Chelsea: Seven talking points from Enzo Maresca's first US tour
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The start of Enzo Maresca's time in charge in the United States saw Chelsea play five matches, only managing to win one and allowing 12 goals to be scored against them.
A reporter for BBC Sport who covers football matches is currently in the United States.
Chelsea finished their pre-season trip in the United States discussing the need to address their defensive problems following a 2-1 loss to Real Madrid.
The Blues journeyed across the United States, competing in five challenging matches in five different states over the course of 18 days. They managed to secure one victory, one draw, but unfortunately suffered three defeats and gave up a total of 12 goals.
Below are seven key points discussed during a tour that has brought Chelsea from Santa Clara to Charlotte.
Same Old Transfer Strategy?
Chelsea remains committed to their strategy of prioritizing young players, even though they have not had great success in the past two years under the new Todd Boehly-Clearlake ownership. In their first season, they didn't make it to Europe, and in the second season, they only managed to qualify for the Uefa Conference League.
The Blues have invested around £115 million in eight players who are all under 21 years old - Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Tosin Adarabioyo, Estevao Willian, Marc Guiu, Filip Jorgensen, Renato Veiga, Omari Kellyman and Caleb Wiley.
The average age of the team may decrease as Chelsea is likely to add 18-year-old goalkeeper Mike Penders from Gento and 20-year-old striker Samu Omorodion from Atletico Madrid.
When it comes to bringing on board prominent players, there is also buzz surrounding Napoli's forward Victor Osimhen. There are talks of a potential swap deal involving him and Romelu Lukaku.
This week, the social media posts featuring the 45 players in the senior squad, including seven goalkeepers, have been generating a lot of attention.
However, inside Chelsea, there is still confidence that, despite the many negative comments about the club's transfer dealings, this strategy will eventually bring benefits to Chelsea, BlueCo, and RC Strasbourg, which are all part of the same group of clubs.
Chelsea's New Look
Chelsea is focused on improving the number of goals conceded, according to Maresca.
Chelsea will begin playing a new style of football under Enzo Maresca, focusing on possessing the ball and playing at a slower pace.
This has been clear during the team's pre-season trip to the US, showing that players must conform to the manager's tactics, rather than the manager adjusting to fit the players.
This has allowed teams on tour, such as Manchester City and Celtic, to take advantage of errors as players find it difficult to adjust to risky tactics of playing from the defensive end.
Actually, out of the 12 goals let in during the pre-season matches, half of them were due to errors made while trying to play the ball out from the defense, with three of them occurring in the game against City.
Another issue is that the players tend to automatically adopt a high defensive line without effectively pressing or showing much intensity. Maresca attributes this tendency to a "habit from last year".
Additional aspects of the strategy include full-backs moving into central areas, defensively marking individual opponents, and two attacking midfielders positioned high up the field as part of a five-player attacking formation.
The strategy of taking big risks in exchange for big rewards follows the same fundamental ideas seen in the Italian's Championship-winning Leicester team from the previous season.
Surprisingly, these guidelines are expected to be applied throughout the club and carried over to BlueCo with RC Strasbourg - even if there is a requirement to replace the manager in the future.
One of the reasons Mauricio Pochettino departed by mutual agreement was because of a disagreement on the club's future tactical direction.
Nkunku Poised To Be Vital For Chelsea
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Christopher Nkunku got hurt during the pre-season tour in the United States last season, causing him to sit out most of the 2023-24 season.
Christopher Nkunku has spent the most time on the field during the tour, totaling 398 minutes. It appears that he will have a significant role in the upcoming season, assuming he can remain injury-free.
Similar to last summer, the French player once again performed exceptionally well in the pre-season matches. He scored three goals in five games while on tour, showcasing his versatility by playing in various positions such as striker and central midfielder.
During the previous summer, Nkunku got hurt in the last game which led to a series of injuries that kept him from starting in all but two games the following season.
Nkunku expressed his desire to prioritize staying in shape and waiting to see how his football career unfolds, acknowledging that he is not fully recovered yet.
However, Maresca clearly has a liking for the adaptable star and stated: "Christopher [Nkunku] was sidelined for the majority of last season but I was aware of his talent from Germany. He has impressed me but it was not unexpected."
Traveling Too Much For Too Many Matches?
BBC Sport asked Maresca if the tour schedule was the best way to prepare, and he replied, "Having five games in two weeks and a total of 17 or 18 days is quite a demanding schedule."
We didn't have the usual practice of preparing games during this season. Instead of training sessions, we relied on videos and tactical boards to get ready for some matches.
In my opinion, the true pre-season training has occurred during the two weeks at Cobham and the upcoming week or 10 days. It has been a blend of emotions here.
Midfielder Moises Caicedo also joined Maresca in expressing their dissatisfaction with the quality of the pitches they played on during their time in the US, describing them as subpar and lacking moisture.
During their tour, Chelsea did not have any injuries, which was a relief.
Debate Over Reece James And Malo Gusto As Full-backs
Malo Gusto will start the season playing at right-back because Reece James has been suspended for three matches in the Premier League due to a red card he received in the second to last game of the previous season.
However, James and Gusto must learn to live together and both have found it challenging at times to meet Maresca's expectations as a full-back.
In the Maresca system, one of the full-backs usually moves inside and joins the central midfield, while the other stays back to help defend as a third central defender. This changes a traditional back four formation into a back three.
James has the ability to perform both roles, but he has faced challenges while also working on getting back in shape after a season plagued with injuries.
Gusto has faced challenges and has been used as a left-back three times, while Levi Colwill has also been tested in that position while Marc Cucurella is recovering from Euro 2024.
Maresca has acknowledged that he has made some unusual choices for his team in pre-season as he tries new things. However, it is worth noting that left-back Ben Chilwell has only played a total of 64 minutes in two matches coming off the bench. This has led to speculation about the possibility of him being sold.
The Blues' decision to bring in new goalkeeper Jorgensen from Villarreal is intriguing as they were looking for a player who excels in playing out from the back to challenge Robert Sanchez. However, this move may result in Djordje Petrovic being sidelined from the club, possibly being loaned out in the near future.
The mood within the team appeared generally upbeat under Maresca, but with so many new players being signed quickly, agents for some players confess that uncertainty about their futures is making them feel uneasy.
Fernandez & Gallagher In The News
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Enzo Fernandez led Chelsea during the Real Madrid match and later apologized to his teammates for singing a disrespectful song about black French players while representing Argentina in the Copa America.
The two debatable topics during pre-season have centered around midfielders Enzo Fernandez and Conor Gallagher.
Fernandez has been cleared of any wrongdoing following an internal inquiry at Chelsea, however he is still under scrutiny from Fifa for allegedly singing a racist song in celebration of the Copa America victory.
The current Fifa inquiry may result in a substantial ban within the country.
A gathering in Atlanta involving the French players, including defender Wesley Fofana who had openly criticized Fernandez, reportedly went smoothly. Maresca mentioned that the players had all forgiven Fernandez and accepted his apology. This paves the way for Chelsea to bring their £107m signing back into the squad.
Fernandez may face jeers from rival fans in the upcoming season, but it is highly unlikely that he will depart from Stamford Bridge. In fact, he was handed the captain's armband when Reece James was taken off in the match against Real Madrid.
On the other hand, Gallagher did not participate in Chelsea's pre-season activities as he needed some time off after Euro 2024.
However, the potential transfer of Gallagher to Atletico Madrid was a hot topic among fans, with many expressing dismay at the thought of losing yet another talented player developed within the club.
What Are Maresca's Goals For His Debut Season?
The process of bringing in and letting go of managers, which was a prominent feature of Chelsea's previous ownership with Roman Abramovich, remains unchanged with their American group.
Carlo Ancelotti, the manager of Real Madrid, advised his old team to be patient with Maresca during an interview with BBC Sport before the two clubs faced off in Chelsea's last pre-season match.
Chelsea have confidence in Maresca's ability to break that pattern, shown by the fact that he was given a five-year contract, while Pochettino only received a two-year deal last summer.
Many believe that Chelsea has a good chance of making it to the Champions League, especially considering they narrowly missed out last season due to numerous injuries.
Maresca will have some flexibility if he doesn't reach the goal, but can demonstrate improvement in different areas such as winning tournaments, nurturing players, or if unexpected events like injuries play a significant role.
Chelsea is considering being patient, although historically the club has not been known for this trait.
