“The team was good” – Enzo Maresca explains ‘very strange’ 4-2 defeat to Man City

Enzo Maresca and Pep Guardiola meet again

Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca had a stark Premier League reality check last night over in the USA, facing opposition from the league for the first time so far during his very short tenure so far.

But it’s also a reality check because the team they played and lost against, Manchester City, are the team that they kick off their season campaign against in around two weeks time now!

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Chelsea lost 4-2 to City last night and although luckily this was just a pre-season game, there was some concerning signs all around for Chelsea.

Even still, Maresca thinks his players did well at times other than the mistakes that led to the goals. But in football, goals win games.

Very strange game

Maresca has won just one game in pre-season so far

Maresca details the performance post-match and says it was a strange game.

He said:

“A very strange game, to be honest, because we planned the game and I think the plan was good in terms of the way we wanted to attack and defend. In the first-half, apart from the first five minutes when we conceded two goals, the team was good.

“But it is a strange game because you plan the game in one way, then you concede two goals and it changes the dynamic. What can I say about the first-half? The team was good on the ball, creating some chances, finding the right players and the right spaces.

“We had a lack of quality in the last third; especially in the one-v-one on both sides. On one side with Malo we expected that and on the other side we can do a bit better. This is the analysis of the game.”

Quotes via Football London.