Chelsea final against PSG is acid test for Maresca tactics

Tournament football can be cruel. It can also act as the making of managers. Enzo Maresca, like Thomas Tuchel before him, will be hoping the latter rings true as his side close in on their date with destiny.

- WILL CASTLE

Chelsea have clawed their way to within 90 minutes of becoming, by definition, world champions. Barring a six-minute blip against Flamengo, sparking a loss that proved incredibly beneficial for the Blues’ wider campaign, they have bossed the inaugural Club World Cup to set up a final showdown with the imperious Paris Saint-Germain.

Maresca’s tactical philosophy is slowly beginning to take shape in a way fans can get behind. Suddenly, “Maresca ball” doesn’t feel like such a chore to watch. The common complaint throughout a domestic season that ended with Chelsea scraping Champions League football, pipping the high-flying Nottingham Forest to the post, was that Maresca’s system was far too rigid, too predictable.

The former Leicester boss does not opt for a conventional four-back when in possession and instead prefers to for one fullback to invert, while the other drifts inside to join the two centre-halves. The goal is to provide superiority in numbers as they push forward in this 3-2-5 system. However, without fluidity, the wide players risk becoming isolated, as was seen on numerous occasions last term, especially against the low block.

This summer’s acquisitions, including a couple made mid-tournament, have been sanctioned to make Chelsea more unpredictable. Liam Delap’s arrival from Ipswich bows to the demand of a classic number nine, a true poacher. The purchases of Borussia Dortmund’s Jamie Gittens and Palmeiras’ “Little Messi” Estevao - who scored against the Blues in their dramatic Club World Cup quarterfinal tie - provide Maresca with two wingers that love to cut inside onto their stronger foot. But the first proper vindication of Chelsea’s transfer strategy has come through the signing many questioned the £60m investment he warranted.