Enzo Maresca is enjoying grappling with the puzzle of how to accommodate all of Chelsea’s attacking talent after they took their tally for the season to 19 goals in eight games in Tuesday’s 5-0 romp against Barrow.
Christopher Nkunku came in for his first start in four games and took full advantage by scoring a hat-trick against the League Two side to send the Blues into the fourth round of the Carabao Cup, while summer signing Pedro Neto also netted his first goal for the club.
Maresca made 11 changes to his starting XI from Saturday’s win over West Ham and the line-up at Stamford Bridge emphasised the depth of options available to the head coach following yet another whirlwind summer of transfer activity.
Chelsea began with a front four of Nkunku, Neto, Joao Felix and Mykhailo Mudryk, a quartet signed collectively for well over £200million, with Nicolas Jackson, Noni Madueke, Cole Palmer and Jadon Sancho making way.
Jackson, who has four Premier League goals so far, has been Maresca’s preferred pick as the team’s sole striker, while Nkunku, who is now the team’s top scorer in all competitions with six, has started just once in the league.
Maresca said he must reluctantly resist the temptation to throw the weight of his attacking options at opposition teams.
“Both (Jackson and Nkunku) are doing fantastic, not only because they score, but the way they work off the ball, the way they sacrifice for the team,” he said.
🎈 Stamford Bridge could get used to this.#CFC | #CarabaoCup pic.twitter.com/kMlB2oiMLi
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“It’s a nice problem when you have two strikers that continue to score. Unfortunately (18-year-old striker) Marc Guiu is not spring in this moment, but hopefully soon.
“The problem is the defensive balance. We can think to play with Nicolas, Christo, Joao, Cole, Noni – fantastic. But then who is defending? Me and you?
“I would like to put all of them in because I really like football and really like to keep the ball. The problem is when you lose the ball. Not all of them can defend at the same level.”
Maresca has also been flexible with the way his side has played so far, with full-backs Malo Gusto and Ben Chilwell, brought back in having previously been told he could leave the club, operating effectively as attacking wingers against Barrow.
Previously Gusto had been asked to step into midfield from right-back with the team in possession, leaving Moises Caicedo to fill in in defence, as in the 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace earlier in September.
“How we prepare the game depends on how the other team defends or attacks,” said Maresca. “We try to find solutions.
“Palace was one plan, (Barrow) was another plan. (Against Barrow) Malo and Chilwell played like attacking midfielders on the ball. It’s to create in some parts of the pitch an overload on players and to give the guy on the ball more options.
“The idea, the target is to give the players more solutions and then they decide.”
