How Enzo Maresca corrected a Chelsea tactical problem to rescue a point at Manchester United & send a message

Chelsea’s wait for a win at Old Trafford continues, with the Blues earning a hard-fought draw against a Ruud van Nistelrooy side.

The Blues went into the game having lost to Newcastle in the League Cup, but they had beaten Eddie Howe’s side three days earlier in the league, so a top-four finish was within sight. However, they had to make several adjustments, including replacing the often-reliable Malo Gusto, who started the game at right back, while captain Reece James moved to left back.

Gusto looked out of his depth; to be fair to him, he has been tasked with pushing into midfield when Chelsea are attacking. For the most part, he found himself in good positions, but his final ball consistently lacked quality and easily surrendered possession to United.

Sensing that his team was losing the battle in the midfield, the Chelsea manager—who was animated on the touchline as always—made the call to replace Marc Cucurella, leading to James moving to right back and helping Chelsea regain control of the game.

Chelsea got sloppy, and United won a penalty, which was dispatched by Bruno Fernandes. However, Chelsea responded with a brilliant strike from Moises Caicedo, who ensured the Blues held on to what could be an important point.

Ahead of the game, Maresca had highlighted the need for Gusto’s contributions, but he did not hesitate to sacrifice him for the team when the going got tough.

This will send a message to his young squad as they strive to build a team capable of competing in Europe and for the Premier League title in the future.

Chelsea have two more games before the last international break of the year, taking on Noah in the Europa Conference League on Thursday night before hosting Arsenal in the Premier League.