Enzo Maresca made a “positional tweak” in his first game managing Chelsea, but fans remain skeptical.
The Blues faced League One team Wrexham at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, resulting in an exciting 2-2 draw.
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Just three minutes into the game, a wild brawl broke out when Levi Colwill and James McClean got into a scuffle.
Christopher Nkunku scored the first goal, but Wrexham came back with goals from Luke Bolton and Jack Marriott in the second half.
Chelsea equalized through Lesley Ugochukwu in the 82nd minute, leading to a draw in Maresca’s debut match.
The Italian manager is already making his mark on the team, with early signs of his tactical approach evident.
The former Leicester City man prefers a possession-based, front-foot style, continuing the trend of having a full-back move inside.
Following the example of Trent Alexander-Arnold and Joao Cancelo, Maresca chose to deploy captain Reece James in this role.
James, who has played in midfield before during a loan spell with Wigan Athletic, was placed there after Maresca reviewed footage and tested it in training.
However, while the position is somewhat familiar to him, many Chelsea fans believe James’s talents are underutilized in this role.
One fan wrote: “Reece James is a RIGHT BACK. He should be on the touchline bombing up and down the flank.”
Another said: “What waste of his final third talents this is.”
A third added: “Inverted this inverted that give me my Reece James flying fullback back.”
A fourth commented: “Reece James inverting limits his vast range of qualities imo. He can’t make those powerful runs or overlaps bc there’s no space centrally. It limits his crossing ability and cut-back potential. More effective & lethal when playing wide.”
A fifth stated: “In Poch ball at least we could see Reece James and Malo Gusto crosses, now we can’t under Enzo Maresca because they are playing in the midfield.”
Chelsea will be back in action on Saturday when they face Celtic at Notre Dame Stadium.
