Undroppable Chelsea star is their new Oscar

Enzo Maresca has got off to a wonderful start with his new club, tallying up 22 points after 12 games played in the Premier League, only losing to Manchester City and Liverpool this season.

Chelsea are averaging 55.4% possession this season (5th highest in the division), taking 14.2 shots per game (7th most in the league), have scored 23 goals (2nd highest), and have only been conceding 12.1 shots per game (7th lowest).

The squad Maresca has inherited is young and full of talent after previous windows of spending, but Chelsea were busy again this summer with Maresca at the helm, looking to equip the Italian with all the necessary tools to take the Blues back to the top.

Chelsea’s 2024/25 summer transfer window

Chelsea spent a total of £198.2m over the summer, bringing ten new players through the door on a permanent basis. In order to afford this, the Blues also had to make some sales, with 11 players departing from the club on permanent deals.

The biggest signing of the summer for the Blues was Pedro Neto, joining from Wolves after costing around £51.3m upfront. Since joining, Neto has impressed a great deal, making 15 appearances, scoring three goals and providing three assists.

Chelsea also made one temporary signing, bringing Jadon Sancho in on an initial loan deal from Manchester United.

The obligated fee at the end of the season is expected to be around £20-25m. But perhaps the most intriguing signing of the summer, was the return of a certain individual whose playstyle is reminiscent of the ex-Chelsea Brazilian, Oscar.

Chelsea’s new Oscar

João Félix returned to Chelsea this year, having spent six months on loan with the club back in 2023, scoring four goals in 16 Premier League appearances during his first time in London.

So far this season, the 25-year-old has made 11 appearances in all competitions, scoring five goals, providing one assist, and totalling 634 minutes played.

The Portuguese attacking midfielder looks hungry to impress Maresca, adding extra qualities to his toolset, looking to break his way into the first team.

Felix started against Leicester at the weekend, playing 81 minutes, completing four out of eight dribble attempts and providing one key pass in proper Oscar-esque fashion.

But it was actually his defensive efforts that stood out, not something Felix is known for in his career, showing his hunger to improve and showing Maresca his willingness to work hard on both sides of the ball, to benefit the team.

Felix made three tackles, winning nine of his 16 ground duels, more than any other player on the pitch during the game. This is something the former Atletico star could begin to offer in a better capacity than Chelsea’s superstar, Cole Palmer, in that number ten position.

Palmer vs Felix comparison

Palmer joined Chelsea from Manchester City back in the 2023/24 summer transfer window, signing for a fee of around £40m plus £2.5m in add-ons, signing a seven-year deal at the club.

Since joining, the 22-year-old has made 59 appearances for the Blues, scoring 32 goals, providing 20 assists, and totalling 4,708 minutes played.

These metrics above show how the two can complement each other, with Felix more of a carrying creator, offering more shot volume, clever runs into the box, and the ability to ghost past his man in tight spaces. Meanwhile, the England international is a better passing creator, having a great range of passes, making 2.76 key passes per 90, while offering a goal threat of his own and helping in the build-up phase.

Against low-block sides, when Chelsea will have a lot of the ball in the opposition half, it would be a huge positive to get both of these creative players in the team together, linking up to create in smaller spaces, using their on-ball qualities to benefit the team and produce chances.

Both Palmer and Felix like to operate in the number ten position, given more freedom to roam, pick up the ball, and show their quality in the final third. However, with there only being one attacking midfield position in the team, Maresca will have to rearrange things in order to get both in the same XI and allow both to operate in those central zones.

Maresca’s double-pocket players

We saw with the Leicester game that Maresca has plenty of ideas on how to provide Chelsea with these ‘double pocket players’, having two number tens in the half spaces and in this case, having a full-back overlap to provide width, whilst the natural winger occupies the half-space.

Chelsea often did this last season, by having Palmer drift inside from the right wing, often joining Conor Gallagher in the middle of the pitch. Gallagher was extremely hard-working but was often criticised for his quality in tight spaces, and therefore his suitability on the ball in those areas.

This is yet another string to Maresca’s tactical bow, having the ability to get some of his best central creators into the same team, meaning Chelsea can make decisions based on the opposition’s defensive schemes.

Sometimes, the Blues may opt for their two more natural wingers holding the width, and a full-back inverting into either deeper or advanced midfield. On other occasions, we could see a full-back providing width, getting an extra central creator into the team, making them less predictable going forward.

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