In the aftermath of Manchester City’s 4-2 victory over Chelsea in a friendly match held in Ohio on Saturday evening, Pep Guardiola has expressed his admiration for the playing style Enzo Maresca is attempting to instill at Chelsea.....CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE>>>
Despite the defeat, Guardiola believes that Maresca’s tactical vision is promising.
Manchester City’s star striker Erling Haaland was in top form, scoring the opening goal from the penalty spot in the fourth minute after being fouled by Chelsea’s Levi Colwill. Haaland quickly doubled the lead just a minute later, capitalizing on a misplaced pass from Moises Caicedo.
The match saw more errors from Chelsea, with Raheem Sterling’s loose pass in the 56th minute leading to a City attack that Oscar Bobb finished with a fine reverse strike.
Haaland sealed his hat-trick by punishing another mistake in Chelsea’s midfield from Malo Gusto, resulting in a swift transition and an excellent finish past goalkeeper Robert Sanchez.
Despite Chelsea pulling back two goals through Raheem Sterling and Noni Madueke, the defeat adds to a worrying pre-season for the club, which has seen only one win against Club America, alongside losses to Celtic and City, and a draw with Wrexham.
However, Guardiola remains optimistic about Chelsea’s direction under Maresca, a former colleague from his time at City.
Addressing the mistakes made by Chelsea while playing out from the back, Guardiola attributed them to the pitch conditions, saying, “It’s happened due to the pitch conditions. At Stamford Bridge, this would not happen.”
Guardiola continued to support Maresca’s approach: “Let me say this, I see what Enzo wants to do and I like it. And I don’t just say that because he’s my friend.”
Despite the mixed results in pre-season, Guardiola’s endorsement suggests that Chelsea fans may have reasons to be hopeful as Maresca continues to develop his tactical framework ahead of the new season...CONTINUE READING>>
