Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca explained that he started Pedro Neto as a centre forward to take advantage of Barcelona’s high defensive line in their 3-0 Champions League victory.
Neto has played as a centre forward for Chelsea before, but this was his first start there this season. Maresca had several attacking options on the bench, including Joao Pedro, Liam Delap, Marc Guiu and Tyrique George, yet he selected Neto for his role up front.
On the choice to use Neto, Maresca said: “Barcelona is a team that if you give them the ball, they feel comfortable,” and added: “But when they don’t have the ball, they struggle. “So the idea was to keep the ball as much as we can, and then we try to use speedy players, quick players, running players.”
Neto’s pace is well known at the club. Team-mate Moises Caicedo has called him the fastest in the squad, and tracking data shows Neto reached 34.9 km/h, the highest top speed recorded by a Chelsea player in the Champions League.
Maresca also noted that Neto could drop back when Chelsea lost possession, which allowed Enzo Fernandez to operate with more freedom in the attacking midfield position. The coach stressed the need to manage both attack and defence: “You need a balance between the two phases, on the ball and off the ball,” Maresca added.
He praised the players for their work rate and attitude after the match. “We always try to be aggressive, regardless of the other team, and tonight the players were very good.”
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