“He could be” – Maresca explains change which could get Felix or Nkunku into team with Palmer | OneFootball

Enzo Maresca has just taken his press conference ahead of a big Premier League game against Bournemouth.

His team haven’t won in 4 in the league, and tomorrow night they face a really dangerous team who will push and press them.

One suggestion to get his team out of the doldrums creatively was getting Joao Felix or Christopher Nkunku in the number 10 role and moving its usual incumbent Cole Palmer out to the right wing, where he featured a lot last season.

Maresca certainly didn’t deny this when asked about it:

“He could be [used as a right winger]. You mentioned with Cole playing wide, the full-back overlaps and Cole comes inside the pitch and in the end it is the same position. It’s just a starting position and the ball moves and Cole changes position. He played against City on the right and with Malo Gusto overlapping, he finished in the same position.”

The return of Reece James, who is far more proficient at overlapping than Gusto, could also be what persuades Maresca to try that new angle.

Bournemouth tactical challenge highlighted by Maresca

Enzo Maresca applauds Chelsea fans. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)

As well as a potential role change for Palmer, Maresca addressed Bournemouth specifically as an opponent. He agreed that a win on Saturday would bring confidence, but couldn’t promise much more than that:

“For sure, winning games always helps to continue to win. Hopefully we can build some momentum but Bournemouth will be a very different game. They are a very good team; very tough, very intense,” the manager said.

“More or less, a similar [challenge]. They try always to be intense. It is quite clear what they do on and off the ball. On the ball, they are quite direct and off the ball, they are intense and most of the time on the opposite side man-to-man.”