Chelsea have faced substantial criticism over the past two seasons for purchasing numerous young talents at high prices, especially in their attack, which now consists of nine players who could comfortably start at other clubs in Europe’s top-five leagues.
This tactical analysis explains how Enzo Maresca has been integrating all his attackers into a playing style that has enabled them to score goals easily in the Premier League this season.
We’ll examine the key tactics that have been implemented, allowing them to break down opposing defenders in the Premier League.
This season alone, they’ve spent €238m on transfers, with an average player age of 22.9; the market value of these players totals €456m.
Speculation has frequently swirled around how Chelsea would fit all these players into a cohesive system and keep them content, especially after previous managers like Graham Potter and Mauricio Pochettino struggled to do so.
Now, it’s up to Enzo Maresca tactics to try and uplift Chelsea after a few rough seasons.
Responding to critics, Maresca himself stated, “I work with 21 players. The other 15-20 are training apart,” pushing back on questions about the size of his squad.
Chelsea has been doing well this season, sitting in seventh place with 14 points in eight games.
They have scored 17 goals—the third-most in the league—and won both games in the UECL.
Chelsea has been missing a robust and consistent attack for quite some time; the last time they had a formidable offence that competed on the European stage and dominated the Premier League was with Eden Hazard and Diego Costa.
Since then, attacks have come and gone with inconsistent results.
While they won the Champions League in 2021, much of the credit went to their monstrous defence and midfield.
This year, however, shows promise as the team starts to unite around their coachs philosophy and will compete in the 2025 Club World Cup in the United States.
Enzo Maresca Style Of Play
Enzo Maresca style of play was heavily influenced by his time learning from Pep Guardiolas tactics, which brings a progressive and flexible approach to Chelseas tactical setup.
Enzo Marescas coaching philosophy emphasises fluid, possession-based play with structured build-up from the back.
Maresca is known for utilising adaptable formations and pressing strategies that allow his players to transition smoothly between offensive and defensive phases.
At Chelsea, he aims to maximise player versatility, encouraging midfielders like Enzo Fernández and Moisés Caicedo to fit seamlessly into his system by adapting to different roles and responsibilities on the pitch.
A critical aspect of Marescas coaching style is his focus on controlling the game tempo and effectively exploiting spaces.
Enzo Maresca Tactics
Enzo Maresca Chelsea attack leverages central overloads and fluid positioning to create dynamic forward momentum.
By inverting full-backs like Malo Gusto and Marc Cucurella, Chelsea established control in the middle of the park, linking the defence and midfield through quick, short passes.
This structure frees up players like Enzo Fernández and Moisés Caicedo to push forward, supporting Cole Palmer, who acts as a versatile number 10.
Palmer’s ability to connect with wingers like Mykhailo Mudryk and Noni Madueke stretches defences wide, opening central channels.
With Nicolás Jackson’s movement to pull defenders, Chelsea’s setup enables rapid, high-tempo transitions from possession to attack, maximising space and offensive depth.
Chelsea Shot Map
As shown in the Chelsea shot map below, Chelsea are overperforming their xG of 25.64 with 28 non-penalty goals, indicating an improvement in their finishing.
Chelsea Penetrating Carries Map
The focus here isn’t the quantity of penetrating carries but where these carries originate.
Observing the edges of the penalty box, you’ll notice they favour the corners, opting for penetrating runs from wide areas rather than centrally.
Their wingers execute dari
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