Enzo Maresca put out a team against Bayern Munich that not many would have predicted going into the game. We certainly did not. But except for the decision to leave Estevao on the bench, which is somewhat understandable, he has ticked pretty much every other box. The surprise lies in the Chelsea setup, although, it perhaps should not be.
What is Maresca's greatest game as a Chelsea manager? That is not a hard one to figure out. The 3-0 win against PSG, when nobody had given the Blues a chance but they completely blew the European champions away in the Club World Cup final.
Well, Maresca has gone for the exact same setup here. Malo Gusto is starting on the right while Reece James has slotted into midfield. We all know Enzo Maresca is not the best in the defensive phase of the game, so it adds a bit more solidity needed in the middle of the park against a top team like Bayern Munich.
If not for the injury to Levi Colwill, it might have even been the exact same lineup from that final against PSG. Tosin Adarabioyo is the one starting in his place. Everything else is virtually identical
Chelsea detail vs Bayern Munich that you might've missed
So, it looks like this is the setup that Maresca prefers against top teams like PSG and Bayern Munich. At least that is the case as long as Romeo Lavia remains injured.
James is more than capable of playing in the middle of the park though. We saw that against PSG in that final, and hopefully, this game against Bayern Munich will provide further proof of that.
That being said, every game is unique. Just because Chelsea got themselves a fantastic result with this setup against PSG does not mean that they will do the same against Bayern Munich as well. They will need to bring their A-game and then some to get a result against the Bavarian giants.