Chelsea managed to beat Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 at Stamford Bridge, starting their last push for UEFA Champions League football in the right way. Enzo Fernández scored the only goal of the game, heading it home after a lovely ball was whipped in by Cole Palmer.
Enzo Maresca’s men face Brentford on Sunday, just three days after their clash with Tottenham, where another three points will be key. Their victory against Spurs took the Blues back to fourth in the Premier League, sitting one point ahead of Manchester City in fifth and two points ahead of Newcastle in sixth.
06/04/2025
Brentford (A)
13/04/2025
Ipswich (H)
20/04/2025
Fulham (A)
26/04/2025
Everton (H)
04/05/2025
Liverpool (H)
10/05/2025
Newcastle (A)
18/05/2025
Manchester United (H)
25/05/2025
Nottingham Forest (A)
With fifth place believed to be enough for Champions League football this season, Chelsea’s primary focus will be on gaining as many points in their final eight games as possible, in order to qualify.
Maresca will continue to make the tactical tweaks he deems necessary in order to give his side the advantage in games, and this usually stems from his fullback usage.
Tino Livramento's rise after leaving Chelsea
One fullback Chelsea used to have on their books, who is currently smashing it for Newcastle, is Tino Livramento. The English defender was sold by the Blues back in 2021, joining Southampton for a fee of around £5m. Just two years later, Livramento completed a £40m move to Newcastle, where he is now truly showing his class.
Since joining the Magpies, Livramento has made 71 appearances, scoring once, providing one assist and totalling 4,542 minutes played. The 22-year-old has shown versatility to start on both the right and left sides when needed, putting in an exceptional display against Liverpool in the Carabao Cup Final, playing on his wrong side as a left-back.
Livramento has shown he can be a versatile tool for his managers, playing both sides as a fullback, having the ability to overlap and underlap, tuck inside as a third centre-back when needed and even carry the team forward through central zones.
This is something Maresca wants from his full-backs and something we are starting to see more and more with one man in particular.
Chelsea's answer to Livramento
Alongside captain Reece James, Chelsea have Malo Gusto, who was signed in the 2023 January transfer window, joining from Lyon for around £26.3m and earning around £45k per week.
Since arriving at the club, Gusto has made 67 appearances for the Blues, providing 11 assists and totalling 4,331 minutes played.
Goals + Assists
0.10
0.00
Progressive Carries
2.36
2.22
Progressive Passes
5.33
4.80
Pass Completion %
86.6%
84.6%
Key Passes
0.88
0.67
Crosses into Pen Area
0.22
0.22
Shot-Creating Actions
2.53
1.24
Tackles
2.25
1.87
Interceptions
1.02
0.79
Ball Recoveries
5.55
6.36
When comparing the underlying metrics of both Gusto and Livramento, you can see how both compare, both offering good progressive qualities from fullback areas, both putting up good defensive numbers and both having the ability/athleticism to counter-press effectively, helping to aid the teams’ ball recoveries.
Former England defender, Micah Richards, praised Gusto, labelling him an “outstanding” fullback, specifically pointing out his energy and 1v1 defending. The Frenchman has had to learn some new roles this season under Maresca, which has taken its toll on the 21-year-old’s form.
Whilst Gusto has struggled so far this season, we have seen him play multiple roles under Maresca, overlapping to provide width as both a right back and left back, inverting into midfield from both sides and even playing in the pockets on both sides.
This is the versatility Maresca wants in his fullbacks, allowing for plenty of tactical changes when necessary. And so, while it might sting to see Livramento shining elsewhere, the Blues no doubt have their own sparkling full-back in Gusto.
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