Tottenham Hotspur did not make things easy for Chelsea in the Blues’ 4-3 win on Sunday.
Tottenham were actually the side who were in front, racing into an early 2-0 lead thanks to former Chelsea striker Dominic Solanke and Dejan Kulusevski.
Enzo Maresca‘s men really struggled at the back and were not helped by Marc Cucurella’s ice skates. The left-back was at fault for Spurs’ first two goals after slipping twice. Overall, though, Jadon Sancho thought Cucurella played well.
Chelsea, of course, managed to win the game in the end, largely thanks to some tactical tweaks by Maresca.
Enzo Maresca, Manager of Chelsea, gestures during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur FC and Chelsea FC at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium...
Photo by Chris Lee – Chelsea FC/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
Sue Smith on Enzo Maresca’s management against Tottenham
It is fair to say that former Lioness and Sky Sports pundit Sue Smith was impressed with how Maresca handled the match.
At half-time, the Chelsea manager decided to bring on Malo Gusto and move Benoit Badiashile over to the left centre-back position after his struggles on the right.
For Smith, it was a move that worked and ultimately reduced Tottenham’s threat down that side.
Speaking on Sky Sports, she said: “Bringing Gusto on, moving Badiashile over to left centre-back just stopped Tottenham from exploiting that side and I suppose just gave Chelsea a bit more control, so he’s prepared to make those big decisions as well.”
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Maresca also deserves credit for his use of Enzo Fernandez. The midfielder has been taking up more attacking positions on the pitch recently and scored the goal that put Chelsea 3-2 up against Spurs.
Enzo Maresca has to end Benoit Badiashile experiment
With Wesley Fofana injured, Maresca has had to bring in another central defender into the side.
The 44-year-old has tried Badiashile on the right side of central defence on more than one occasion, but the Frenchman looked very uncomfortable there on Sunday.
Being left-footed, that is understandable. Still, he made Chelsea very vulnerable there and would not have given fans much confidence with his performance.
The above is not to say that Badiashile is a terrible defender, but that right centre-back role is not for him, especially when Maresca has Tosin Adarabioyo and Axel Disasi lying about.
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