I saw Enzo Maresca faced with the same problems he had as Leicester City boss in Newcastle defeat

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Chelsea were second best for large parts of their game against Newcastle in the League Cup.

Enzo Maresca has seen his Chelsea side lose two of their last four games, leaving the Chelsea boss with the herculean task of lifting his team after a damaging defeat as they prepare to travel to Old Trafford on Sunday.

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Maresca's tenure has been relatively smooth so far, but with fixtures coming thick and fast, it’s clear that Chelsea now needs contributions from everyone in the squad—exposing gaps in depth and consistency.

Against Newcastle, they were frequently caught trying to play out from the back, and while Maresca encourages his goalkeeper and defenders to start the play this way, it has occasionally left them vulnerable.

A common criticism from Leicester fans during Maresca's time there was his lack of a plan B, often struggling to find ways to win if his preferred style was compromised.

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This was evident against Newcastle, where Chelsea persisted with the same tactics, leading to repeated mistakes that Newcastle capitalized on, often picking the team apart.

At Chelsea, defeats are even more devastating than they were at Leicester, and this loss underscores the urgency for the team to quickly adapt and develop alternative strategies when their preferred style isn’t working. Alexandre Isak opened the scoring, and Axel Disasi was unfortunate to deflect the ball into his own net, further compounding Chelsea's troubles.

Cup games carry high stakes, and last season, Mauricio Pochettino led Chelsea to the final but fell just short of victory. This exit is undoubtedly a huge blow, as fans had high hopes of reaching the final this year.

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Questions about the game plan are inevitable, and for a club that has invested heavily in building nearly two full squads, it will be interesting to see how Chelsea responds to this setback with the upcoming game at Old Trafford.

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