Enzo Maresca is an impressive manager and a determined individual. But even he has his work cut out for him. Chelsea is a team that has derailed the careers of a few promising managers across recent seasons. Still, Maresca believes in his tactics and methods to revive the London club.
But how will the Italian, former manager of Leicester City, go about things? Today, I am looking at Enzo Maresca’s tactics used at Chelsea in the 2024/2025 season.
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Enzo Maresca’s Career So Far
Enzo Maresca’s profile is not that of the kind of manager that most football fans would associate with the Chelsea job. After all, only recently, Mauricio Pochettino and Graham Potter held the position. However, bringing in Maresca may just be a bold and clever decision on the part of Todd Boehly, Chelsea’s American owner.
Enzo Maresca was not a superstar but enjoyed an impressive career as a footballer nonetheless. As a skilled, energy-filled, deep-lying playmaker, Maresca represented clubs such as Juventus, Fiorentina and Sevilla. He retired in 2016, having won a Serie A trophy, two UEFA Cup trophies, and a European Super Cup.
Maresca spent time in the dressing of some of Europe’s finest teams. Part of his confidence and occasional arrogance as a manager comes from this time. This attitude is also aided by the fact that Maresca, like Mikel Arteta, was one of Pep Guardiola’s pupils at Manchester City, being responsible, primarily, for working with the team’s youth players.
The Italian’s first solo foray into management happened in 2021 when he took the job at Parma. But failed to meet the team’s objective and be promoted to Serie A.
In 2023, Maresca became the manager of Leicester City. The former EPL champions had just been relegated. Playing exciting attacking football, the Foxes secured immediate promotion back to the top tier.
Maresca was deemed the man most responsible for this success. Consequently, with Chelsea looking for a new manager and with few established managers willing to drop their hat in the ring, the former Manchester City coach was appointed manager of the famous London club.
Football Philosophy
Enzo Maresca, it will surprise a few people, has a very modern approach to football. This doesn’t make him unique from any of the managers working for top Premier League clubs. It’s his attention to detail and his man management that may just help set him apart.
Maresca, ideally, wants his teams to control possession and to build from the back through short, slow passes. Playing short and at a reduced tempo means that players must possess excellent technical skills as well as tactical awareness. Leicester won the Championship and scored so many goals by always trying to be the dominant of the two teams in every game.
The current Chelsea manager wants to see the player on the ball being given passing options by his teammates. The team needs to always have an extra, free man. For example, building from deep begins with a pass from the goalkeeper. At Leicester, Hermansen distinguished himself as a great ball-playing keeper. Defenders would drop down to help him make the short pass and midfielders would assemble to help them transition into a more attacking phase.
Also vital is the use of space and the way that the team’s central midfielders interpret it. When building up, full-backs will move into a more central position. This enables the team’s central midfielders, essentially creative number eights, to move into attacking roles, acting almost as inside forwards and helping create a five-man attacking line (along with the striker and wingers).
The use of space, as well as the freedom allotted to the central midfielders, veritable registas at various time in the game, bring to mind Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, as well as the tenets of 2000’s Serie A tactics.
Formations Used by Enzo Maresca
Maresca, as mentioned, has adopted many of the same tactics used by other successful football managers. The Italian manager likes to play in a 4-2-3-1 formation or start in a 4-3-3. Most EPL teams choose a similar approach.
However, it is the roles given to the players chosen for the starting line-up that help to distinguish Maresca from other managers. As mentioned, Maresca likes to use a brave ball-playing goalkeeper, inverted full-backs comfortable on the ball, and a double pivot made up of tactically aware midfielders.
When attacking, the team tends to resemble a 2-3-5 formation or a 3-2-4-1.
This tactical setup is not easy to make work. Maresca is highly dependent on the players he has at his disposal. As manager of Chelsea this is both a blessing and a curse.
Todd Boehly’s Controversial Transfer Policy
A lot has been made of Todd Boehly, Chelsea’s relatively new American owner, and the club’s proclivity to purchase too many young players for enormous transfer fees.
Potter and Pochettino never quite came to terms with Chelsea’s squad size. Still, Maresca seems to want to focus on the good part – the squad is full of exciting talent.
At the start of the 2024/2025 season, it was reported that Chelsea had 53 players show up to the training camp. While this is true, I should also mention that some of these players have been loaned out, transferred out, or are not training with the senior team anymore.
While The Blues already had this rich club problem last season, the club still brought in new players. Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall was brought in from Leicester at Maresca’s request. Pedro Neto was signed for an additional £54m. Jadon Sancho was loaned out from Manchester United, and Joao Felix was re-signed for £45m before the end of the window.
A number of other promising youngsters that, most likely, won’t get to wear the Chelsea jersey were signed this Summer.
However, the club also managed to sell some of its players, including Romelu Lukaku and Conor Gallagher, for a good chunk of change. Meanwhile, players like Malang Sarr, Raheem Sterling and Kepa Arrizabalaga were loaned out or let go for free.
Chelsea in Attack
Enzo Maresca’s biggest challenge to implementing his tactics at Chelsea will be to make sense of the talented, but unbalanced squad that the Blues have at their disposal. So far, things have been working out well. At the time of writing, Chelsea are fifth in the league, having secured a few convincing victories.
Maresca wants Chelsea to be a team that suffocates the opponent through long spells of possession. They do this through slow, deliberate passes and aggressive pressing.
As mentioned, Maresca wants Chelsea always to have a free player when the team is in possession. The team builds form the back. His ability to pass the ball is one of the main reasons why Robert Sanchez has remained Chelsea’s number 1.
Marc Cucurella‘s passing ability and tactical awareness has meant that the Spaniard has adapted easily to his role of invited full-back. Chelsea can easily go to a box midfield. Malo Gusto’s transition to this role on the right flank remains a work in progress.
Ball control from the defending players is essential for Chelsea because the Blues’ attackers should remain high up the pitch at all times. Cole Palmer is Maresca’s most important player. He needs to float around the box, and demand passes from his teammates. Nicolas Jackson or Noni Madueke’s role is to create space for him by moving defenders out of position.
Chelsea in Defense
Chelsea is not a defensive powerhouse just yet. But the team is progressing in the right direction under Maresca. This makes sense. The large number of players that have been brought in have needed time to get acquainted with one another.
Although the team starts in a 4-2-3-1 formation, the team tends to move to a 4-4-2 when out of possession. This allows for two players to press the keeper and defenders when they are on the ball. Ideally, this will force the opposition into having to make a risky long pass. Chelsea’s midfielders will then collectively charge the middle of the pitch and rescue back possession.
These high turnovers aren’t yet working ideally, but quite famously, Chelsea has invested in transferring some of the most promising defensive midfielders in the world. World champion Enzo Fernandez currently partners with Moises Caicedo in the double pivot roles. Romeo Lavia, who has currently returned from injury is another option for Maresca.
Also, after many attempts at finding a suitable central defender duo, Maresca seems to have found a solution that he is happy with. Levi Colwill and Tosin Adarabiyo have been preferred in these roles, and results are improving.
If we look at the number of successful tackles made by the defensive lines and the pivots, there is clearly work to be done. Caicedo, for example, has won 11 tackles out of 21. Fernandez has won 6 in 10. But Maresca has young players of the great potential that he can mould.
Mistakes may be part of the learning process, but there are still plenty Chelsea’s players are making. Chelsea’s defenders make a high number of fouls in dangerous areas and don’t yet have the experience to defend against experienced, skilful players.
What’s Next for Maresca and Chelsea?
Enzo Maresca is not a miracle worker. He has not changed the fortunes of the two teams that he has managed overnight. Indeed, Leicester City became a better team as the season progressed.
Many of the tactical elements that Maresca brings to the table are not wholly innovative. But they work as long as they are drilled into the team setup. This Chelsea side can improve the longer they have to work together and with their new manager.
If this doesn’t work or if the board lose patience with Maresca, both the manager and the Chelsea return to ground zero, and will need to start building from the bottom up. However, the signs are positive.
