Enzo Maresca believes Enzo Fernandez and Jadon Sancho's ever-increasing goal threat has added a new dimension to Chelsea's attacking play.

Maresca's philosophy places much emphasis on his attacking players. The wingers are expected to be direct with their dribbling and provide a goal threat. Meanwhile, Cole Palmer, who more often than not this season has played in the 'right pocket' behind Nicolas Jackson, and the other midfielder who pushes forward into the 'left pocket', are expected to crash the box and chip in with not only assists but the scoring too.

Noni Madueke has started 12 of Chelsea's 15 Premier League games this season, finding the net five times and contributing two assists. Palmer has continued his remarkable start to life at Stamford Bridge with 11 goals and six assists in his 15 domestic outings this season.

Jackson, meanwhile, is leading the line expertly in the Premier League, with eight goals in 14 appearances. Christopher Nkunku continues to apply pressure and is our top goalscorer in all competitions on 12.

Starting berths in the left wing and 'left pocket' roles have been more varied under Maresca.

Pedro Neto, who the Italian sees more as a right winger, has featured on the opposite flank in almost half of his outings in Blue, while fellow summer signing Sancho and Mykhailo Mudryk are viewed as the more natural options on the left.

Nkunku, Joao Felix, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Tyrique George have also featured on that wing at times this season.

The identity of the central midfielder that pushes into the more advanced 'left pocket' has also been rotated during the 2024/25 campaign. But Fernandez has occupied the role to great effect of late, scoring three goals in his last four games.

Similarly, Sancho has returned to the left wing for the last three Premier League matches and has netted in his last two appearances.

So with goal threats coming from both flanks and through the middle, it is fair to say Maresca is a happy man.

When asked about his expectations for his wingers, Maresca replied: ‘Jadon, since we started, is doing well. He was lacking a finish because we had many different games where he arrived one-v-one and he is always looking for an assist. This is good but sometimes he is in a position where he can take a shot and now he is doing better.

'If you look at us this season, from the right winger with Noni and Pedro, the right pocket with Cole, the number nine with Christo and Nico, we have scored goals. From the left side and left pocket, we struggle a little bit but now we start with Enzo and Jadon. With the five attacking players, we need goals and assists from them. All the same.

'Off the ball, the way we work, Pedro and Noni on one side and Jadon and Misha on the other, they have to run when we don’t have the ball. It’s not more than that. You can’t only play football when we have the ball, you have to play it when we don’t have the ball. We require sacrifice and hard work.’

When starting games this season, Fernandez has captained the team in the absence of Reece James; Maresca clearly admires the midfielder's talents.

The World Cup winner had to wait until his 16th appearance under Maresca to get on the scoresheet but he has been in productive form since early November, scoring three times and creating six assists in his last six outings in all competitions.

‘Enzo is a very good example,' Maresca explained. 'Noni is the same. Even when they were not playing, they were doing the right things. It was my decision to leave them out but it wasn’t because they were training badly or the behaviour wasn’t right. It was simple technical decisions.

'Sometimes, when you leave out players you hurt them and motivate them to give something extra, but Enzo can be a good example for the rest. We have more players who were out at one moment but when they played did very well.’