It is hard to pick too many faults in Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca for the job he’s done so far at Stamford Bridge. However, his tactical decision with Blues youngster Tyrique George recently has been baffling and needs to come to an end.
Exactly 15 months ago, Enzo Maresca officially started his role as the Chelsea manager.
The 45-year-old Italian head coach certainly won supporters over last season during his first year in charge, winning both the Club World Cup and Conference League. He also ensured Champions League football would be returning to West London.
Despite this, an indifferent start to a new campaign has caused plenty of speculation around the manager’s position.
The encouraging reports state that Chelsea still believe in Maresca and won’t panic yet, even though they have only won two of their opening six Premier League matches. Next, league leaders Liverpool visit the Bridge on Saturday evening.
Enzo Maresca is getting it tragically wrong with Tyrique George
Perhaps our biggest criticism of Maresca right now is his tactic to deploy Tyrique George, 19, as the centre-forward. It is something we are desperate for him to scrap and completely forget as soon as possible.
George, who’s a very talented youngster from the Chelsea academy, became a first-team regular last term. This season, he’s already played five senior matches, including three games in the Premier League.
Even though he’s a natural winger by trade, we’ve seen him lead the line as the starting centre-forward on more than one occasion recently.
On Tuesday night, George was extremely poor in Chelsea’s 1-0 home win against Benfica in the Champions League. That responsibility should be on Maresca because he’s the one using him out of position.
| Minutes played | Goals | Assists | Total shots | Chances created | Accurate passes | Touches in opposition box | Match rating |
| 61 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8/9 (89%) | 1 | 6.6 |
Less than 10 touches against Benfica highlights how isolated George was in his latest Chelsea performance. It is true that he runs his socks off and presses when asked to be the frontman, but he’s a conventional winger whose game is about receiving the ball and going 1v1 against an opposition full-back.
Steve Sidwell thought George was anonymous when he played up front against Benfica in midweek.
George did score and assist as a striker when the Blues beat League One club Lincoln City in the Carabao Cup in September. Even so, he still looked isolated and it took a thunderous strike from outside the box to make his mark.
While we have sympathy for Maresca because of the current issues in attack, George should be an absolute last resort as the number nine because it’s not helping the player or the team.
George, who was described as “very talented” by Tosin Adarabioyo, should be in the thick of the battle to start on the left wing.
What can Chelsea do in the striker position?
Liam Delap’s injury, which could keep him sidelined until November/December, has left a major hole in the squad. The English striker would be a real luxury right now.
At the moment, Joao Pedro is filling in as the main centre-forward, even if people prefer him a bit deeper. If not, George has led the line, which we’ve expressed major frustration about above.
Marc Guiu is an out-and-out striker on the bench we would prefer to see support Pedro, but there is a bit of mystery on why he’s not played since being recalled from his loan at Sunderland.
If Chelsea are desperately short of options, Pedro Neto could be a better choice as a number nine because his overall game is much more polished than George. Back in February, Neto admitted he enjoys playing as a centre-forward after covering that role a few times last season.
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