Advertisement

Enzo Maresca has clear Chelsea problem that was polar opposite for Mauricio Pochettino

Enzo Maresca and Mauricio Pochettino
-Credit: (Image: Reach Publishing Services Limited)


Thirty six seconds into Chelsea's clash with Bournemouth on Saturday. That is all it took. It showed the hosts' intentions right from the start of proceedings.

It also showed what sort of test Chelsea would be up against. A loose pass from Cole Palmer left Renato Veiga with a job to do: get a foot to the ball and move possession up the pitch would have been the ideal outcome. However, it was Bournemouth midfielder Ryan Christie who was simply hungrier to nick in and dispossess the travelling Blues.

It was a sharp slide from Christie and it set the Cherries on their way to an early attack at Chelsea's goal - one that would see 19 shots in its general direction throughout the game. Such aggression from the hosts was obviously an instruction from Andoni Iraola, who would have wanted to lift the home supporters from the first whistle.

A moment like that from Christie happened multiple times in the first-half - too many times from a Chelsea perspective. The Blues were not sharp enough or ready to battle for possession with Bournemouth and Enzo Maresca admitted that following the full-time whistle.

"I think we played two different games," the Italian explained. "I think the first-half we struggled and second-half was much better. The reason why we struggled in the first-half, for me, was because we did not win duels, we did not win second balls and in this stadium against this team, first of all you need to show the desire to win the duels and then also the tactical part is important but first of all you need to show that.

"This was the message after 45 minutes to the players that in this kind of game you have to finish the game with your t-shirt dirty because you need to fight. Second-half, I thought we were much, much better."

READ MORE: Chelsea trialling future captain as Enzo Maresca's huge decision pays off

READ MORE: Neto dropped, Sancho starts - Enzo Maresca faces Chelsea headache after quadruple injury boost

It only took 10 minutes of action in the second-half to see the change that had been made by Chelsea. A psychological alteration more than anything. Win those 50-50 duels, assert your aggression in a fair manner and things would very much change for the Blues down on the south coast.

Palmer almost handed possession right back to Bournemouth after a heavy touch inside but the 22-year-old ensured he would keep the ball as he won the 50-50 with striker Evanilson. The Blues then kept the ball, patiently; something that is very much the Maresca way.

A lot can be said about Maresca's decision to bring on Jadon Sancho at half-time and the difference that made on the game - and of course it did. Likewise with Christopher Nkunku, the eventual match-winner, being introduced with just over 10 minutes of normal time remaining.

However, the change at half-time - telling his players they need to be more physical - cannot be understated. It is not the first time this season either. In fact, in both of Chelsea's Premier League victories this term, Maresca has had to get his point across to his players.

Asked by football.london what he told his players at the half-time break while Chelsea were drawing 2-2 with Wolves last month, the head coach replied: "I just said in a delicate way that we need to be more accurate. In the first-half, we started the first 10 or 15 minutes very well and then we had a few clear cut chances with Noni [Madueke].

"Then we started to lose easy balls, conceding set-pieces, lose confidence - and this already happened the other day against Servette. I just said to play in the way we want to play; we need to be a little bit more accurate.

"We can lose the ball if they press us very intense but we cannot lose the ball just giving away for the wrong decision. The difference between the first and second halves was about being more accurate."

Chelsea eventually went on to win that game - scoring four goals in the second 45 minutes in what was nothing short of an attacking masterclass at Molineux. A half-time message from Maresca worked then, and it worked again at the weekend, but it is a stark contrast from what we saw under Mauricio Pochettino last season, especially in the second half of the 2023/24 campaign.

In 2024, in the few months before Pochettino left the club, he saw his Blues side really struggle in the second-half, particularly the early moments following the break. Of the 39 goals Chelsea conceded in the second half of last season in all competitions, 25 of them came in the second period. That calculates to over 1.5 goals per game conceded in the second-half of matches.

Under Maresca, though, Chelsea have conceded a greater proportion of their goals in the first-half of games - albeit with a much smaller sample size. Also, of the 11 goals Chelsea have scored in all competitions this season, seven of them have come in the second period.

The Blues are certainly showing signs of improvement under Maresca - just as he predicted in the summer. However, the Italian, again as he said, knows it is a long-term process and there are still so many minor problems to iron out.