and his range of passing is better than Caciedo. Going to be interesting to see how he makes it work because we also have to slot in Lavia into that three. Feels to me like Caicedo with his ability to press would be better suited to the number 8 role, supporting Hall or Nkunku who would be naturally playing higher up the pitch. Obviously they've just bough in a GK so i assume Maresca is content with the purchase. We just need a proper CF now and i think this squad is good to go.

[@tswelopeleseleka9641]

a well pressing + aerial threat striker in Victor Osihmen myt help Chelsea break into that top 4 spot over Villa myb

[@petertyson4022]

Great explanation how this works. Like the the jokes as well 😊👍

[@bythecliff]

This time last year you were saying that Chelsea might win the league. Look how that turned out.

[@pipster1891]

I don't know how people who predict the future keep getting paid for it.

[@chrisformosa7305]

Adam your videos always fill me with unbridled confidence so thank you, but the team always let me down

[@phattrick87]

FINALLY! 😂 Top shelf, as per usual 👌

[@yayabased]

Great video. Well done.

[@3LevelsofLeadership]

Really insightful, thank you.

[@nicholasboyd-gibbins9763]

Great as always!!

[@MauriceFidel]

I've waited for this forever😂😂

[@lewisblackwiththenicehair]

Adam Cleary could present the plot of Lost in a concise and easy to understand manner

[@mosesprince7349]

En waiting for this.. keep it up bro

[@53232adrian]

Kdh made that exact same pass to giui like he did to vardy during the preseason. He is the perfect signing for mareska ball.

[@sirkelvinkabwenonde9783]

Good analysis bro

[@djcrossie]

Judging by pre season the only thing we'll see is Chelsea conceding a ton of goals and looking like a defensive shambles

[@OKEBEHENDRICKS]

Amazing halaand on your T-shirt is better problem to me as a Chelsea fan right now

[@GoodsonChiwedza]

Very satisfactory analysis

[@onii-chan2811]

Nice shirt. I love it.

[@adb_500]

6 goals conceded in one and half games

[@johndeighan2495]

Some good football, some iffy results and lots of optimistic fans telling each other to "trust the process". That's what I expect from Maresca's first season.

[@RasenRendanX]

worked for arsenal didnt it?

[@johndeighan2495]

@@RasenRendanX yup, might work for chelsea too if he's given time.

[@notfunnyx2]

Why can’t the Chelsea fans accept that Enzo Fernandez is not good enough.

[@JordanDrury]

The thing that seems to let us down every season is finishing. For all the tactics and analysis, our players have the yips up front and waste chance after chance. Except Palmer obviously.

[@umarmars47]

Our pre-season was disappointing though, I hope they'll get better when season starts

[@jamesnorman7231]

Brilliant video mate

[@kaelopitse5956]

this seasons chelsea squad is soo good on paper one of the best in the league

[@jin12345678]

are we looking at the same squad lmao I'm not saying they can't do well this season, but on paper they come nowhere near best in the league in terms of quality and depth

[@abdimusa5526]

@@jin12345678 lol depth is the one thing we DEFINITELY have. and we are also on paper the best team in the prem

[@Justcoolanhumble]

@@jin12345678we got the best midfielder best fullback best rw in Palmer if nkunku stays fit he’s clear so yes we have a top squad

[@saindst]

@@jin12345678 I know you don't want to overhype, but in all honesty on paper, they may even be second best. But most likely 3rd.

[@WastingTime1878]

@@abdimusa5526you lot are so deluded its funny.

[@gcleeter2261]

Do you think Osimhen first this system or do you think Chelsea are better with Jackson or Guiu?

[@greg2502]

I don't think we beed the expensive gamble that is Oshimen . He had a bad season last term at Napoli and did little in the African Cup. Go with Nico and Guii

[@iandshaw]

In all those clips praising what Dewbury-Hall does, I'm sat there thinking, "that's exactly where Nkunku like to be". I suppose we have a lot of games to play, so KDH will be a useful rotation option.

[@alturabi_1]

Do you think it will work for palmer ? He looks solid in the middle. Madueke looks solid on the wing. Might be tough to see how he incorporates this

[@RasenRendanX]

how? it was already said that Cole will play more central. he won play ong the right wing cuz he isnt a pure winger

[@alturabi_1]

@@RasenRendanX have you watched the vid???

[@dbricker123]

Hope you are right Adam. The match against Club América was an improvement, but the best Prem sides might destroy CFC until the system really takes hold. CFC have the players to make Enzo look like a genius.

[@iirovaltonen4258]

The only people who should be afraid of Maresca's Chelsea is the board because they actually have hope. Fans, players and everyone else knows that Chelsea is not even a paper tiger, its a paper squirrel.

[@Joe_Wamambo]

top sense of humor

[@GOATBryan10]

Nice video mate but please setup the team with the right players in the right positions next time

[@judas57650]

chelsea first team just got beaten by man c kids🙄

[@andrew_rubia]

Please no. Not another season of this. Not another season of Chelsea are actually good despite being awful in reality. 😢

[@rezze]

Graham Potter season coming vibe.

[@jsbach6529]

Biggest issue for me 3+ yrs running is the wretched, lugubrious build-up play with zero incisive movement and largely sideways passing (under Tuchel, Poch et. al.). The Atlanta friendly makes it clear this was, as I suspected, a coaching deficit and not an inherent player skill issue (how could it be?). Solving that alone will satisfy many a Chelsea fan even w/o immediate Champions League placing, and Maresca becomes an instant hero.

[@TheKatchutes]

Enzo in the winks role mate. Caicedo box to box in the right 8, Hall left 8, NkuNku left wing, Palmer right wing. 🙏 I pray this is what happens

[@deepanmurugan467]

Enzo will be the deepest midfielder. Caicedo/Lavia will be the more adventurous dynamic CM that will venture further forward. KDH will be advanced 8. Nkunku LW. Palmer RW. Some games Palmer advanced 8 KDH drops out.

[@paulsilemu8099]

Waited for this video 😂

[@himdailungpamei983]

I think Maresca's job will be less of a tactical problem to solve and more of a man management issue. We have plenty of good players but we can't play all of them, we have to enable our best players with other supporting players who have the necessary skillsets. Like Adam says, Caicedo needed another defensive partner to provide cover and fight for 2nd balls which Cucurella did. You might have a better midfield without Enzo, and playing Lavia more. But upper management will be pressuring Maresca to play their big money names ie., Sterling, Mudryk, Enzo, etc who might not be a good fit. The sqaud building has been confusing, but if they've decided on a specific direction, then they need to be bold and ship out the players who don't fit in. The SDs need to be bold and not fall for the sunk cost fallacy.

[@jsn_alva]

Do you think it makes more sense for neto to play on the right and palmer on the left under Maresca? One thing that grinds my gears is when players lose their advantage over an opponent because they cut inside to their natural foot.

[@motherbear5997]

Cole Palmer probably better than Dewsbury Hall in that role

[@GodknowsTendeukaiMbedzi]

You nailed it

[@kdriscoll57]

Excellent video

[@dalmar5567]

One of the best mangers out there

[@Demon1987AS]

The best football content and presenter on KZbin.

[@obi-wankenobi5766]

“Don’t do that, don’t give me hope”

[@SpiritualLivingPlatform]

I cannot agree more with you. It's just a matter of time.

[@crazygiraffe3002]

can you do a review of West hams tatics

[@azarikajuma108]

we’re currently losing to inter in a friendly at the moment 😂

[@duncan2858]

Difference is Leicester had by far the best squad in the Championship. We have far from the best in the Premiership.

[@Gos1234567]

Had to turn off after he’s acting like the goalie was another defender,keep pissing around like that and you’ll eventually get caught out and leak goals

[@SrikkanthG]

100% I concur about rhe Enzo Fernandes role. He is not a No 8 and not a half space specialist. The only role is No 6, which is currently occupied by Lavia.

[@curtarnolds]

Lavia does it better

[@chikejunior1250]

@@curtarnoldsit’s just a sad fact. Lavia is much better. Enzo will be a problem for us this season.

[@notfunnyx2]

Finally someone that sees that Enzo Fernandez is not good enough.

[@kellycriterion1019]

Enzo Fernandez is very good enough. He is very good.

[@commentarytalk1446]

What do you think of losing Gallagher? Feels like he was a solid work-horse in midfield for Chelsea. As for Chelsea, not sure if "Save A Donkey" ad is running to fit the algorithm of key words here... tbh they did seem to be gaining steam and momentum towards end of last season and have spent a lot of money and gone through a lot of managers.

[@midweekmike]

I don't think this will work at Chelsea😂

[@tcf2142]

Enzo is better suited alongside inverted fb instead of being played further ahead.poch misprofiled him.caicedo can play in the midfield.its not that complex.lavia comes off the bench

[@JoshGalliano]

Oh yeah... Nkunku golden boot winner. They ain't ready for nkunku, Palmer and neto. 💯💯💙💪💥💥

[@Temarisboy]

Yay Adam time

[@cliveomahoney4096]

Can't wait for your C Palmer special edition.

[@srijakbhattacharyya3063]

You'd think they'd keep a player like Gallagher around whose entire game is based on pressing, high intensity and winning the ball back in midfield

[@bgrg]

With Maresca, Boehly's Chelsea can finally play 4-4-3

[@justinmwase1057]

I see what you did there

[@edgarluisdiaz6965]

I really appreciate you trying to speak Spanish! Fue un buen intento!

[@iamjordonbarnett]

Can’t wait to watch Chelsea play this season. It’ll be a fun experiment.

[@stegsjenga5088]

I watched Coventry beat Leicester at home last season, and Maresca very much looked like he had no plan B. Well, maybe it was just a bad day.