Rating Enzo Maresca’s Substitutions – Chelsea vs. Liverpool

Enzo Maresca used up all his substitutions against Liverpool, and each one had a varying success. One thing I admire about him is his willingness to make early changes when something isn’t working. He has a lot of depth in his squad and he uses it. But how good were his changes? And how did they affect the overall dynamics of the game?

So, without further ado, let’s look at each substitution made by Enzo Maresca against Liverpool!

Pedro Neto Comes In After Half Time

It does not take much to realize that Jadon Sancho struggled in the first half. He failed to provide his usual contributions and was stopped dead in his tracks by Trent Alexander-Arnold. This is the least involved he has been in Chelsea’s attack this season, compared to the other five games he’s played.

Sancho did not attempt any shots or crosses this game, and he only had three dribble attempts, none of them successful. Trent Alexander-Arnold locked him in. He entered some combinations with Malo Gusto and Romeo Lavia, but most of his passes were backwards.

Pedro Neto unlocked Chelsea’s left wing, a much needed change, especially since Liverpool was focused on nullifying Cole Palmer. Which they did. Chelsea’s superstar lacked his usual impact. But Pedro Neto did a wonderful job on the left wing. He exploited and attacked the space, cutting inside when he could do so, and crossed it into the box.

Neto produced the most key passes in the game, totaling 3 key passes and also crossed it into the box more, with 3 crosses. Those crosses were dangerous as well. One was for Noni Madueke, in the 62nd minute, when Neto crossed it for a volley attempt by Madueke on the right wing. The other was near the end of the game, in the 4th minute of extra time. Neto, who now plays on the right wing, finds Nkunku making a run towards the far post, and crosses it almost perfectly. Unfortunately, Nkunku does not reach it in time to set up his shot.

Overall, this was a great substitution, where Maresca unlocked Chelsea’s left wing, and brought on some attacking threat. We’ll rate this 8/10.

Benoit Badiashile Replacing Tosin Adarabioyo

The second wave of substitutions also came in early, where Enzo Maresca changed his back line, introducing Benoit Badiashille instead of Tosin Adarabioyo as centre-back. Chelsea’s defense has been awful in this game, and it is a wonder how Liverpool scored only two goals. Adarabioyo was a central figure for controversy in this game, which highlights the Premier League’s refereeing struggles.

After an uneventful first few minutes, Jadon Sancho attempted to take on Trent Alexander-Arnold on the left wing. He did not get past the defender, and Liverpool recovered the ball at the edge of their box. They launched Diogo Jota to start the counterattack, and Adarabioyo brought him down near midfield. A very similar challenge to the one which led to Arsenal’s red card. Only this time, it was a yellow. Although both were a last-man foul and a denial of a clear goal-scoring opportunity, Adarabioyo did not get his marching orders.

That foul was more or less the only contribution Adarabioyo brought in this game. And with a very vulnerable back line, Maresca sent Benoît Badiashile to strengthen the back four. In the 37 minutes he played, Badiashile had one tackle and one interception. More importantly, there were no major slip-ups in Chelsea’s defense after that, so this substitution was more than welcome.

Again, another good substitution for Maresca. It didn’t have as much impact as the Pedro Neto one, but it was a solid substitution when Maresca saw Adarabioyo struggling and losing his composure. This one is a 7/10!

Renato Veiga Comes For Reece James

This one is difficult to rate. And not because of the performance factor, tenure or stardom. It is because it was planned way ahead of the game. With Reece James coming off an injury, it is weird that Enzo Maresca decided this should be the game for him to make his comeback. Especially considering the depth and energy Liverpool has on their left wing, with Cody Gakpo and Luis Diaz.

Chelsea’s captain’s performance was okay overall, with one tackle, one interception and three duels won out of the five he has been in. Yet one thing is obvious. Liverpool’s second goal came from a huge mistake by both Reece James and Tosin Adarabioyo. Salah, on the right wing, looks for the cross and Curtis Jones makes a run into the box. Reece James tries to play the offside trap. It is obvious from his body language and his raised hand. But he plays that offside trap by himself. Tosin Adarabioyo stood by and was slow and unresponsive in tracking and contesting Jones.

Renato Veiga came in for Reece James two minutes after that goal, but the substitution was arranged, so that James would play limited minutes and not push himself too hard. With Veiga coming on the pitch, Malo Gusto took over the right wing, as Veiga filled in for Cucurella on the left. So we cannot rate this substitution, since it was not decided based on the player performance.

Enzo Fernandez Slots In The Pivot Role

Maresca started the game with Romeo Lavia and Moises Caicedo playing as double pivots. And it was the best thing that was going on for Chelsea. Romeo Lavia was phenomenal in midfield. The 20-year-old misplaced only one pass and succeeded all three dribbles he attempted. Romeo Lavia was almost immune to pressure, and he took the ball and progressed it, passing it forward and breaking Liverpool’s high pressing shape.

In defense, he was stuck to Ryan Gravenberch, man-marking him during the entire first half and limiting his otherwise enormous influence. Not only that, but he also helped Moises Caicedo shine, as the duo worked together to progress the ball forward. Caicedo had 10 progressive passes (by far the most in the game) and 2 progressive carries. The two of them were amazing to watch.

This happened because of their positioning. If we look at their heatmaps, we can see that they perfectly complete each other.

Then, since Romeo Lavia has also suffered injuries, that kept him from playing for a long time. Enzo Maresca brought in Enzo Fernandez. Understandable but so underwhelming. Fernandez did not have nearly as much influence on the game as Romeo Lavia and also I felt that Moises Caicedo also kicked in an inferior gear while he was on the pitch. Misplacing 5 passes and lacking the shine and spark of Romeo Lavia. Weird, it should have been the other way around.

I have to note that Arne Slot has also made a tactical tweak by the time Enzo Fernandez entered the pitch. Szoboszlai started to sit deeper to cover the two pivots, limiting the options to build up through the middle. Maybe I am overall disappointed with Enzo Fernadez’s performance at Chelsea, and I expect more impact from a player of his caliber.

Since this was a substitution made because of Romeo Lavia’s recent injuries, it’s more acceptable, so I will rank it as a 5/10.

Christopher Nkunku Comes In as the Second Striker

Nkunku has been a super-sub for Chelsea this season, but he scored only one goal in the Premier League. He is a talented striker, who fights with Nicolas Jackson as Chelsea’s primary front man. But in this game, Nkunku came in as a substitute for Noni Madueke.

Madueke had a solid performance in this game, being the player with the most progressive carries for Chelsea and also bringing the ball inside the box, trying to produce cutbacks and crosses. Liverpool brought in Cody Gakpo in a more narrow position than usual to limit Cole Palmer’s influence. He did that, but he left open a simple pass for Noni Madueke. And he challenged Andrew Robertson plenty of times.

With Nkunku coming off the bench, Maresca placed Pedro Neto on the right wing instead of Madueke and Nkunku on the left wing, replacing the gap left by Neto. After this change, Pedro Neto went quiet, except for a dangerous cross in the last minutes for Nkunku. And that attempt was Nkunku’s only one during his 20 minutes.

This change lacked the much needed punch, and to me it only unsettled Pedro Neto, who was otherwise doing a solid job on the left wing, while Madueke was also consistent in his game. So it is a 6/10.

Conclusions

Overall, Enzo Maresca unsettled a bit Chelsea’s play by making substitutions and changing positions. It is indeed admirable that he does not shy away from changing things when they do not go well for the Blues, and does not wait until the end of the game to make those changes.

Maresca unlocked the left wing by introducing Pedro Neto, but stepped down in midfield with Romeo Lavia’s exit. Nkunku did not have his usual impact, as Chelsea leaves Anfield with no points. So now the question is, was Maresca right in making all the substitution? Did Chelsea look their best with their starting eleven, and what would you have done differently?