“He’s so wrong with this” “He needs to change it” – Enzo Maresca told he is still doing this one thing wrong as Chelsea manager
Paul Merson has explained that there’s a part of Chelsea’s game that he’s desperate for Enzo Maresca to change.
Overall, Enzo Maresca has made an impressive start to his reign as Chelsea manager. The Italian head coach arrived in the summer from Leicester City and has hit the ground running in west London.
There’s no doubt that Maresca has inherited a talented set of players, but the way he’s quickly took control of the Blues squad is super impressive.
He’s got a fairly settled starting line-up in the Premier League performing well, with the side currently fourth in the table. Meanwhile, he’s rotated heavily in cup competitions to keep everyone involved.
Chelsea have scored a league-high tally of 15 goals in their opening six top-flight matches as they flex their attacking muscles. However, the defence may need some work as they’ve leaked seven goals in that same time.
Interestingly, speaking via ESPN recently, Frank Leboeuf begged Maresca’s Chelsea to stop playing out from the back. We doubt that the coach will abandon his philosophy and methods after watching his journey at Leicester last season, though.
Paul Merson message for Enzo Maresca
Paul Merson has suggested that the way Maresca’s Chelsea are trying to build from the back is wrong because it doesn’t suit them.
In fairness, the Blues have already been caught out several times this season when losing possession deep in their own half. Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez was guilty of doing just that and it led to conceding in the weekend’s 4-2 win over Brighton.
“I can’t knock Chelsea’s start but they’ve got to change this obsession with playing out of the back,” Merson told Sky Sports.
“You go and watch them and you’re squeezing your programme every time they try it. They pass out, and you’re anxious the whole time. It’s not like watching Man City or Arsenal, the way they flow through the press. It’s like grabbing onto your seat stuff.
“Chelsea can hurt anyone on their day, but on other days they will hurt themselves because it’s not completely fluid. You can’t keep scoring four goals every week.”
Do Chelsea have the right personnel?
First of all, we predict Chelsea supporters will see many more possession-based errors in their own half from now until the end of the season. Ultimately, Maresca is a modern coach who likes to build from the back, and it’s up to his players to adapt and improve.
We’ve got confidence in centre-halves Wesley Fofana and Levi Colwill to build out from the defence with relative confidence. The same goes for any of the club’s full-backs, too.
Blues goalkeeper Sanchez is someone we’ve still got our reservations about in that aspect, so he’s definitely someone to watch closely in the next few months.