Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has revealed how he had to scrap his pre-match preparations after discovering Leicester City had unexpectedly switched to a back-five under Ruud van Nistelrooy.

Speaking after the Blues’ 1-0 victory at Stamford Bridge, Maresca explained how he had to introduce a completely new game plan just before kick-off.

“I’m very happy,” Maresca said in his post-match press conference.

“The main reason is when we prepare for a game, we watch as many games as possible, and we watched almost every Leicester game under Ruud. They always played in a line of four.

“But they arrive here and it is a line of five; they change completely their plan. So all the training sessions we have done to prepare for this game go in the rubbish.

“You need a new plan. So, before the warm-up, we had to give the players a new plan and this is why I was so happy because the way the players adapted – something from the outside you maybe don’t see – was top, fantastic.”

Chelsea managed to overcome the challenge, securing the win through Marc Cucurella’s goal, with Maresca crediting his players for their quick tactical adjustment.