3 costly mistakes Maresca made in Premier League defeat to Manchester City

Maresca failed to lead his Chelsea side to an opening weekend win against the champions Manchester City and here are 3 mistakes he made in the defeat.

Lavia was undoubtedly Chelsea's best player on the pitch, and his substitution had a big impact on the team's overall performance.

His energy, creativity, and control in midfield were sorely missed after he left the pitch, and his replacement Dewsbury-Hall failed to fill the void.

Lavia's presence was crucial in allowing Chelsea to maintain possession and win the ball back quickly, and his absence became evident on his exit.

Cole Palmer was struggling to make an impact on the right wing, and it was evident that he needed to be moved to the number 10 role to be closer to goal, where he can do sufficient damage.

However, Maresca failed to make this adjustment, leaving Palmer isolated and ineffective. Furthermore, Nkunku was surprisingly taken off despite being one of the Blues' better performers, which didn't provide the desired boost to Chelsea's attack.

Nkunku's goal-scoring threat would have been better utilised at center forward, but Maresca's decision to remove him hindered Chelsea's chances of getting back into the game.

Maresca's team struggled to cope with Manchester City's intense press and strong wing play.

When Guardiola made a tactical switch, swapping Jeremy Doku and Savinho, Maresca had no answers.

This change in dynamics should have prompted the Chelsea boss to adjust Chelsea's shape and tactics accordingly.

Unfortunately, he failed to respond, and the switch led directly to the decisive goal, as Doku cut inside and played the initial pass for Haaland to finish off.