Chelsea eyeing one of the ‘most talented LBs in the world’

Perhaps the biggest tactical change at Chelsea since arrival Enzo Maresca is using their full-backs, tweaking their positions in possession to lift the rest of the playmaking staff.

Such as Malo Gusto and Marc Cucurella they were key to this, occasionally turning into midfield alongside Moises Caicedo or sometimes providing width by allowing a winger to wander inside, and even occupying half-spaces as temporary “tens” at times.

To carry out this variety of roles, wide defenders must have the perfect blend of attacking and defensive qualities, be technically gifted enough to occupy midfield areas, while having the pace to recover and the athleticism to counter-press and retreat to their natural position when possession is lost.

How Marc Cucurella performed under Enzo Maresco

Cucurella has proven to be Maresco’s favorite since taking over at Chelsea made 20 appearances in all competitions this seasonscored two goals, provided two assists, contributed three clean sheets and played a total of 1,629 minutes.

Maresca himself even labeled Cucurella as “very important” in an interview this season, saying “Marc Cucurella has something that is sometimes hard to find in other players“. At 26, the Spaniard is also one of the Blues’ more experienced players, which is why he acted more like a leader on the pitch.

The Spaniard showed the intensity needed to support the press in midfield, tracking players in a man-to-man manner, aggressive and tenacious in the duel but calm on the ball to circulate the play and be a useful tactical tool for Maresca to draw in different positions on the field.

With that in mind, the technical quality in the Premier League is only increasing from year to year, and this also applies to the defenders, who are becoming more and more important for the tactics of modern football. Chelsea could look in the transfer market for another technically gifted option to compete with and challenge Cucurella.

A dream replacement for Marco Cucurella at Chelsea

According to reporting from CaughtOffsideChelsea is one of the teams keeping an eye on Bournemouth defender Milos Kerkez, while other interests come from Liverpool, Manchester United, Arsenal and Tottenham.

Reports suggest that Bournemouth want £50m to let the 21-year-old leave, which is to be expected with the Cherries playing so well this season and Kerkez being such a big factor in that. Bournemouth will also be hoping, given the amount of interest in the Hungary international, that they can spark a bidding war between the clubs.

Kerkez has he made 19 appearances (all in the Premier League) this seasonscoring one goal, adding two assists, contributing four clean sheets and playing a total of 1,641 minutes.

How does Kerkez compare with Cucurella

Both Kerkez and Cucurella have played in very different roles and systems this year, with the former playing under Andoni Iraola at Bournemouth, who took the league by storm with his high pressing and direct style of play. Kerkez is often tasked with overlapping and breaking runs to support the wings, finding himself in great scoring positions and often providing assists from those zones.

In comparison, Cucurella was a bit of a chess piece for Maresca, moved around according to the needs of others on the pitch. For example, keeping wide when João Félix plays on the left and drifts inside, but playing more than a number 8/10 in the pocket when Pedro Neto or Jadon Sancho are on the left, who tend to stay and keep wide looking for 1v1 isolations.

Comparing the two in their basic numbers this campaign, the Hungarian clearly ranks ahead in many areas, providing more progressive actions per 90 (both carries and passes), making more key passes, more passes into the box and averaging more shot-making actions per 90 .

In addition, the former Brighton ace has slightly better defensive numbers, winning more attacks and making more blocks per 90. But this is not the weakness of the Chelsea target. In fact, he still makes more interceptions than Cucurella at 90, and has more rebounds at 90 (4.62 compared to 4.06), showing his persistence in returning the ball in high pressing.

Kerkez is described as “one of the most talented left backs in world football” by scout Jacek Kulig, after getting two assists against Manchester City and scoring against Wolves in quick succession. Adding someone like the Cherries defender, who is more natural at attacking wide spaces and providing width than Cucurella, could actually be the best of one of Chelsea’s 2024 summer signings.

The dynamics of Jadon Sancho and Kerkez

Sancho often finds himself isolated in wide areas, and despite being a crafty winger looking to initiate 1v1 isolations with opposing full-backs, he doesn’t necessarily have the pace to beat them without support and is far more effective when given rebounders of and combine with.

Kerkez’s desire to attack the touchline, making overlapping and covering runs and putting crosses into the box, would make Sancho more unpredictable in his game, as he could vary his actions with combinations with the full-back, but also with combinations inside the attackers and attacking midfielders, while the wide defender pulls the man with him.

That’s something Cucurella tried to provide for Sancho in Maresca’s attacking system, but his lack of confidence to beat a player in the wider area and set up a cross in the box himself often led to Chelsea stunting in those wide left areas and going again.

Kerkez could offer Maresca a new dynamic to experiment with, and having both him and Cucurella would open up even more tactical options for the Italian coach.