Enzo Maresca after Chelsea’s first pre-season friendly (Picture: Chelsea FC)
Enzo Maresca admits Chelsea are ‘going to concede goals this season playing out from the back’ after the Blues drew 2-2 with Wrexham in his first game in charge.
Chelsea made two defensive errors in their first pre-season match and were punished by League One Wrexham, who appeared to be closing in on a surprise win in California.
Christopher Nkunku had given Chelsea a first-half lead but Wrexham turned the game around through second-half goals from Luke Bolton and Jack Marriott.
The Premier League side equalised with ten minutes remaining through Lesley Ugochukwu and Maresca defended his tactics after the pre-season game.
‘For sure, we are going to concede goals this season playing out from the back,’ the former Leicester City boss said.
‘Hopefully, not too many. It is one of the risks that you have trying to build from behind.’
Asked if it was important to continue with this style of play, Maresca added: ‘Absolutely. I have no doubt.
Chelsea drew 2-2 with Wrexham in a pre-season friendly (Picture: Getty)
‘I think you are going to concede in different ways, so you need to decide in which way you need to concede a goal.
‘Sometimes teams that try to build from the back concede goals but I think you are going to score more than you concede.’
After a miserable start to the 2023-23 season, Chelsea finished sixth in the Premier League, just five points outside the Champions League spots.
Mauricio Pochettino was expected to be given another season to improve a talented but inexperienced squad so his departure at the end of the campaign came as a shock.
Maresca replaced Mauricio Pochettino Stamford Bridge hot-seat (Picture: PA)
Chelsea then poached Maresca from Championship winners Leicester and have already backed the Italian with several summer signings, including ex-Foxes star Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall.
Enzo Maresca on Chelsea’s transfer plans
Asked for an update on Chelsea’s transfer plans, Maresca said: ‘When the transfer window is open, anything can happen for us and for the rest.’
On Chelsea’s reported interest in Villarreal goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen, Maresca added: ‘We’ll see, we’ll see.
‘In this moment we have four goalkeepers. Petrovic is still with us but injured. We will see with the timing.
‘What I can say is Robert did very well tonight and did very well since we started. For sure, the way we want to play, the goalkeeper is very, very important – one of the main positions.
‘And I don’t want to talk about players that are not Chelsea players but I am very happy with Robert.’
Chelsea play five more pre-season friendlies before kick-starting their Premier League campaign on August 18 against defending champions Manchester City.
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