Chelsea ended their pre-season games with a 1-1 draw against Italian champions, Inter, thanks to Lesley Ugochukwu’s last minute goal.
Enzo Maresca’s start to life at Chelsea has been somewhat mixed so far. Defeats to both Manchester City and Real Madrid, as well as a 4-1 loss to Celtic in the Scottish Premiership, caused Chelsea to suffer a blow at the start of the summer when they toured the USA.
However, they managed to get a good result against Inter back on home soil. The Serie A side led for most of the game before a last-minute equalizer from 20-year-old Ugochukwu drew level.
Here are four things we learned from their final pre-season friendly at Stamford Bridge.
If Chelsea believe that Enzo Maresca is the right man to lead them to success, then they may have to trust the process and allow him to settle at Stamford Bridge.
This mantra must also go to the Chelsea team, as Maresca once noted that the players’ mindsets must change for his plan to work. The Blues’ first game of the Premier League season will be against Manchester City, so fans may have to wait a little longer if they hope to see their team celebrate a victory.
However, once the tough games are out of the way and the squad settles into Maresca’s style of play, things may be looking up.
New Chelsea signing Marc Guiu has been a joy to watch throughout pre-season for the Blues, and against Inter he shone in attack. If Guiu can find service from midfield, he could quickly develop into the busy striker the Blues hope he will be.
He is impressive and knows how to use his body, while his link-up play is strong and he was able to lead the press forward against Inter.
Whether it’s this season, or in a few when he’s fully developed, Guiu could be one of the most talented members of Chelsea’s squad.
Noni Madueke has the potential to make the 2024/25 season his own and deserves to start on the wing.
He has been linked with a move away from Stamford Bridge this summer, but apart from all the hype Madueke is a talented player and should be considered in Chelsea’s future plans. Against Inter, the Blues often looked to Madueke – who took on a full-back and put crosses into the box with ease.
If he can stay and fight for his place at Chelsea, the club will not regret putting their trust in him.
Chelsea started this game with four back players in Malo Gusto, Wesley Fofana, Levi Colwill and Marc Cucurella, who may be the backbone they work with at least to start the Premier League season.
The Blues’ defense has often been scrutinized, but this line-up looks solid and there were plenty of positives to take from this outing.
Gusto had a chance to get into the midfield with the ball, while Colwill and Fofana were good at pairing up the defenders. If Maresca uses this lineup in the upcoming campaign, he should see much more success than before the season, especially against some of the top teams.
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