Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has said his side’s defensive issues in pre-season have been “a habit from last year” as his difficult start as Blues boss continues.
The west Londoners lost 2-1 to Spanish and European Champions Real Madrid last night in their final match of their tour of the United States, and after the game Maresca was quick to point out a problem from Mauricio Pochettino’s tenure at the club.
Speaking on Chelsea’s high defensive line, which has caused them issues, Maresca said: “It’s a problem that we’ve been trying to solve since day one. The amount of goals we conceded last year with the high line is something we are trying to work on. It’s a habit from last year. We are trying to drop the defensive line.
“We conceded many goals last year from this problem and hopefully we can solve it very soon. We created enough chances, the problem is defensively.”
Chelsea were caught out playing the high line a few times early in the game and Lucas Vasquez’s goal in the 19th minute came as a a direct result of this problem.
Another problem that has been constantly mentioned is the squad size, which Maresca was also asked about: “We try to do our best. We have around 30 players but we are able to manage the situation.”
Cole Palmer, Marc Cucurella and Nicolas Jackson are all yet to return to an already bloated squad, which includes a staggering eight goalkeepers.
On Palmer and Jackson, Maresca highlighted their importance to the team: “Last year between Cole and Nico they scored almost 40 goals so they are both very important.”
The Italian was unsure if the pair would be fit for their final pre-season match against Inter Milan on Sunday, but was hopeful that they would be available for their match against Manchester City on the opening day of the Premier League.
