Maresca tactical decision means he has to leave out a key player every week – new solution needed this summer | OneFootball

The team news is out for Chelsea’s final Premier League game of the season.

There were a few big question marks about what Enzo Maresca would do, and none bigger than his call in midfield.

Since Romeo Lavia returned from his latest injury, Maresca has regularly used him in midfield alongside Enzo Fernandez. Moises Caicedo then drops to right back.

But last week against Manchester United, Maresca left Lavia out. Caicedo played in central midfield, with captain Reece James playing at right back. It worked well, with James delivering the superb cross that Chelsea got their winning goal from. Maresca has gone with the same system today – Lavia is benched, with James and Caicedo in the side.

Maresca won’t change system – so one player bound to miss out

Enzo Maresca on the touchline with a pout. (Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)

Some fans like it, some fans don’t. It’s a very tricky dilemma for Maresca. We want all 3 of them in the team, but we also want all of them in their best position. Playing at right back doesn’t get the best out of Caicedo, just as playing in midfield doesn’t get the best out of James.

Maresca doesn’t want to change his formation to accommodate both Lavia and Caicedo with Enzo Fernandez playing just ahead of them. So that means he’s stuck always having to leave someone out. In this case it’s Lavia, and that is without doubt a risky move. He brings a lot of control to midfield with his passing and press resistance, and he does a decent job defensively too.

Maresca must work on new system this summer

Over the summer, Maresca is going to have to work on some system that allows him to use all 3 to the best of their abilities. The introduction of Dario Essugo and Andrey Santos to the squad also means there should be more opportunities for other 3 midfielder setups.