“A good option” – Maresca admits his two tactical changes could be repeated tomorrow | OneFootball

After a run of bad results culminating in two games where they managed one shot on target in 180 minutes, it was clear that a Chelsea shorn of both its viable strikers desperately needed a change, and the team sheet Enzo Maresca dropped for the game against Aston Villa at the weekend delivered just that.

It may not have brought a win, but there was some good play in the first half, and hey – at least we had shots on target.

There were a few notable Tweaks, with the principle one being the use of Christopher Nkunku wide left while Pedro Neto – usually a winger – played through the middle to challenge in behind with his pace.

Asked in his press conference today whether that was a move that could be repeated, Enzo Maresca didn’t want to give anything away, but he certainly hinted he was thinking about it:

“[It] could be a good option. We tried with Pedro days before the game, we saw he could do that. It was a positive one.”

Neto created the goal when he was released with a long ball over the top and in that one moment he made more of an impact leading the line than Nkunku had in the preceding games.

Maresca open to repeating James tweak too

Reece James battles for possession against Aston Villa. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)

Another change Maresca had made saw him put Reece James out of position in midfield, which helped add some physicality and also released Enzo Fernandez (who scored the goal) to bomb forward more. Maresca was generally pretty positive about that too:

“The performance in general was positive. Enzo was fantastic. Reece struggled in some moments but his performance was very good.”

We don’t expect James back in the middle against Southampton tomorrow, but it’s an option we will likely consider again in the future.