Enzo Maresca and Pep Guardiola have deployed distinctly different game plans as Chelsea and Manchester City gear up for a tasty Premier League title race
06:00, 02 Dec 2025
Enzo Maresca, Head Coach of Chelsea, arrives off the team bus ahead of during the Premier League match between Chelsea and Arsenal at Stamford Bridge on November 30, 2025 in London, England
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Enzo Maresca has a trick up his sleeve(Image: Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
Enzo Maresca has a trick up his sleeve as he quietly lays the foundations to a title race. Chelsea and Manchester City will be determined to slash Arsenal's advantage at the top of the Premier League during the festive period, with a banana skin at every turn.
Pep Guardiola's side narrowed the Gunners' lead to just four points on Saturday afternoon when they defeated Leeds United at the Etihad Stadium. Then, on Sunday night, Arsenal managed to salvage a draw against the Blues at Stamford Bridge.
While the north Londoners walked away with a point, Chelsea remained in control – even after going down to 10-men. For much of the campaign, Arsenal have looked head and shoulders above the rest, dominating their opponents on and off the ball.
But the Club World Cup champions demonstrated how to keep Mikel Arteta's side at bay. Manchester City and Chelsea trail Arsenal by only five and six points, respectively, despite distinctly different game plans.
According to data collected by Opta, and visualised by @DataAnalyticEPL on social media, Guardiola's team have covered far more ground per game – general movement – and run far more per game – distance of runs – in the Premier League this season than any other team. The has been described as 'high endurance and high running distance'.
Leeds United have adopted a similar style to Manchester City in this respect, though to little success, having fallen into the relegation zone. Meanwhile, no team in the Premier League this season has covered less ground per game and run less per game than Chelsea, yet they've managed to climb to third in the table.
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The Blues' approach, which has been described as 'low endurance and low running distance', is statistically comparable to that of West Ham. Though like Leeds, they've reaped far less from the fruits of their labour.
Many factors could've influenced the data; for example, it could be argued that Chelsea have a stronger setup against counter-attacks, so when they face low-block opposition, they rarely have to cover as much distance or complete as many long-distance sprints to make up the ground.
Ultimately, the bottom line is Manchester City have, so far, exerted far more energy this season than Chelsea. While Guardiola has put all his eggs in one basket, Maresca has already begun gearing up for the final sprint.
Reece James was brilliant for Chelsea on Sunday night
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Reece James was brilliant for Chelsea on Sunday night
The Blues boss has been keen to rotate his side at every opportunity this season. In doing so, the likes of Reece James, who had previously struggled to stay fit, have enjoyed a new lease of life.
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Maresca offered a glimpse into his plan at Stamford Bridge on Sunday night. When asked if the Chelsea captain can produce another 90 minutes against Leeds on Wednesday night, the Italian said: "No. No, the reality is no.
"Reece, now, his performance has been fantastic, top. Now, we have a game on Wednesday. For him, very good. We need to manage him, we need to control him, we need to control a little bit his situation. But he was very good tonight."
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