MARESCA could fix Lafia's gap by unleashing the 'very important' Chelsea star.

Chelsea They have the opportunity to close the gap between themselves and Liverpool in the league Premier League The table drops to just two points with a win over Brentford, which will also move it four points clear of third-placed Arsenal.

Enzo Maresca continues to say that Chelsea are not in a title race, but a win over the Bees will make it difficult for him to continue with those notions. Chelsea is – The fourth highest possession percentage in the league this season at 56.4%.they take 15.3 shots per game (fourth again), and they only concede 11.6 shots per game (sixth-fewest in the division).

However, the Italian will focus entirely on taking one match at a time, as this match against Brentford will be treated like any other match, which may include some tactical adjustments, especially in the absence of… Romeo Lafia.

Chelsea team news ahead of Brentford

Three players who are certain to be missed for the Blues are Reece James, Wesley Fofana and Pedro Neto. Both James and Fofana were lost through injury, while Neto was suspended after picking up six yellow cards in the Premier League.

Mykhailo Modric is another player who may not participate, as he missed Chelsea's last three matches, due to illness. Finally, it also looks like Lavia will have to be monitored after he was taken off the field in the first half against Tottenham, suffering from hamstring pain.

With the Belgian midfielder likely to be out, Maresca will have to find another way to prepare his team, shake up Chelsea's lineup and bring their best available players into the squad.

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How can Chelsea fill Romeo Lavia's void?

Mariska was called a defender Mark Cucurella very “important“In the past for Chelsea, with Lavia out, the Italian would likely use the Spaniard to build his team appropriately, by relying on the likes of Enzo Fernandes, Moises Caicedo and Cole Palmer in order to get the best out of them.

The brilliance of Cucurella, who might as well have been Rather “embarrassing” as Jamie Carragher put it Against Tottenham last weekend, it allows Maresca to move him into wide centre-back positions, as we have seen so often this season, playing to the left of three ball-possessed defenders – but also being reflected in the midfield at deeper, more advanced heights.

Against Brentford, the full-back is likely to switch alongside Caicedo. This in turn will allow Fernandes to advance into the left half-space, receive the ball and dictate play from this area, where he has found tremendous success in recent weeks. He scored three goals and made three assists In his last five. Cucurella provides additional stability alongside Caicedo to cover for Fernandes' defensive qualities, as he has similar recovery numbers to Lavia.

Not only does the Euro 2024 winner bring the off-the-ball tenacity needed to maintain pressure in those central areas, but he also has the on-ball qualities that Lavia can provide, making 3.46 progressive passes per 90 and 1.15 progressive passes per 90.

Maresca can balance the team in Lavia's absence with Cucurella useful in midfield, allowing everyone to continue to occupy their best attacking areas, and the Blues to stifle Brentford in their own half, where they are aggressive off the ball, and counter-press with high intensity.

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Maresca must unleash a bargain Chelsea star who is just as important as Palmer.

Chelsea's 'deal' signing is scheduled to begin against Brentford this evening.