Enzo Maresca has spoken of the ‘good problem’ he has in selecting a midfield combination from his strong options in that area of the pitch.
The Blues have started a busy period well by defeating Heidenheim in the Conference League last night before quickly turning attentions towards Aston Villa’s visit to Stamford Bridge on Sunday afternoon.
Against the German side, Maresca selected Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Cesare Casadai as his midfield pairing, while at Leicester in the Premier League previously it was the consistent Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez – who netted what turned out to be the winner at the King Power Stadium – as the duo in the centre of the park.
Not to mention Romeo Lavia has impressed in his outings since overcoming his injury problems of last season, while Carney Chukwuemeka entered the action in Germany from the bench, leaving Maresca with a positive selection headache when choosing who to start in midfield this weekend.
‘We have very strong options in midfield and this is a good problem,’ said the Italian head coach.
‘I know perfectly well that our midfielders, they are all good. As I’ve said many times, my decision depends a little on the game plan as to whether we use Romeo, Moi or Enzo, for example.
‘In the Conference League, we have also used Cesare Casadei there who is doing well. And of course there is Kiernan. So it depends a little on the game plan.’
Argentine midfielder Enzo Fernandez, who captained the side against Leicester and claimed the Player of the Match award in a fine display, is someone who Maresca is enjoying working with and feels he offers something different in the blend of midfield options.
‘Enzo has been doing well since we started here,’ said Maresca. ‘The problem is in some games I decided to take a different decision.
‘That doesn’t mean the players that are out [of the team] are doing bad. Even if they think that, it’s not like this. Enzo is doing well since we started, then the game plan requires different players and this is the reason sometimes we go for Romeo and Moi.
‘In the future we could go with Romeo and Enzo or maybe Romeo, Enzo and Moi as a three together. It all depends on the game but having these players is a good problem to have.’