Chelsea have averaged 59.4% so far this season (the sixth highest in the league), scoring eight goals in their opening four games, only bettered by Manchester City’s 11 goals.
Six of those goals came against Wolves in their second game, with Noni Madueke scoring a hat-trick, Cole Palmer and Nicolas Jackson also grabbing one, while João Félix also got on the scoresheet on his return to Chelsea blue.
However, they have also conceded five goals in the opening four games, still showing signs of defensive vulnerability, something Maresca will need to work on further if Chelsea want to solidify a spot in the top four.
As such, a change in the backline could be warranted this weekend for the trip to face London rivals, West Ham United.
Axel Disasi’s game in numbers vs Bournemouth
In Chelsea’s most recent game away at AFC Bournemouth, Axel Disasi was hooked after 62 minutes, having lost both of his two duels as well as losing possession nine times playing in an unnatural right-back position.
The Frenchman showed a lack of composure on the ball, often booting it long instead of getting it down, and looking to play out from the back.
Disasi made 44 appearances for the Blues last season in all competitions, scoring three goals, contributing to ten clean sheets, and totalling 3,690 minutes played. Eight of those appearances came as a right-back (filling in for Reece James and Malo Gusto when injured), whilst the other 35 appearances were in his natural central defence role.
The 26-year-old lacks the recovery pace and ball manipulation qualities to play at right-back, especially in a system like Maresca’s, which requires him to circulate possession under pressure, looking to break the lines and find passes into the midfielders.
With this being said, Chelsea have the perfect solution to their James and Gusto injuries, which can avoid putting Disasi in this unnatural position, and it comes in a creative form.
Chelsea’s unorthodox solution at right-back
Described as “magnificent” by Jacek Kulig, Chelsea’s all-round midfielder, Moises Caicedo, has many strings to his bow, one of them being the ability to fill in at right-back. This is something the Ecuadorian did on three occasions for Brighton during the 2022/23 campaign, inverting from right-back into midfield for Roberto De Zerbi’s side.
This would allow Chelsea to continue inverting their right-side fullback (as they had with Gusto), keeping the team dynamic familiar. Caicedo has all the required qualities, including ball retention, passing ability, and recovery speed, allowing him to get back into shape from the inverted role.
Caicedo stats (24/25 so far) | |
|---|---|
Stats (per 90 mins) | Caicedo |
Progressive Carries | 1.32 |
Progressive Carries | 3.68 |
Passes Attempted | 60.8 |
Pass Completion % | 89.6% |
Passes into Final Third | 4.74 |
Tackles | 3.42 |
Blocks | 1.58 |
Interceptions | 2.11 |
Stats taken from FBref | |
Caicedo adds progressive passing when inverting into midfield, the ability to take the ball in tight areas and play through the lines under pressure. But he also offers defensive security, making 3.42 tackles per 90, and 2.11 interceptions per 90, showing his willingness to get his hands dirty.
By playing Caicedo in this role, it will allow Chelsea to field another midfielder/attacker, with the Ecuador midfielder inverting centrally alongside Enzo Fernandez for example, potentially allowing for the inclusion of Christopher Nkunku as an advanced number eight.
While it remains to be seen if Maresca will actually adopt this approach on Saturday, this tactical tweak is certainly something to consider for the clash at the London Stadium.
