FOOTBALL: Chelsea’s boss Enzo Maresca still has work to do.

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca says he is “trying to solve” his side’s “habit” of conceding too many goals after a 2-1 defeat by a young Real Madrid side in Charlotte, in the final match of their United States tour.

Chelsea’s pre-season tour of the US ended in defeat, as they were beaten 2-1 by Real Madrid in Charlotte, North Carolina. Enzo Maresca’s side showed their defensive frailties again and conceded first after 19 minutes, with Lucas Vazquez guiding the ball into the bottom corner via a deflection, despite Dani Ceballos’ best efforts to claim it.

Less than 10 minutes late, Los Blancos had a second. This time, Brahim Diaz got on the end of a superb pass from Vinicus Jr to round Filip Jorgensen and slot home from a tight angle. First-half goals from Dani Ceballos and Brahim Diaz were enough for Madrid despite Noni Madueke’s header, as the Blues again looked vulnerable at the back.

***Brahim is found in behind the Chelsea defence and goes around Jorgensen. From a very tight angle, he manages to slide the ball into the net.***

They have conceded 12 goals across five pre-season games in America, going 4-0 down in two of those matches and winning just one. Maresca said he addressed the “very high” defensive line with his players in one of his first meetings, which he said is a habit “from last season.” Maresca made no substitutes at halftime, but his tweaked team looked more solid as they played out a drab goalless second half, where the best opportunity was a spurned one-on-one chance for Christopher Nkunku.

***Vazquez’s shot was deflected and ended up rolling into the far corner as Ceballos slides in to help the ball into the net to give Real Madrid a lead over the Blues.***

Carlo Ancelotti’s side were still without a host of star players, but wide attacker Vinicius Jr excelled in the absence of Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappe, who are expected to train as early as tomorrow as both sides flew back to Europe immediately after the match.

Chelsea next face Inter Milan in their final friendly at Stamford Bridge on Sunday before their Premier League opener at home against champions Manchester City on August 18, as Madrid faces Atalanta next in the UEFA Super Cup in Warsaw on August 14, which pits the Champions League winners against the Europa League winners.

The Italian has also been attempting to implement his new system and style, which has seen several individual mistakes leading directly to goals conceded in the United States.

***Chelsea did get a goal back through Noni Madueke but Real were proclaimed the victors nonetheless.***

Maresca has previously admitted to using his matches as “training sessions,” without time to do tactical work in between all the travel and the five matches in 14 days in the high heat of the United States. That instability must be resolved, he says, before Chelsea face Manchester City in their Premier League opener.

With the pre-season nearing its end, it’s clear why Chelsea are looking to add to their options amid active talks to sign Atletico Madrid’s Samu Omorodion, with interest alive in Napoli’s Victor Osimhen.

#Related Topics:

FC BARCELONA: Barcelona’s final stop in their pre-season tour of the United States ended with a very entertaining 2-2 draw against AC Milan in Tuesday’s friendly in Baltimore, despite a 4-3 defeat on penalties that ended the Spanish Giant’s unbeaten streak in pre-season.

ARSENAL: Arsenal will host Bayer Leverkusen in their penultimate pre-season friendly today at 7 PM C.A.T. The Germans arrive in London having won the Bundesliga without losing a game in 2023–24, whereas the Gunners again fell short of lifting their first Premier League title in two decades. Mikel Arteta has continued his evolution-not-revolution approach to building his team over the summer against the English opposition on tour in the United States.

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