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            <p>Chelsea will start the season under new management following the departure of Mauricio Pochettino - here, we preview their FPL and wider fantasy football prospects for the 2023/24 campaign.</p>
<p>We take a look at their 2023/24 season and star players, predicted starting 11 and set-piece takers, as well as their new manager Enzo Maresca and how his style will affect our fantasy choices.</p>
<p>There is also a dedicated section for fans of Telegraph Fantasy Football and Dream Team.</p>
<p>Our in-depth look at the top three Chelsea FPL players will be published nearer to the Gameweek 1 deadline <a href="https://www.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/best-fantasy-premier-league-players">here</a>. And you can find all our team previews in one place in our <a href="https://www.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/fantasy-premier-league-ultimate-guide-fpl-tips">Ultimate Guide to FPL</a>.</p>
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<h2>Chelsea: At a glance</h2>
<p><strong>Manager: </strong>Enzo Maresca</p>
<p><strong>2023/24 position: </strong>6th</p>
<p><strong>Top scorer: </strong>Cole Palmer (22)</p>
<p><strong>Top assists: </strong>Cole Palmer (13)</p>
<p><strong>Key transfers in: </strong>Tosin Adarabioyo (Fulham), Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall</p>
<p><strong>Key transfers out: </strong>Thiago Silva, Ian Maatsen, Hakim Ziyech</p>
<div id="attachment_64753" style="width: 684px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-64753" class="size-full wp-image-64753" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Premier-League-table-2023-24-top.jpg" alt="The top of the 2023-24 Premier League table" width="674" height="553" /></p>
<p id="caption-attachment-64753" class="wp-caption-text">The top of the 2023-24 Premier League table. Source: Google</p>
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<h2>Chelsea stats and best players</h2>
<p>Chelsea started the 2023/24 season under new manager Mauricio Pochettino.</p>
<p>The Argentine inherited a side which had seen much change - both in terms of managers and ownership - and there was much work to do.</p>
<p>Among the key problems was a lack of goals scored, with the Blues ranking joint-15th in the previous campaign, having found the net just 38 times. The Blues had failed to convert chances, with their expected goals (xG) tally of 52 suggesting they should have performed much better.</p>
<p>Chelsea looked to the transfer market, moving on 14 players from a bloated squad and bringing in nine first-team players.</p>
<p>The Pochettino era started slowly, with one win in their first six league games, but finished strongly. The Blues climbed to sixth thanks to five straight wins to end the season and their 5-0 loss to Arsenal was their only defeat in their last 15 matches.</p>
<p>Progress had been made, improving on their previous 12th placed finish - and the headline statistics looked good for Pochettino's men.</p>
<p>Their xG and goals scored were much closer together, both ranking in the league's top five. Their defensive performance was less strong however, ranking 12th for goals conceded (63), slightly more than their expected goals conceded (xGC).</p>
<p>But to many Chelsea fans' dismay, Pochettino left the club by mutual consent in May.</p>
<p>Leicester manager Enzo Maresca, who earned the Foxes promotion back to the top flight a year after relegation, was chosen to lead Chelsea into the 2024/25 season.</p>
<div id="attachment_64755" style="width: 284px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-64755" class="size-full wp-image-64755" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Chelsea-stats-2023-24.jpg" alt="Chelsea's headline stats" width="274" height="207" /></p>
<p id="caption-attachment-64755" class="wp-caption-text">Chelsea's headline stats</p>
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<h3>2023/24 season best players</h3>
<p><strong>Cole Palmer </strong>was among the 2023 summer arrivals and the former Manchester City midfielder had a season to remember, scoring 22 and assisting 13.</p>
<p>He became Chelsea's spot-kick taker, scoring all nine of his efforts, but his influence on the team extended beyond the penalty spot.</p>
<p>Palmer was the top points scorer in FPL and a legendary budget enabler in the likes of Sky. His 244 FPL points total was made even more remarkable by the fact he didn't start make his first league start until Chelsea's seventh game.</p>
<p>From then on, he averaged eight FPL points per appearance - 1.24 more than <strong>Phil Foden</strong> - and made a mockery of his price tag in all fantasy formats.</p>
<div id="attachment_65164" style="width: 907px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-65164" class="size-full wp-image-65164" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Palmer-5.jpg" alt="Cole Palmer's stats" width="897" height="731" /></p>
<p id="caption-attachment-65164" class="wp-caption-text">Cole Palmer's stats</p>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Another new signing, <strong>Nicolas Jackson</strong>, managed 14 goals and six assists. It was a mixed first season for the Senegalese striker though, with a number of missed chances contributing to him under-performing his xG of 18.14. No Chelsea player had more big chances (36).</p>
<p>Fantasy managers who owned him at the start of the season were left frustrated by his early performances, with one goal in six and a one-match ban for picking up five bookings.</p>
<p>Jackson, like Chelsea generally, had a much better end to the season. He scored four in his last six, at just the right time in FPL amid double gameweek season.</p>
<div id="attachment_65165" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-65165" class="size-large wp-image-65165" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Chelsea-goal-involvements-1024x601.jpg" alt="Chelsea goals involvements - top 10" width="1024" height="601" /></p>
<p id="caption-attachment-65165" class="wp-caption-text">Chelsea goals involvements - top 10</p>
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<h2>How will Chelsea play under Maresca?</h2>
<p>Apart from a short stint at Parma in 2021, Maresca's senior management career is confined to a single season at Leicester.</p>
<p>But there is plenty to learn from the former Manchester City and West Ham assistant's year at the Foxes.</p>
<p>He is a manager who sticks to his philosophy, so major changes are not expected at his new club.</p>
<p>His Leicester team set up in a 4-3-3 but as is often the case in modern football, this shape changes depending on the situation.</p>
<p>In possession, Maresca looks to dominate the central area, aiming to outnumber the opposition to progress up the pitch.</p>
<p>This involves a full-back - at Leicester it was <strong>Ricardo Pereira </strong>from the right - pushing into midfield alongside a holding midfielder.</p>
<p>A back three is formed behind, with a ball-playing goalkeeper crucial to starting things off.</p>
<p>In front of the defence sits two central midfielders who have licence to push forward, joining the front three to effectively create a front five.</p>
<p>Midfielder <strong>Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall </strong>- who has joined Maresca at Stamford Bridge - topped the charts for goal involvements among Leicester players, with 12 goals and 14 assists.</p>
<p>Maresca's forward choice would often drop back to help with link-up play but this did not stop <strong>Jamie Vardy </strong>from top scoring on 18.</p>
<p>And Leicester's wide players were heavily relied on for scoring and assisting, with <strong>Abdul Fatawu </strong>and <strong>Stephy Mavididi </strong>recording 19 and 18 goal involvements respectively.</p>
<div id="attachment_65166" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-65166" class="size-full wp-image-65166" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Enzo-Maresca.jpg" alt="Enzo Maresca. Picture by Getty Images" width="1024" height="683" /></p>
<p id="caption-attachment-65166" class="wp-caption-text">Enzo Maresca. Picture by Getty Images</p>
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<h3>Which Chelsea players will benefit from Maresca's tactics?</h3>
<p><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5523993/2024/06/03/chelsea-appoint-maresca-inside-story/">The Athletic</a> reported that Maresca believes he can get the best out of <strong>Robert Sanchez</strong>, who lost his place in goal to <strong>Djordje Petrovic </strong>last season.</p>
<p>Sanchez perhaps fits the profile of a Maresca goalkeeper the best out of the duo and <strong>Kepa Arrizabalaga</strong>.</p>
<p>But it's worth noting that Robert De Zerbi - who also requires excellent distribution from his number one - dipped into the transfer market at Sanchez's expense before the shot-stopper left Brighton.</p>
<p>Should Maresca invert his right-back, it remains to be seen whether this is a positive or negative for <strong>Reece James </strong>and <strong>Malo Gusto</strong>.</p>
<p><strong>Trent Alexander-Arnold </strong>has thrived in an inverted right-back role for Liverpool, however it may take some adapting for James and Gusto and is one to monitor in <a href="https://www.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/fpl-pre-season-results-guide">pre-season</a>. <strong>Marc Cucurella </strong>on the left would arguably be a better fit for an inverted role.</p>
<div id="attachment_57200" style="width: 907px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-57200" class="size-full wp-image-57200" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Gusto.jpg" alt="" width="897" height="731" /></p>
<p id="caption-attachment-57200" class="wp-caption-text">Malo Gusto</p>
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<p>Maresca has several options for the more attacking midfield slots. The system could unlock <strong>Enzo Fernandez's </strong>full potential or push <strong>Moises Caicedo </strong>further forward.</p>
<p><strong>Cole Palmer </strong>could even become the Dewsbury-Hall of the Chelsea team, although this would be a more maverick choice in what is essentially a central midfield role.</p>
<p>Maresca will of course not have to experiment to find his Dewsbury-Hall equivalent, given the man himself has joined the Blues. He could be an excellent fantasy choice if he can become a first-team regular.</p>
<p>Whoever plays in the forward roles should have plenty of chances for attacking returns - and <strong>Christopher Nkunku </strong>will be one to watch in pre-season after being priced up as a £6.5m midfielder in FPL.</p>
<div id="attachment_59671" style="width: 907px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-59671" class="size-full wp-image-59671" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Nkunku.jpg" alt="Christopher Nkunku" width="897" height="731" /></p>
<p id="caption-attachment-59671" class="wp-caption-text">Christopher Nkunku</p>
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<h2>Chelsea predicted lineup for FPL Gameweek 1</h2>
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Chelsea FPL and fantasy football tips: Predicted lineup and style of play under Maresca

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