Enzo Maresca maintained that Chelsea does not have a “many players” roster and proceeded to disclose the preferred position of each of his forwards.
Chelsea has been accused of possessing an excessively large squad.
The presence of an excessive number of strikers presented Maresca with a predicament.
Manager approved each individual’s assigned role.
This summer has been another eventful one for Chelsea, as the team has added 11 players to its roster. Pedro Neto, Jadon Sancho, and Joao Felix are among the notable individuals who will be competing for a starting position.
The substantial increase in talent in the attacking third has caused some to question whether Maresca may be confronted with an abundance of options. Nevertheless, the manager is unconcerned and disclosed that the strategy was to have a minimum of two players in each attacking position.
Maresca clarified prior to Chelsea’s match against West Ham: “We have Jadon and Misha [Mudryk] as left-wingers.” Pedro and Noni comprise our right-wing contingent. Joao Felix and Cole serve as our attacking midfielders. Nicolas, Christo, and Marc comprise our No. 9 team. We have two athletes for each position; we do not have a large number of players.
He further stated, “Christo is capable of operating as a winger, an attacking midfielder, or a No. 9.” Kiernan [Dewsbury-Hall] is capable of playing both in the pocket and out wide. Pedro was utilized as a left-winger due to Jadon’s absence and lack of fitness. Nevertheless, I ultimately favored Pedro for that particular match over Jadon and Misha. However, this does not necessarily indicate that I will consistently favor Pedro. Therefore, the squad’s positions are quite evident. Each player occupies a distinct position, and we have two participants in each position. However, we can certainly relocate them due to their versatility, proficiency, and ability to perform in various positions. For instance, Christo served as a winger during the inaugural match against Manchester City.
In the narrow 1-0 victory over Bournemouth, Chelsea supporters observed Maresca capitalize on the depth of the squad. The match was initiated by the manager with Neto, Palmer, Madueke, and Jackson. However, in the second half, Felix, Sancho, and Nkunku were introduced to alter the dynamic of the game. He was vindicated when Sancho and Nkunku combined to score the winning goal late in regulation time.
Maresca’s attacking alternatives will be eagerly anticipated by supporters as the London derby against West Ham approaches. Jackson, who has started all of Chelsea’s first four Premier League matches this season and has scored two goals and provided an assist, is expected to continue to lead the line. Palmer and Nkunku may be assigned to assist Sancho in the offensive.
