In the UK, most of us were watching the Sky Sports coverage of Chelsea Tottenham yesterday.
The Blues won 4-3, but frustratingly for Blues fans the discourse was dominated by discussion of Tottenham and their struggles. Post-game, the likes of Jamie Carragher and his fellow pundits spoke more about Ange and his woes than Chelsea’s success or the tweaks Enzo Maresca had made to get there.
But on BBC 5 Live they noted a couple of interesting things, mainly through former striker Clinton Morrison.
He picked out a couple of players who had been used in a tactically interesting way by Maresca to get the better of Spurs.
First up was Enzo Fernandez. The midfielder has been used in a more attacking position in recent weeks and it’s paying off, with a glut of goals and assists. He bagged the third yesterday, and Morrison hailed his usage between the lines for the way it confused Spurs.
“Enzo Fernandez is causing Tottenham all sorts of problems in the pockets. [Pape Matar] Sarr and [Yves] Bissouma don’t know whether to pick him up or Cole Palmer,” Morrison commented.
Usage of Enzo in that line of 4 behind Nicolas Jackson is working incredibly well, and it is finally getting the best out of him.
Enzo Fernandez gets stuck in against Tottenham. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
Enzo Fernandez gets stuck in against Tottenham. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
Gusto’s half time emergence changes the balance in favour of Blues
Morrison’s other thought was about a player who didn’t start the match. Malo Gusto’s arrival to replace the injured Romeo Lavia at half time brought new threat down our right, and also freed up Moises Caicedo to move inside. Morrison noted how much this improved the Blues:
“Chelsea have been the better team in this second half. They brought on Malo Gusto and he’s made a massive difference on the right.”