“Is Maresca finally changing?”, “He’s changed tactics now” - Fans confused after seeing ‘interesting’ Chelsea line-up vs Aston Villa
Fans on social media shared their confusion at Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca selecting an 'interesting' lineup for their match against Aston Villa on Saturday. Both clubs are set to face off at Villa Park in the Premier League where the Blues will look to return to the top four if other results go their way.
Maresca looks to have opted for a back-three defense, which could see Levi Colwill, Trevoh Chalobah, and Reece James at centre-back. It seems as though Malo Gusto and Marc Cucurella will play as wing-backs, with Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo in the holding midfield.
The front line looks to have Pedro Neto and Cole Palmer flanking striker Christopher Nkunku, although Palmer could work in a slightly deeper playmaking role. This is a surprising difference from the Blues' usual 4-3-3 formation, and fans have responded to the lineup with comments like these:
"It looks like a 3 back of James Colwill and chalobah with Gusto and cucurella as wing back , is Maresca finally changing?" a fan asked.
"Back 5 interesting, he’s changed tactics now" this fan added.
"Who is playing striker??" another fan was confused.
"Back 5 for once from Maresca!?" a fourth was stunned.
"That looks like a change of formation.... maybe a 4-3-3 with James in the midfield... or the same formation with Gusto on a wing." this fan mused.
"Finally Maresca listened to me, James in the CM" another fan agreed.
"this is interesting.." a fan said.
"I think its a back three" another figured.
Enzo Maresca rues injury situation with key players unavailable for Chelsea
Enzo Maresca has spoken about Chelsea's injury situation, which has affected the Blues' run of form in recent times this season. While they had a bright start to the campaign - losing twice in 17 league games - things have turned in the wrong direction.
In their last eight games, Chelsea have won just twice. It has raised questions about whether they can finish in the top four, as was the expectation with their run of form earlier in the season. Maresa said to the press (via BBC):
"We spent almost all the season in the top four and with 13 games to go, the target, for sure, is top four. We will try our best to achieve that knowing the difficult moment we have now with five or six significant players out."
Chelsea have a number of unavailable players, including Wesley Fofana, Romeo Lavia, Nicolas Jackson, Marc Guiu, and Noni Madueke.
