The Ideal Fit for Enzo Maresca: How Chelsea Could Line Up With Jamie Gittens | OneFootball

Jadon Sancho’s Manchester United return and Mykhaylo Mudryk’s potentially lengthy ban have rendered reinforcements out wide a necessity for Chelsea this summer.

There were links to Alejandro Garnacho in January, but the Blues changed tack following the conclusion of the 2024–25 season. Instead of negotiating with Man Utd again, the club pivoted to a burgeoning English talent out of the Bundesliga.

Jamie Gittens is merely the latest starlet to benefit from Borussia Dortmund’s knack of facilitating serene senior integration and development. The 20-year-old offered flashes in 2023–24 before enjoying a sustained breakout last season. While Niko Kovač preferred alternatives after he succeeded Nuri Sahin, Gittens has undoubtedly shown enough to suggest he’s a talent worth gambling on.

Chelsea have an excellent track record of nurturing their own, but their track record in the transfer market has been hit and miss at best since Clearlake took the reins from Roman Abramovich. While hugely talented, Gittens is far from the finished product and expectations must surely be tempered upon his arrival.

Nevertheless, some have suggested that the winger is ideal for Enzo Maresca, and here are three ways Chelsea could set up with Gittens in the Italian’s team.

Favoured Position

Gittens is a one-on-one specialist. / IMAGO/Sven Simon

Chelsea have a collection of wingers who are comfortable off both flanks, and Gittens is no different. However, the youngster has proven to be more effective off the left at the start of his senior career.

Gittens has not yet developed into a final third killer, but he’s superb at creating separation out wide to isolate a defender before attacking them one-on-one. He ranked in the top 1% of all wingers in Europe’s top-five leagues for successful take-ons per 90 minutes last season (3.57), and the top 9% for progressive carries per 90 (5.53).

His change of pace has so far proven key to his success in such situations, but there’s scope for Gittens to improve as a dribbler. His take-on success rate was less than 50% and only ranked in the top 43% of all wingers in Europe’s premier divisions.

At Chelsea, Maresca instructs his wingers to hug the touchline and for left-back Marc Cucurella to crash the box. This stretching of the pitch from the left-winger aims to open up space for the likes of Cucurella, Enzo Fernández and Cole Palmer infield. While Gittens requires refinement, his threat as a take-on specialist is undeniable and boasting such a profile is invaluable for Maresca’s system.

’Traditional’ Wing

The Chelsea boss experimented with his wingers last season. / IMAGO/Action Plus

As 2024–25 wore on, Maresca started to experiment with his wide players, and we eventually saw Noni Madueke, a winger who likes to cut onto his left foot from the right, earn more minutes down the left.

The role didn’t change drastically, with the manager still wanting width to be supplied by these wingers as opposed to Chelsea’s full-backs. Madueke, when stationed off the left, also wasn’t limited to head-down surges towards the touchline. He also came inside and targeted a direct path towards goal.

Starting Gittens out on the right may reduce his effectiveness one-on-one, but it could simplify his role in the final third. The Englishman will likely be tasked with beating his man to the byline before crossing for one of Chelsea’s two target man strikers and the box-to-box Fernández. There’d also be scope for fluid rotations with Palmer infield.

A role off the right should set up better crossing situations for Gittens, who won’t have to rely on his weaker left foot as much if his role is simplified by Maresca. However, this could render the winger more predictable compared to when he plays off the left. Moreover, with Madueke and Pedro Neto both preferring to play off the right, the competition is stiffer.

Niko Kovac’s Tweak

Niko Kovač’s system didn’t suit Gittens. / IMAGO/Eibner

Dortmund improved considerably as a collective following the appointment of Niko Kovač, who adopted a system that reduced the need for a touchline winger of Gittens’ ilk. Width was instead supplied from wing-backs, while speedster Karim Adeyemi performed a more prominent role in Kovač’s attack.

Starts were limited for Gittens during the second half of the season, and Kovač’s formation change meant the former Reading youngster started to occupy more central positions. In his 13-minute cameo against Fluminense at the Club World Cup, for example, Gittens rarely floated wide and was instead tasked with retaining possession under pressure, wriggling out of trouble and helping Dortmund get up the pitch.

While Gittens has so far excelled as a one-on-one specialist down the flank, there is scope for him to evolve into a winger more capable of drifting infield and operating more as a playmaker from between the lines. Maresca’s system does emphasise upon half-space occupation, and Gittens’ recent experience in an alternate role could allow the Italian to experiment with the winger’s function if necessary.

Right now, however, it’s clear that Gittens is best suited to a touchline-hugging role down Chelsea’s left.

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