Maresca can drop Nkunku by unleashing “remarkable” Chelsea ace in new role

Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea side will be looking to get back to winning ways in the Premier League, as they face Aston Villa at Villa Park, coming off the back of back-to-back defeats to Brighton in the last two weeks, not only being knocked out of the FA Cup, but also dropping out of the top four in the league.

The Blues smashed Villa 3-0 in the reverse fixture this campaign at Stamford Bridge, with goals from Nicolas Jackson, Enzo Fernández and Cole Palmer. Chelsea dominated the fixture, holding 64% possession, taking 17 shots, creating two “big chances” and generating 1.69 xG.

One issue Maresca will have to solve heading into this game is the striker problem at Chelsea right now, with Jackson and Marc Guiu both out injured, meaning Christopher Nkunku has been the one filling in the gap up top in recent weeks.

Christopher Nkunku’s centre-forward issue

Nkunku has made 32 appearances this season for Chelsea, being used in a number of different roles by Maresca, scoring 13 goals in all competitions, providing four assists and totalling 1,417 minutes played.

Whilst his overall goal tally is good, it’s the functionality of the team that suffers with Nkunku in the side, as he isn’t playing in his natural attacking midfield position.

Therefore, Chelsea are not benefiting from the same set of skills Jackson brings to the side, making clever runs in behind, driving play forwards and opening up larger spaces for Cole Palmer to operate within. This has not only seen a decline in goals from the striker, but also from Palmer himself in recent weeks.

With Jackson and Noni Madueke both out injured now (Chelsea’s second and third top scorers in the league this season) and Palmer now going five consecutive games without a goal contribution, Maresca will be tasked with finding a way to produce goals against Aston Villa.

Chelsea’s potential new striker solution

A different approach the Italian coach could take is playing Pedro Neto through the middle, providing a similar ability to make runs in behind as Jackson did, therefore stretching the pitch and affording that extra bit of space in the pockets for Palmer.

Not only could this revitalise Palmer, but it could also bring a new dynamic to the front line, allowing the Blues to penetrate in behind again, something they failed to do against Brighton despite the space afforded to them.

Neto has made 29 appearances so far this season, scoring four goals, providing five assists and totalling 1,617 minutes in all competitions.

Wolves coach, Shaun Derry, described Neto as a “remarkable” young man who is very serious about football, having great enthusiasm for the game which can be infectious throughout a team.

It’s this sort of energy Chelsea could use right now, and having Neto leading the charge in a slightly unorthodox role could have a trickle-down effect with regards to energy and desire.

Related

Now worth 2x more than Mudryk: Chelsea must rue letting star leave for £0

Chelsea made a huge error in allowing the talent to leave Stamford Bridge on a free.