Chelsea finally looked like a team as they beat Club America 3-0 in a friendly on Thursday. The Blues struggled to find any sort of rhythm in the past 2 friendlies. New manager Enzo Maresca promised the fans that they will improve with time. The players finally looked comfortable on the ball and managed to play fluid football against the Mexican club. Chelsea’s attack is improving as they managed to create plenty of chances throughout the game. Christopher Nkunku and Marc Guiu’s linkup play was beautiful to watch. Even defensively the backline figured out defending with a high line.
Chelsea produced a stellar display of football for the first time in recent times. The players look confident and capable of delivering on the big stage. New signing Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall was impressive in his debut. The Englishman provided a brilliant assist for the second goal. Defensively the team was shaky at the start. Goalkeeper Robert Sanchez made a brilliant save and Ben Chilwell made a goal line clearance to keep them in the game. Their performance improved as the game progressed. The players finally managed to play as a team amidst recent chaos inside the dressing room.
Understanding Enzo Maresca’s tactics at Chelsea:
Enzo Maresca has been making it to the headlines recently. He was Pep Guardiola’s assistant at Man City when they won the treble. Leicester City appointed him their manager last season and he did not disappoint. The Foxes won the Championship title and clinched promotion to the first division. This achievement earned him a lot of recognition and praise from the football world.
Maresca’s tactics is derived from Pep Guardiola’s style of play. However, his football has its own design. He prefers a deeper buildup starting from the backline. The goalkeeper plays a major role in his gameplay, helping the team build out with short passes from the back. This strategy helps in disrupting the opposition press. The manager wants one of his fullbacks inverted to keep a back four formation while buildup.
Having one inverted fullback helps the pivots to push higher up the pitch. This strategy helps his team be quick on possession and build up smartly. At Leicester his pivots often pushed forward increasing the numerical superiority in the opposition half. The idea is to choke the opposition in their own half. His wingers also take risks and cut inside to create chances. However, defending with a high line is always risky. He must find out a strategy to reduce counter-attacks which can be dangerous in the Premier league.
Manchester City youngster rejects The Blues!
According to reports by Express UK, Chelsea wanted to lure Man City youngster Oscar Bobb the same way they did with Cole Palmer. The Norwegian international is keen to stay at Manchester and prove himself to Pep Guardiola. The young lad made 14 appearances in the Premier league last season, scoring a goal. His performances earned him heaps of praises from the fans. The winger has been in superb form in the pre-season.
Despite of not being the first choice starter, Bobb wants to succeed at Man City. He has been linked with many European clubs like West Ham and Milan but none of them interests him. Chelsea snatched Cole Palmer from the Sky blues and he is now one of the top players in England. They made a similar offer to Oscar promising him a crucial role in the team but the Norway international has rejected them firmly.
Chelsea are keen on signing a winger to compete with Noni Madueke. The Blues have a lot of concerns regarding the consistency of Madueke. A talented young lad like Oscar Bobb made it into Chelsea’s priority list. However, they must find a new target now who would want to join the London club.
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