Buhle could re-sign for 'exceptional' Disasi promotion at Chelsea

Enzo Maresca I took to it like a duck to water Chelseaimplementing a completely new system in such a short period of time, and returning them to the top four in the rankings Premier League. Chelsea won ten of their first 19 Premier League matches, drawing five and losing four times.

One of the core principles of Maresca's system is a man-to-man pressing system where they look to win the ball back quickly and counter-press to maintain pressure when they lose the ball themselves. This allows his team to pin the opponent in their half of the field, and assert control of the match.

In order to play this way, team members must conform to the expectations of their role, as one weak link in counter-pressing can open up the entire process as the team searches for the ball.

When Chelsea take up position on the ball, their shape looks like a 3-2-4-1, with one full-back flipping inside, and the other full-back becoming a wide centre-back.

In the absence of Reece James and Malo Gusto (who was rested against Ipswich), Axel Disasi Starting at the lesser-known right-back position, he became a right-back in a back three on the ball, but his performance against Ipswich showed exactly why Maresca needs other solutions.

Axel Disasi at Chelsea

Chelsea signed Disasi from Monaco for A A fee of around £38.8m In the 2023 summer transfer window, the Frenchman signed a six-year contract with the club. Since joining the Blues, aged 26 He played 59 matchesHe scored five goals and provided two assists, and his total playing minutes reached 4,871 minutes.

His best form at Chelsea came last season under Mauricio Pochettino, where the defensive line was deeper, and his strengths were better highlighted, defending his own penalty area, winning aerial duels and creating blocks, with less responsibility in playing the ball in short build-up circles. . .

However, under Maresca, Disasi has been tasked with getting into more aggressive areas closer to the midfield to tackle the opposition player, and covering larger areas in dropbacks as the defensive line engagement is higher, and must be more precise and complex. On the ball, in order to circulate play until the right hole appears.

It was this responsibility that cost Chelsea against Ipswich, as Disasi committed a duel and lost it slightly higher up the pitch, then failed to recover, leaving a gap open for Liam Delap to find space behind the Chelsea defense and win a penalty for Chelsea. Editorial. Then again, for the second goal, Disasi made a mistake on the ball, misdirecting the ball, allowing Ipswich to break and score the second goal through former Blue Omari Hutchinson.

With Wesley Fofana currently out injured, Chelsea have struggled to find the right balance within Maresca's system, and a defensive addition down the right could help with that, not only giving the Italian more options, but also making up for the qualities lost when Fofana is out. 't's in the side.

How can Chelsea replace Disasi?

according to Reports from Sky Sports CHChelsea are among the teams offered the chance to sign Fikayo Tomori from AC Milan in January, after the 27-year-old fell out of favor with the Italian giants. But Juventus also have a keen interest in the defender, with Thiago Motta keen to bring the defender to Allianz.

The report suggests that Todd Buhle and Co. are only likely to be interested in bringing Tomori back to the club if Disasi leaves in January, opening up a place in the squad for the defender. The former Chelsea player joined Milan from Stamford Bridge in 2021 for The fee is around £25 million.

Since leaving the Blues, Tomori He played 157 matches with MilanHe scored seven goals and provided one assist and totaled 12,985 minutes played. During his time in London before leaving in 2021, the Englishman made 27 first-team appearances, scoring two goals and providing one assist.

Tomori vs Disasi comparison

Like Disasi, Tomori has also shown that he is capable of playing as a centre-back and right-back, something that Maresca values, as he has players who can occupy multiple positions, allowing him to make tactical adjustments within the game, based on the shape of the opposing team.

Tomori has skills closer to Fofana than Disasi, possesses great recovery speed, defends comfortably in wide areas, and also has the ability on the ball to stick out of the opposition's defensive block.

When comparing the metrics of both defenders this season, you can see that Maresca's current option offers more in terms of attacking ability, mainly from corners with his 6-foot-4 frame and ability to finish off crosses. He also has more progressive campaigns per 90, but this is mostly down to his role allowing for this, with Maresca tasking the wide midfielders with probing into wide areas if given space.

A carry is considered progressive if the ball is carried towards the opponent's goal at least 10 yards from its starting point or carried into the penalty area.

On the other hand, the Milan defender completes more progressive passes per 90, more passes into the final third, has a higher frequency of defensive actions, makes more blocks, more interceptions, and even wins more aerial duels (despite his winning percentage). slightly less in this regard).

This does not mean that Tomori is the most suitable player, as he can sometimes be too hasty on the ball, make mistakes and look to force passes down the middle at the wrong times.

However, if the price is right, “The Extraordinary” Tomori. – As described by Milan president Ivan Gazidis – It would be a smart move for the Blues to replace Disasi with a defender more suited to Maresca's system, especially in Fofana's absence.