Adrian Clarke looks at key tactical points and players who can be decisive in Matchweek 1.
Match analysis: Chelsea v Manchester City
You can expect Chelsea to mirror Man City’s style on the opening weekend as Enzo Maresca announces himself as a Premier League head coach at Stamford Bridge.
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From a 4-3-3 base, the Italian has been busy developing a new brand of controlled possession football during pre-season.
He will invert full-backs into central midfield, press in a man-to-man style and look to play out from the back at every opportunity.
What's different about "Maresca ball"?
The main difference you will instantly notice this Sunday is the use of Chelsea’s full-backs.
Instead of supplying attacking width, Maresca will now ask his left and right-backs to tuck infield.
From the right, Malo Gusto has taken up central-midfield positions during the summer friendlies, joining players such as Moises Caicedo, Enzo Fernandez and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall in a box of four inside midfield.
The other full-back, potentially Marc Cucurella or Levi Colwill, will play as a left-sided central defender in the build-up phase.
Here is an example of how Chelsea may look when they have possession against Man City.
Teething problems to be expected
During their summer tour of the United States, Chelsea gave away a string of goals when trying to pass out from the back.
They will invite rival sides to press them, but when their distribution or decision-making is not sharp, it can lead to turnovers in dangerous areas of the pitch.
We saw this against Man City in Columbus when a quartet of goals in a 4-2 loss stemmed from turnovers created by forceful pressing.
From this situation below, look how Pep Guardiola's side went man-to-man in a bid to provoke a loose pass from Caicedo.
His ball was intercepted by Erling Haaland, who grabbed the second of his three goals in the match.
Chelsea must be more press-resistant when the sides meet again this weekend.
Man City 4-2 Chelsea pre-season highlights
Highlights of our victory over Chelsea in our final USA tour match, including a hat-trick from @ErlingHaaland! 🙌 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/6RcZEzNz4k
— Manchester City (@ManCity) August 4, 2024
Maresca is a disciple of Guardiola, having worked with Man City's Under-21s in 2020/21 before returning to Manchester as the Spaniard’s first-team assistant in 2022/23. He will know exactly what to expect from Man City on the opening weekend.
No Premier League team won more high turnovers, or scored from more high turnovers, than Guardiola's champions last season.
So, in a sense it is unlucky for Chelsea to have to face Man City while this aspect of their game remains a work in progress.
Attacking threat from turnovers 2023/24
| High turnovers | Goal-ending high turnovers | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Man City | 416 | Man City | 13 |
| Spurs | 396 | Newcastle | 12 |
| Liverpool | 391 | Spurs | 10 |
Look out for Dewsbury-Hall’s influence
The one Chelsea player who is already completely au fait with Maresca’s tactical demands is Dewsbury-Hall, who played under the Italian at Leicester City last season.
Dewsbury-Hall will take up positions as a No 8 that are higher and wider than most, looking to combine freely with the winger on his outside or driving into space down the wide channels.
Maresca has already praised the midfielder's influence, which hints at the importance of Dewsbury-Hall's role in the team.
Earlier on in pre-season the head coach said: “From outside, you can see Kiernan is talking a different language to his team-mates in terms of he knows exactly what he needs to do on and off the ball.
“This is because we have worked together for one year. On the ball sometimes he is going to receive it wide, running in behind.
“I asked him to speak with his team-mates on the pitch because he knows exactly how we are to move, and he is going to help us this season many times.”
Playing a patient game
Just like his opposite number in the dugout, Maresca will be looking to control matches through periods of sustained possession.
His title-winning Leicester side were excellent in the Championship at retaining the ball, averaging 62.2 per cent of possession in their league matches.
Most weeks Maresca will look for the same amount of ball dominance, and if he achieves that against Man City it would a huge departure from what we saw in this fixture last season.
On that occasion, Chelsea had 45.2 per cent of the ball in a wild 4-4 draw at home to City, before claiming a 1-1 result in the return match with a counter-attacking approach where they had just 29.6 per cent share of possession.
Lengthy build-ups will now form a key part of Chelsea's play.
It has to be Maresca’s way
One criticism from Leicester supporters last season was the rigidity of Maresca’s tactical make-up.
He will not deviate from his principles, even when trailing in matches, so it will be interesting to see how players and fans adjust to that at Stamford Bridge.
In the next few weeks Maresca will attempt to lay the groundwork for future success, playing the type of football he believes in.
This early on in the process, can Chelsea match or better a Man City team who are already well-versed in a similar style of play?
It is a tough ask, but we will find out more on Sunday.
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