Opinion

£39m Chelsea player showed Enzo Maresca he can only play in one position after Bournemouth win

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If Enzo Maresca had all of his players available, his Chelsea team for the Bournemouth game probably would have looked a lot different.

Chelsea were missing midfielders and defenders for the trip to the Vitality Stadium, though it did not matter in the end.

The Blues, who managed to win the match 1-0, were without Enzo Fernandez, Romeo Lavia, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Reece James and Malo Gusto.

Fernandez was only unavailable because of illness — the same for Dewsbury-Hall — but the rest are out with injury problems. With James and Gusto sidelined, Axel Disasi had to come in at right-back over the weekend.

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Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP via Getty Images

How did Axel Disasi fare against Bournemouth?

Playing out of position, it was not Disasi’s best game. To be frankly honest, the 26-year-old struggled on the night.

Sofascore gave him a 6.5 match rating, with only Nicolas Jackson receiving a lower rating (6.4) on his team.

According to the same website, Disasi also failed to make a single tackle and was dribbled past two times.

He went up against Marcus Tavernier, who had a good game. The winger came so close to giving Bournemouth an early lead after hitting the crossbar at the start of the match.

The Frenchman did not look comfortable taking on Tavernier down the right flank, and it is probably not the kind of battle Maresca and Chelsea fans will want to see in the future.

Axel Disasi can only play in central defence

It is quite clear, then, that Disasi is only really suited to a centre-back role, where he can use his height and strength.

The France international, who cost Chelsea £39m following his move from AS Monaco last year, does not have the pace and attacking ability to play at right-back.

Of course, Maresca’s hands were tied, with James and Gusto both being injured. But the Italian does have youngster Josh Acheampong whom he can turn to.

Maresca is well aware of Acheampong’s talent, already highlighting it since his arrival at Stamford Bridge. It is just about trusting him now if James and Gusto are unavailable.