Chelsea were defeated 4-1 by Celtic in a pre-season friendly at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana in the United States. This result proved to be of major concern to new Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca, who is appearing to struggle to adjust to life at Chelsea upon recently joining the Premier League club.
“Off the ball we need to improve things,” Maresca said after the defeat. “You can see sometimes we confuse when we need to play short and when we need to play a little bit longer but that is part of the process.” The Italian coach went on to explain that his team appeared to be focused on maintaining a high line, ultimately being caught off guard when their defense was breached by their Scottish opponents.
Ultimately, Maresca maintained that his team is still adjusting to his playing style, which differs from that of previous manager Mauricio Pochettino. This was Maresca’s second game in charge at Chelsea following a disappointing 2-2 draw with League One side Wrexham in California just days earlier. Despite his slow start to life as Chelsea manager, Maresca insisted that his team would be ready to take on the new Premier League season when it gets underway next month. Chelsea are due to begin their campaign against reigning champions Manchester City on August 18.
