Welcome to The Blueprint, where myself (pauciloquxnt) and FUTWIZ take a deep dive into real-life tactics and how to recreate them in FC 25. This week, we’re analysing Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea – an evolving side balancing positional play, inverted full-backs, and the brilliance of Cole Palmer. We’ll reflect on the tactical identity so far, predict how it can develop, and break down the key roles that define this Chelsea team. Hope you enjoy it!
Chelsea 2024/25 – Possession, Patience & Positional Play
Enzo Maresca’s first season at Chelsea has been one of evolution rather than revolution. Tasked with bringing structure to a young and inconsistent squad, his tactical approach has been built on control, patient build-up, and precise positional play. The results have been mixed – glimpses of tactical cohesion, yet moments of stagnation. While Chelsea’s defensive structure has improved, their attacking sequences have sometimes lacked penetration, leading to a reliance on individual brilliance from Cole Palmer.
However, the blueprint is clear. Chelsea’s play revolves around methodical possession, stretching the pitch horizontally while maintaining compactness vertically. The key innovations have been the inverted full-back from the right, a fluid Caicedo–Enzo double pivot, and a structure that allows Palmer to operate as the creative hub.
Under Maresca, Chelsea has emphasised control and precise positional play. The team averages 58.4% possession per match in the Premier League, reflecting their commitment to dominating the ball. However, this control hasn’t consistently translated into offensive potency, as evidenced by their expected goals (xG) tally of 56.68 over 29 matches, averaging approximately 1.95 xG per game. Defensively, they’ve conceded 37 goals with an expected goals against (xGA) of 40.81, indicating a relatively solid defensive structure.
With time, refinement, and greater attacking fluency, Maresca’s Chelsea can evolve into one of the most well-drilled possession sides in the league.
Tactical Framework
Formation and Build-Up Play
Chelsea’s nominal 4-2-3-1 formation morphs into a 3-2-4-1 in possession due to specific positional adjustments:
- Backline Structure: The left-back tucks in to form a back three with the centre-backs, providing defensive stability and facilitating the right-back’s movement into midfield.
- Double Pivot Variation: Moisés Caicedo anchors the midfield, while Enzo Fernández advances into the left half-space, effectively operating as a pseudo-10. Fernández boasts a pass completion rate of 84.3% this season, underscoring his reliability in possession.
- Inverted Full-Back Influence: The right-back’s inversion into midfield creates central numerical superiority, aiding in ball progression and control.
- Palmer’s Free Role: Cole Palmer serves as the creative fulcrum, adept at receiving between the lines and linking play. His 69 chances created lead the Premier League, highlighting his pivotal role in Chelsea’s attack.
Chelsea’s build-up play is characterised by patience, utilising short passing sequences to draw opponents forward before exploiting spaces through positional rotations and third-man runs.
Defensive Organisation & Pressing
Maresca’s Chelsea prioritises compactness and control over relentless pressing, using a 4-4-2 mid-block, targeted pressing triggers, and a structured rest defence to minimise transitions.
Mid-Block as the Default Shape
- Compact Structure – The team stays vertically compact, limiting central progression.
- Palmer’s Role – Joins the striker to block passing lanes and force play wide.
- Wingers Tucking In – Protects half-spaces rather than aggressively pressing full-backs.
- Pressing Triggers – Chelsea steps up only when the ball moves wide or backward.
Zonal Pressing Triggers
- Wide Pressing Traps – Wingers and full-backs step up aggressively when the ball moves wide.
- Caicedo’s Step-Up – Moves forward to disrupt build-up, averaging 2.8 tackles & 1.7 interceptions per 90.
- Blocking Central Access – The midfield and forwards cut off passing lanes, forcing play into less dangerous areas.
Compact Rest Defence
- Left-Back Tucks In – Forms a back three in possession, ensuring defensive coverage.
- Caicedo Shields Defence – Stays deeper to break up counters.
- Inverted Right-Back Recovers – Drops into defensive shape when possession is lost.
Chelsea’s structured defensive approach has helped them concede 37 goals in 29 matches, close to their xGA of 40.81, highlighting their improving solidity.
Key Roles Within the System
The Inverted Full-Back – Reece James/Malo Gusto
- Moves into midfield, creating central overloads and offering an extra passing option.
- Reece James, when fit, excels in progression, averaging 1.2 progressive passes per 90, while Malo Gusto provides defensive stability with 2.4 tackles per 90.
- Defensively recovers into the backline when possession is lost, maintaining balance and covering for the advanced right-winger.
Moisés Caicedo – The Anchor
- Holds position in front of the defence, breaking up play with 2.8 tackles & 1.7 interceptions per 90.
- Completes 84.3% of his passes, ensuring stability in possession.
- Steps up into midfield when pressing triggers are activated, disrupting opposition build-up.
Enzo Fernández – The Hybrid Midfielder
- Pushes into the left half-space, operating as a deep-lying playmaker and secondary creator.
- Completes 84.3% of his passes, progressing play through line-breaking passes.
- Averages 6.5 progressive passes per 90, helping transition from midfield to attack.
Cole Palmer – The Creative Hub
- The focal point of Chelsea’s attacking play, linking midfield and attack with fluid movement.
- Has created 69 chances, the most in the league, showcasing his playmaking influence.
- Excels in receiving between the lines, with 6.3 progressive carries per 90, driving Chelsea forward.
The Striker – Nicolas Jackson/Christopher Nkunku
- Jackson stretches defences with constant movement, averaging 2.1 off-ball runs into the box per 90, while Nkunku offers a more technical, link-up option.
- Needs to be more clinical – Chelsea’s xG underperformance (-4.7) suggests missed opportunities, particularly from Jackson.
- Nkunku’s intelligent positioning and ball control could be key to improving Chelsea’s chance conversion once he gets comfortable in the system.
Cole Palmer – The Focal Point of Chelsea’s Attack
Cole Palmer has emerged as Chelsea’s creative and attacking linchpin, blending vision, technical quality, and intelligence to dictate play in the final third. Given positional freedom, he thrives in tight spaces, linking midfield to attack and providing the decisive moments Chelsea often rely on.
Elite Chance Creation & Playmaking
- Palmer leads Chelsea in chances created (69) and key passes per 90 (2.5), underlining his role as the primary playmaker.
- His progressive passes (7.1 per 90) highlight his ability to break lines and feed attackers in dangerous positions.
- Operating between the lines, 53% of his touches come in the final third, where he consistently influences attacking moves.
End Product & Goal Threat
- With 13 goals and 6 assists, Palmer is Chelsea’s most productive attacking player.
- His non-penalty xG of 0.34 per 90 reflects his ability to get into goal-scoring positions beyond just playmaking.
- By drifting inside from the right, he forms key connections with Enzo Fernández and the striker, creating overloads in central areas.
Tactical Influence
- Chelsea’s 59.4% average possession per match suits Palmer’s strengths, allowing him to dictate tempo and unlock defences.
- His movement facilitates Chelsea’s positional rotations, with Enzo stepping forward and the right-back inverting into midfield.
- As the team’s creative hub, improving the movement around him – particularly from the striker and overlapping full-backs – will further elevate Chelsea’s attacking output.
With Chelsea still refining their attacking patterns, Palmer’s presence remains the catalyst. Enhancing the structure around him could take both his performances and Chelsea’s attacking fluidity to the next level.
How Chelsea Can Improve & Evolve
To enhance their tactical approach, Chelsea should focus on:
Increase Attacking Fluidity
- Implementing more third-man runs and quick combinations in the final third to penetrate deep defensive blocks.
- With an average of 12.4 passes per shot, Chelsea’s build-up play is structured but lacks incisiveness – quicker interplay could create higher-quality chances.
Improve Pressing Intensity
- Adopting a more proactive high press to recover possession in advanced areas and sustain attacking pressure.
- Chelsea rank 12th in PPDA (passes per defensive action) with 12.8, indicating room for improvement in disrupting opposition build-up earlier.
Find the Right Striker Profile
- Identifying a forward adept at link-up play and clinical finishing to capitalise on the team’s creative efforts.
- Chelsea’s xG underperformance (-4.7) suggests a lack of cutting edge, reinforcing the need for a more reliable finisher to convert dominance into goals.
Better Execution in Transitions
- Balancing patient build-up with the ability to exploit transitional moments through swift counter-attacks, particularly leveraging the vision of Palmer and Fernández.
- Chelsea make just 1.8 counter-attacks per 90, showing a tendency to slow down transitions when they could be more direct in exploiting space.
Recreated for FC 25
Make sure to check out the full tactic on FUTWIZ
The Tactics
Build-Up Style is set to Balanced. This is so that we can build up however we see fit to the game situation. Mainly we will want to be patient and wait for the moment to strike, but we also want that ability to counter if the opportunity arises.
Line Height is set to 70 so that we can trigger presses and bring the defensive line up to support the recycling of the play, but we don’t want to go all out gegenpress.
The GK is set to Sweeper Keeper with a Build-Up focus. This is because Sanchez is a pivotal part of Chelsea’s build up, often stepping into defence to form a back 4 when the RB inverts.
The LB is set to Fullback with a Defend focus. This is because we want them to tuck in and form a back three in possession so we have that 3-2 build up shape.
The RB is set to Falseback with a Defend focus. We want this player to invert into midfield alongside our RDM. They will be adept on the ball and have the ability to pick out a pass much like Reece James.
The CBs are set to Defender with a Defend focus. Although Colwill is more of a ball-playing defender for Chelsea, the role in game will just leave a massive gap, so we keep things simple and can make those progressions ourselves.
The RDM is set to Deep-Lying Playmaker with a Defend Focus. This is the Caicedo role, staying deep, and stepping up to be the first line of defence against any counter attacks. As many defensive playstyles as you can get here, and relentless will be a huge plus also.
The LDM is set to Deep-Lying Playmaker with a Build-Up focus. The Enzo role is a hybrid one, not quite an 8, 10 or 6, but filling all of these roles in different game states. You want as pure of a box-to-box midfielder as you can here as they will have to be a Swiss Army knife.
The CAM is set to Playmaker with a Build-Up focus. Cole Palmer’s role was the most important to get right as he comes deep to receive the ball and then often is the creative fulcrum for the team. Note that they drift into the half space of their WEAK FOOT, so make sure if you have a right footer that you flip the tactic.
The LW is set to Wide Playmaker with an Attack focus. Maresca’s wingers sit high and wide, with the left side often being more of a creative player, looking to find a cutting ball from those wide areas.
The RW is set to Inside Forward with a Roaming focus. The RW however is usually far more direct, looking to beat their marker and cut inside to take a shot on their stronger foot.
The ST is set to Advanced Forward with a Support focus. Nicolas Jackson has a lot of movement to make in the system. Often dropping deep at the start of the attack, then jumping forward to make the incisive runs he is known for.
Tips and Tricks
- R1 triggers to bring players in towards you will be crucial to making this work well. With the wingers sitting high and wide, we can manipulate the opponent’s fullbacks and give space in behind to move into.
- Have a balanced approach to attacks, build up with control and use a positional play mindset, then have those chaotic moments in and around the opponent’s area.
- Your Falseback MUST be adept on the ball, and have the ability to find a pass, they are going to be central to build up along with the RDM.
- Your LW/RW must be good in 1v1 duels, having the ability to beat their man and either shoot or create a shooting opportunity. You will have lots of overloads with the CAM and LDM.
- The CAM will drift to the side of their weak foot, so bear in mind that if you have a right footed CAM, you need to flip the tactic.
- ++ roles are near essential here as there is a lot of transitional movement within the tactic. RB, CDMs, CAM are the most important for the ++ roles.
Conclusion
Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea are a side in progress, with a clear tactical foundation built on structured build-up, controlled possession, and positional play. Their defensive solidity has improved through a well-organised pressing system and compact shape, but attacking efficiency remains the key area for growth. With Cole Palmer pulling the strings as the creative hub and the evolving Caicedo–Enzo double pivot alongside the inverted full-back system, Chelsea have the framework for a possession-dominant approach.
The challenge lies in converting this possession into decisive attacking play. Palmer’s creativity is vital, but Chelsea still struggle to break down deep defensive blocks. More fluid rotations and sharper transitions are needed to unlock defences more effectively.
To fully realise this tactical potential, Chelsea must focus on refining attacking fluidity, improving pressing intensity, and securing a striker who can complement their system. If Maresca can fine-tune these elements, Chelsea’s 2024/25 season could mark the start of their rise as a dominant possession-based team.
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(All stats were correct at the time of publication)
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