Enzo Maresca believes Christopher Nkunku had a very good game against Real Madrid and admitted he’s trying to use him as an attacking midfielder and a striker.
The Blues are now back in London following their pre-season tour of America which concluded with a 2-1 defeat against Real Madrid on Tuesday.
Chelsea complete their tour with just one win from their five games and there’s little time to prepare for Inter Milan’s visit to Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
Maresca using Nkunku as an attacking midfielder and striker
Maresca will no doubt have learnt a lot from the games, but there’s plenty of work to do especially defensively with the Blues looking very vulnerable.
However, there have been positives and you can see signs of a clear identity and a style of play whilst several individuals have stood out.
It’s been a really positive tour for Nkunku who was limited to just 14 appearances in all competitions last season because of injury problems.
The Frenchman scored three goals and looked a threat in matches, especially from the deeper number eight position which Maresca deployed him in on a number of occasions.
Speaking after the Madrid game the Italian admitted he’s trying to use Nkunku as an attacking midfielder and a striker.
“For me, he played a very good game, he told reporters.
“We are trying to use him as an attacking midfielder and a striker, depends on the moment. Also, we are using him as a striker today because Marc [Guiu] was tired at the end.
“It’s normal but overall, the important thing for Christo, we are able to contact with him between the lines.
“Today we contact with Christo and Enzo [Fernandez] many, many times between the lines. This is the most important thing, to arrive there, and with time we will take chances and score more goals.”
A fully fit and firing Nkunku is going to be a huge plus to Chelsea if he can stay fit as he’s one of the only players in the squad who possesses genuine world class quality and supporters will be looking forward to seeing him in action next season.
