Chelsea boss Maresca talks up 'flexibility' of his philosophy ahead of Man City game

Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca has insisted that his side will be adaptable to different situations across the course of the season.

Maresca is on the cusp of overseeing his first competitive game as Blues boss with the Premier League opener against Manchester City taking place on Sunday afternoon.

Upon replacing Mauricio Pochettino in the dugout, it was well-documented that his appointment was a result of being prepared to deploy the possession-based philosophy that is desired by the club's hierarchy.

During pre-season, his squad have had mixed success when it comes to implementing that strategy, with their only victory in six games coming against Mexican side Club America.

In the other five fixtures, Chelsea conceded as many as 13 goals, far from ideal preparation for a game against last season's top-flight champions.

'We have different styles'

The general consensus has been that Maresca is unwilling to move away from his preferred tactics, regardless of an in-game situation.

However, at his pre-match press conference on Friday afternoon, the former Leicester City boss has dismissed suggestions that Chelsea will not be able to adapt to different scenarios that are put in front of them.

Speaking to reporters, Maresca said: "From the outside, it is probably more difficult to recognise, but since we start, we play on the ball in two different ways. For the first time against Inter, we play in a completely different way compared to the previous friendly games.

"Off the ball, we already press in six friendly games in four different ways. We try to adapt. It depends on how the other team press us or attack us. We try to adapt and find solution.

"We are not always going to play in one way. For example, Malo is playing right-back, left-back, inside against City. Christopher was playing as number nine, pocket, then winger. We try to put players in positions where they can their best."

How will Chelsea play on Sunday?

Maresca has used both a back three and back four at different stages in pre-season, sometimes not helped by players being unavailable for selection.

Providing that Marc Cucurella and Cole Palmer are deemed fit enough to start after their efforts at Euro 2024, a back four with Cucurella at left-back appears the most likely solution.

Moises Caicedo, Enzo Fernandez, Romeo Lavia and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall are effectively fighting for three central-midfield positions, while Palmer may be used on one of the flanks.

With Pedro Neto unlikely to start and Nicolas Jackson still building us his fitness after injury, Noni Madueke and Christopher Nkunku seem most likely to start alongside Palmer in the final third.