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3 months ago
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Enzo Maresca’s debut as Chelsea’s head coach served as a wake-up call for any Blues supporters who thought this rebuild would be easy.
Not only did Chelsea draw with League One’s Wrexham at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, but they were actually lucky to do so.
Were it not for a late equaliser from Lesley Ugochukwu, Chelsea looked destined to fall to the third-tier team owned by actors Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds.
Chelsea scored first with Christopher Nkunku’s goal in the 35th minute, but gave up second-half goals to Luke Bolton and Jack Marriott in the 58th and 71st, respectively.
KIERAN GILL was at Levi’s Stadium for Wednesday’s friendly, where he picked out five things he learned from the match.
Enzo Maresca’s debut as Chelsea’s head coach served as a wake-up call on Wednesday
Chelsea forward Christopher Nkunku (C) takes a shot on goal for a score against Wrexham AFC
The risks of Enzo Maresca’s style
Chelsea conceded twice after losing possession in their own half, which will be an inevitable risk that comes with Enzo Maresca’s style of play as they focus on playing out from the back.
Maresca will need to work on making sure his team are ready for when they lose the ball because the defending left a lot to be desired in those transitions. Still, that is what these friendlies are for. Mistakes can be made and you learn from them.
Blues lose control
Mail Sport was invited to watch Chelsea train in Santa Clara this week and everything in that session was geared towards passing from back to front.
In the first half of this friendly, we got an early glimpse into how they will shape up in the Premier League. Reece James was inverting into midfield to sit alongside Romeo Lavia, with Carney Chukwuemeka and Christopher Nkunku pushing further forward into pockets of space, and Noni Madueke and Tyrique George hugging the right and left wings respectively either side of Marc Guiu.
It was working well, but the system was nowhere near as slick in the second half. Maresca made 10 changes at half-time, including replacing James with Malo Gusto as the inverted right back, and Chelsea lost their control.
Wrexham's Jack Marriott (C) celebrates scoring his team's second goal with teammates
Chelsea midfielder Romeo Lavia (C) in action against Wrexham midfielder James Jones
Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca watches the action during a match against Wrexham
Set pieces pose a problem for Chelsea
Chelsea looked threatening from set-pieces at the Levi’s Stadium, often finding one of their own men with the corners being taken by James.
That is with the help of the new specialist coach Bernardo Cueva, brought in from Brentford to improve their slack statistics from such situations.
It was 10 seconds after one corner that Nkunku scored Chelsea’s opener.
Lavia looks fit after injuries
Lavia managed 32 minutes in all of 2023-24, a season which was derailed by injuries. Here, he played the entirety of the first half, impressing as he looked like one of Chelsea’s most calm players in possession.
A big 2024-25 awaits hopefully because there is a good midfielder in there waiting to show what he can bring to the team.
Chelsea shows some fight, but not the right kind
Levi Colwill’s last season was interrupted by occasional injuries so perhaps that was why he reacted so angrily to a late challenge by James McClean.
We were only three minutes into Chelsea’s first friendly when Colwill grabbed hold of McClean and vice versa as a huge scrap ensued. In the Premier League, you suspect both would have received red cards for the clash.
They got away with it here in this unfriendly friendly. Colwill may need to learn to keep his cool.
Levi Colwill and James McClean had to be separated early on in the game following a late challenge by the latter
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