Chelsea’s latest preseason tour result fits right in with all the rest, chalking up another defeat as they fell 2-1 to Real Madrid in North Carolina.
In this, the penultimate match of Chelsea’s preseason tour, Enzo Maresca named a starting lineup which should not be too dissimilar from what fans might expect to see line up against Manchester City at Stamford Bridge in just under two weeks. Malo Gusto took on Maresca’s signature inverted full back role, while Enzo Fernandez impressed in the attacking midfield role often assigned to Keirnan Dewsbury-Hall in the Italian’s Leicester side.
Chelsea were once again plagued by defensive incapabilities, struggling with basic team chemistry as they constantly conceded ground to Madrid’s through balls and direct runs, allowing their already talented opponents far too easy a task.
Here’s five things we learned from the match…
Chelsea’s defence needs improvement, and fast
Real Madrid’s first goal of the night perfectly exemplified the issues facing Maresca. An incisive through ball to an unmarked Diaz allows Madrid to walk the ball into Chelsea’s box uninhibited. He finds Lucas Vazquez, who is closed down far too slowly, his shot deflecting off Badiashille and falling to an unmarked Ceballos who ushers the ball home at the far post.
Throughout Tuesday evening’s match, Chelsea’s high line was exploited far too easily. Repeated balls in behind consistently found unmarked runners, leaving the Blues scrambling to recover. Mistakes in possession from the back line did not help. In general, Madrid found it far too easy to create chances, and with Chelsea due to face Manchester City in their opening Premier League fixture, there is no time to waste in plugging the leaks.
Maresca mentioned in his pre-match press conference that no player was guaranteed a starting spot. He must follow through on that ruthless sentiment in deciding his favoured back line.
Endrick already out of contention
If it were not for Kylian Mbappe’s arrival from Paris Saint-Germain earlier this summer, it would not be unreasonable to say that Endrick was Real’s most hotly anticipated signing since Cristiano Ronaldo. Today, though, he found himself dropped from Carlo Ancelotti’s starting lineup, a strong squad which will likely be similar to that which he names in the Super Cup next week.
After failing to score or assist in either of Los Blancos’ earlier preseason fixtures, a pair of losses to Barcelona and AC Milan, it appears Endrick has failed to earn Ancelotti’s trust as the Italian chose Brahim Diaz to lead the line, the player earning an assist in return.
Endrick is still young, and Real have shown in the past, specifically in the case of Vinicius Junior, that they are more than willing to wait on the development of young talent. Once again, a young Brazilian will be made to wait before he can impress at the Bernabeu.
Gusto at left back is an surprisingly sustainable choice
When lineups were released an hour before kickoff, a collective groan will have gone up from Chelsea supporters around the world, the cause being that Malo Gusto will once again line up at left back.
Upon signing, Gusto was always intended to play second fiddle to club captain Reece James, who, when fit, should always be the first name on the team sheet. Finally back from a long term hamstring problem, James has rightfully reclaimed his spot, bumping Gusto to left back, where he has excelled despite being away from his natural side.
Inverting into midfield, he elegantly balanced his defensive and attacking duties, linking up smartly with Raheem Sterling and posing a constant threat from the edge of the box.
Marc Cucurella and Ben Chilwell face a formidable task if they are to unseat him from the squad.
Maresca is spoiled for choice in midfield
An oft-levelled criticism of Chelsea in recent seasons relates to the size of the squad, which now reaches an absurd 41 players. The silver lining, though, is that Enzo Maresca can make countless combinations in
midfield, all of which well suit his systems’ needs.
He started the match with Romeo Lavia sitting behind Fernandez and Nkunku. When Guiu tired, Nkunku moved to striker, with Desbury-Hall filling the gap he left. Later, Caicedo substituted into the deep lying
role. Still on the bench are Carney Chukwuemeka, Lesley Ugochukwu, and Renato Veiga.
It is something of an open secret that Maresca’s system of play will take a while to implement, and while there are plenty of wrinkles requiring ironing, midfield combinations seem to be gelling better than others, with the squad responding well to mid-match rotation.
Has Marc Guiu lost his claim to a first team spot?
Marc Guiu faces a problem endemic to the current Chelsea setup. After signing into Todd Boehly’s ranks of wonderkids, can he lay claim to a spot in Maresca’s first team squad, or will he be doomed to an endless cycle of loans?
The La Masia graduate had impressed in earlier preseason friendly matches, bagging on goal in four appearances, but faded into anonymity this evening, struggling to find space between the admittedly formidable defensive pairing of Antonio Rudiger and Eder Militao. He had little to no influence on the match, missing one clear opportunity, and was hooked just after the hour mark.
With Nicolas Jackson set to return from injury shortly and Chelsea linked with a new striker in Samu Omorodion, Guiu had very little room for error and may have squandered his chance tonight.
