Maresca frustrated by Chelsea´s defensive bad habits

Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca has emphasised the need to make adjustments to his side’s defence as he looks to eradicate some bad habits.

The Blues conceded 63 goals last season, which was more than any other side that finished in the top six.

They have leaked goals during this pre-season too, with four conceded in losses to both Celtic and Manchester City, before they went down 2-1 to Real Madrid in their final friendly of their U.S. tour on Tuesday.

And Maresca is aware of the changes that have to be made to avert the issue, mainly concerning the line of defence.

He said: “One of my first meetings with the squad was about the amount of goals we conceded last year with the defensive line very high.

“We are not working on defensive lines so high. It’s a habit last year, or years ago, I don’t know.

“We are trying to drop the defensive line a little bit, usually about four or five metres, just to have some advantage.

“Last year we conceded many goals with this problem. Hopefully, we can solve it soon.”

Enzo reacts to our final game of US Tour. #BluesInTheUSA pic.twitter.com/bezLVagEd7

— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) August 7, 2024

Chelsea looked more defensively solid against Madrid, restricting the Spanish giants to only three shots on target and an expected goals (xG) of just 1.10.

That is a positive to take into their final pre-season friendly, which takes place on Sunday against Inter.

Chelsea open their Premier League campaign against champions Manchester City a week later.