Boehly could re-sign an “extraordinary” Disasi upgrade at Chelsea

Enzo Maresca has taken like a duck to water at Chelsea, implementing an entirely new system in such a short space of time, and leading them back into the top four of the Premier League. Chelsea have won ten of their opening 19 Premier League games, drawing five and losing four times.

One key principle of Maresca’s system is the man-to-man pressing scheme as they look to regain possession quickly and counter press to sustain pressure when they lose the ball themselves. This allows his side to pin the opposition in their own half, asserting control of the game.

In order to play in this way, the personnel in the team must match the expectations of their role, as one weak link in a counter press can blow open the entire operation as the team goes hunting for the ball.

When Chelsea get into position on the ball, their shape looks something like a 3-2-4-1, with one of their full-backs inverting inside, and the other full-back becoming a wide centre back.

In the absence of Reece James and Malo Gusto (who was rested against Ipswich), Axel Disasi started in his less familiar right-back position, becoming the right central defender in a back three on the ball, but his performance against Ipswich showed exactly why Maresca needs other solutions.

Axel Disasi at Chelsea

Chelsea signed Disasi from Monaco for a fee of around £38.8m in the 2023 summer transfer window, with the Frenchman signing a six-year deal at the club. Since joining the Blues, the 26-year-old has made 59 appearances, scoring five goals, providing two assists and totalling 4,871 minutes played.

His best form at Chelsea came last season under Mauricio Pochettino, where the defensive line was deeper, and his strengths were better highlighted, defending his own box, winning aerial duels and making blocks, with less ball-playing responsibility in short build-up circuits.

However, under Maresca, Disasi is tasked with stepping into more aggressive areas closer to midfield to go man for man with his opposing player, cover larger spaces in retreat due to the defensive lines engagement being higher up, and having to be more precise and intricate on the ball, in order to circulate play until the right opening appears.

It was this responsibility that cost Chelsea against Ipswich, Disasi committing to a duel and losing it slightly higher up the pitch, and then failing to recover, leaving a gap open for Liam Delap to find space in behind the Chelsea defence and win a penalty for the opener. Then again, for the second goal, Disasi making a mistake on the ball, misplacing a pass, allowing Ipswich to break and score their second through former Blue Omari Hutchinson.

With Wesley Fofana currently out injured, Chelsea have struggled to find the right balance within Maresca’s system, and a right-sided defensive addition could help with that, not only to give the Italian more options, but to also replace the qualities lost when Fofana isn’t in the side.

How Chelsea could replace Disasi

According to reports from Sky Sport CH, Chelsea are among the teams who have been offered the chance to sign Fikayo Tomori from AC Milan in January, after the 27-year-old fell out of favour for the Italian giants. But Juventus also hold high interest in the defender, with Thiago Motta keen on bringing the defender to the Allianz.

The report states Todd Boehly and Co would only potentially be interested in bringing Tomori back to the club if Disasi was to leave in January, opening a squad spot for the defender. The former Chelsea ace joined AC Milan from the Stamford Bridge outfit in 2021 for a fee of around £25m.

Since leaving the Blues, Tomori has made 157 appearances for Milan, scoring seven goals, providing one assist and totalling 12,985 minutes played. In his time in London before leaving in 2021 the Englishman made 27 appearances for the senior team, scoring two goals and providing one assist.

Tomori vs Disasi comparison

Much like Disasi, Tomori has also shown he can play as both a central defender and a right full-back, which is one thing Maresca values, having players who can fill in for multiple positions, allowing him to make tactical tweaks in-game, based on the opposition team’s shape.

Tomori has a closer skill set to Fofana than Disasi does, possessing brilliant recovery pace, being comfortable defending in wide areas, and also having the ability on the ball to carry on the outside of the opposition’s defensive block.

When comparing the metrics of both defenders this season, you can see that Maresca’s current option offers more in terms of attacking output, mainly from corners with his 6 foot 4 build and ability to get on the end of crosses. He also has more progressive carries per 90, but this is mostly down to his role permitting that, as Maresca tasks the wide centre-backs to probe in wide areas if given space.

A carry is considered progressive if the ball is moved towards the opponent’s goal at least 10 yards from its starting point or is carried into the penalty area.

The Milan defender, on the other hand, completes more progressive passes per 90, more passes into the final third, and has a high frequency of defensive actions, making more blocks, more interceptions, and even winning more aerial duels (although his win percentage is slightly lower in this regard).

This isn’t to say Tomori is the most perfect fit, as he can sometimes be rash on the ball, making errors and looking to force passes centrally at the wrong times.

However, if the price is right, the “extraordinary” Tomori – as Milan chief Ivan Gazidis described him – would be an astute piece of business for the Blues, in order to replace Disasi with a better-suited defender for Maresca’s system, especially in the absence of Fofana.