‘I have no doubt’ – Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca defend his playing style after blues pre-season draw

Chelsea fans got a taste of what to expect under new manager Enzo Maresca as they were held to a 2-2 draw in their first pre-season friendly match against Wrexham.

France forward Christopher Nkunku put the Blues in front with a clinical finish in the 35th minute. However, both teams made extensive changes during the halftime break and this changed the dynamic of the game.

Wrexham pulled off a great comeback as Luke Bolton and Jack Marriott capitalized on Chelsea’s defensive errors to score and put Wrexham ahead. Lesley Ugochukwu’s 82nd-minute equalizer saw Maresca first match in-charge end in a draw.

Though Chelsea’s lapses were shown as they try to play out from the back, Maresca, aware of the potential risks involved in this strategy, asserted that he would remain committed to his style of play.

When Maresca was asked by reporters if he was worried about conceding too many, he replied: “Hopefully, not too many. It is one of the risks that you have trying to build from behind.”

The 44-year-old tactician further added: “I have no doubt. I think you are going to concede in different ways, so you need to decide in which way you need to concede a goal. Sometimes teams that try to build from the back concede goals but I think you are going to score more than you concede.

“For sure, we did many things we can improve, but we started just two weeks ago. Tonight was important to start seeing the identity of the team and the identity is there.”

As Chelsea continues their pre-season tour, they will next face Scottish champions Celtic at Notre Dame on Saturday night.