Chelsea supporters have now had their first peak at what life will be like under Enzo Maresca.
The Blues appointed Enzo Maresca this summer as their new head coach and he joins with a reputation of persisting with possession-based football.
His first game in charge was Thursday’s 2-2 draw against Wrexham in a pre-season friendly. Maresca has only had a few weeks working with the squad so it will take time for ideas to truly sink in, but it’s noticeable his side had 75% possession in the opening match of the tour in the United States.
Speaking via Chelsea’s official website earlier this week, Christopher Nkunku said the Blues are training to keep possession. It certainly looks like dominating the ball will be a key feature of the team next season at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea used 21 stars in total during the first game of the pre-season tour, with nearly everyone involved playing a half of football as they get up to speed.
First-half XI: Robert Sanchez, Reece James, Tosin Adarabioyo, Benoit Badiashile, Levi Colwill, Romeo Lavia, Carney Chukwuemeka, Christopher Nkunku, Noni Madueke, Marc Guiu, Tyrique George
Second-half XI: Lucas Bergstrom, Malo Gusto, Josh Acheampong, Wesley Fofana, Ben Chilwell, Andrey Santos ,Carney Chukwuemeka, Lesley Ugochukwu, Raheem Sterling, Armando Broja, Angelo Gabriel
Statistic proves how crucial Chelsea’s centre-back is
FotMob data provided the match stats from Chelsea’s draw with Wrexham, including the number of passes of every player on the pitch.
It makes for very interesting reading when you see who sits on top of completed passes in Thursday’s match.
| Player | Accurate passes |
| Benoit Badiashile | 72/76 (95%) |
| Wesley Fofana | 66/68 (97%) |
| Levi Colwill | 61/68 (90%) |
| Tosin Adarabioyo | 58/60 (97%) |
| Ben Chilwell | 53/57 (93%) |
The stats above show that when Chelsea played out from the back it went through their central centre-half, so that’s clearly a vital role on the pitch under the new management.
Despite it looking like a back four on paper, the Blues were very much lined up as a back three in possession. That meant Badiashile was in the heart of defence during the first-half, while Fofana did the same role in the second period.
It’s going to be very interesting to see which centre-back nails down that starting position by the time the new season begins.
Wesley Fofana should make Chelsea’s best XI
When fit, Wesley Fofana may have the highest ceiling out of any central defender in the current Chelsea squad. Therefore, the 23-year-old Frenchman should have a great chance of becoming an ever-present next season.
Of course, the one question mark around Fofana is that he’s just missed an entire season with a long-term injury, so people may need to show some patience with him to start.
Speaking via Football.London after the pre-season fixture, Maresca described Fofana as “very important”. He’s composed enough on the ball to become a key figure in this new-look Chelsea line-up.
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