Maresca needs to upgrade on 4/10 Chelsea star

Chelsea managed to ease past Morecambe in the FA Cup third round, despite only being 1-0 up at half-time at Stamford Bridge. A first-half deflected strike from Tosin Adarabioyo was the only difference between the sides, after Christopher Nkunku’s penalty was saved.

Second-half goals from Nkunku, João Félix (x2) and Adarabioyo made it 5-0, with half-time substitutions of Malo Gusto, Marc Cucurella and Jadon Sancho improving the overall performance in that second half.

Enzo Maresca’s side held 81% possession, took 28 shots in the game and created four big chances in the game, albeit with there having been a mixed bag of performances.

Tosin’s performance vs Morecambe

It was the unlikely brace from Adarabioyo that caught the headlines, as the central defender smashed two goals in from outside the box, having been given the space to shoot on both occasions by the Morecambe deep defensive line.

The 27-year-old scored two goals, made one clearance, one block and one interception. He also won all four of his aerial duels contested and made 93% of his passes with 107 touches in the game.

Adarabioyo’s role in this game was extremely important, with Morecambe dropping off so deep, the space was for him to advance, either dragging the opposition striker towards him to make space for his defensive partner (Axel Disasi) or forcing them even deeper, making room for those long-shot chances.

Despite the good performance from Adarabioyo and a few others, especially in the first half, Chelsea fans were left with a lot to be desired. One individual who failed to have his imprint on the game was Marc Guiu, who started up front in the place of Nicolas Jackson.

Why Chelsea need an upgrade on Guiu

Guiu was awarded a 4/10 match rating from GOAL for his performance, only managing 11 touches in the game, with nine accurate passes.

The 19-year-old striker was signed from Barcelona this summer for a fee of around £5m, already making 12 appearances for the Blues since joining, scoring six goals.

The stats backed up the fact that Guiu felt anonymous in the game, with Filip Jorgensen having more touches (29) than the striker. As per usual, the Spanish youngster worked hard, engaging in duels all over the pitch, but unfortunately losing all four of those duels (both ground and aerial).

Guiu did make 100% of his passes (nine of nine), but much of his involvement was easily dealt with by the Morecambe defensive unit. This was a game where Guiu had the chance to continue knocking on the door for more Premier League substitute minutes, but a lack of involvement may actually cause Maresca to push for another striker option.

Whilst Guiu has shown signs in his short stint at Chelsea so far, he is clearly a raw talent who needs time and minutes to develop, which could mean a loan best suits his development plan at this current time.

Therefore, as has already been suggested for a while, the Blues would need to acquire another striker option, as an upgrade on Guiu, to challenge Jackson.

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Thankfully, at least, Guiu’s woes were overshadowed by the brilliance of Tosin and co, with the Blues ultimately powering into the fourth round.

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