Enzo Maresca previews the highly anticipated Chelsea vs Manchester City match. Discover his insights and expectations for this key fixture.
Enzo Maresca expressed his excitement for the upcoming game against Manchester City, as it provides yet another opportunity to continue developing Chelsea’s new style of play. He is also eager to give even more joy to fans in the USA.
Having commenced his work with the Blues’ players in July, Maresca has been emphasizing on their team’s development during the tour of USA. According to him, achieving a victory at this stage is not as important as focusing on implementing specific aspects of play that they have introduced through training sessions and meetings.
The Italian reiterated that point twice – first after the 2-2 draw with Wrexham on July 24th, and again after their recent loss of 4-1 to Celtic. While Celtic were gearing up for beginning their SPL title defence soon, Chelsea had just started pre-season at that time.
Maresca emphasized the advancements made in each game, and on Wednesday evening while playing against Mexican titleholders Club America in Atlanta, the Blues displayed a remarkable offensive performance during the initial half.
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On Saturday, Chelsea will confront a more strenuous competition at the esteemed Ohio Stadium against Manchester City, who are currently holding onto their Premier League championship title.
Maresca emphasized the objective of persisting with their methods, which they have been implementing since day one. Their aim is to enhance themselves every passing day.
Regarding pre-season as a whole, he stated that they are making progress. Although there are numerous games to be played, their concentration is currently directed towards using those matches as practice sessions in order to improve upon their weaknesses.
Captain Reece James, who missed a significant portion of the 2023/24 season due to an injury, has started every game during pre-season as he strives towards regaining his full fitness.
Maresca was questioned if he’d need to bench James eventually because of his absence from the initial three domestic matches due to suspension. The suspension occurred following a red card in opposition against Brighton & Hove Albion.
Maresca responded with a tentative “yes.” He added that they’ll assess whether it’s for tomorrow or upcoming games. As he is suspended, the team will need to experiment without him.
As a part of their pre-season preparations, the Blues have scheduled five matches to be played in the United States during summer.
Following the matches held in Santa Clara, Notre Dame, Atlanta and Columbus, a confrontation with Real Madrid is scheduled for Tuesday in Charlotte.
Maresca expressed delight in being able to spend time with fans overseas, not just limited to England but globally.
The pleasant aspect is observing the happiness among individuals, specifically numerous children who exhibit joy upon encountering Chelsea, Manchester City or teams akin to Club America. Their sole purpose of attending the football match is for enjoyment which brings contentment to our team.
