“Gonna be a long season”, “More work to do” - Chelsea fans fume as first game of Enzo Maresca era ends in 2-2 draw
Chelsea started their pre-season friendlies ahead of the start of the 2024/2025 Premier League campaign with a 2-2 draw against EFL League One team Wrexham AFC. This was also their first match under the leadership of their new manager, Enzo Maresca.
After going 1-0 up in the 35th minute courtesy of a strike by Christopher Nkunku, Chelsea's defense gave way as Wrexham scored two past Robert Sanchez in the 58th and 71st minutes, respectively. Struggling to equalize the blue outfit finally found the net in the 82nd minute through a sidefooted shot by Lesley Ugochukwu.
Fans on X (formerly Twitter) have already started questioning Enzo Maresca's tactics, and according to many, a lot more work needs to be done on the team.
"He should be sacked," quipped one fan.
"It’s gonna be a long season," declared another.
"Some players are not meant to be in the squad," announced another netizen.
Others were more optimistic and stated that the draw should be shaken off as it was just the first friendly of the season with most of the top players out of the squad.
"Positives to take, rust to shake off, more to see," commented one fan.
"More work to do. The second team forgot all they learned during training," joked another fan.
"There's so much work to do but the signs are positive. We can clearly see what Enzo Maresca wants to do," another opined.
However, several others were critical of the team's performance and slammed the defensive work during the second half where they conceded two goals within a fifteen-minute span.
"Sloppy defence in the second half," commented one fan.
"1/10. Awful performance from the players. And awful formation and coaching today," opined another.
"Drawing against Deadpool FC, we are finished," inferred another fan.
Enzo Maresca subtly hints at who will take over the captain's armband for Chelsea in the upcoming season
In his first press conference as a Chelsea manager, Enzo Maresca confirmed that Reece James will be 'one of the captains' for Chelsea in the upcoming season, leaving room for much debate.
James was handed the captain's armband by Mauricio Pochettino but he was out of the Blues' lineup for most of the season due to prolonged injuries. A large chunk of the Chelsea fanbase is of the opinion that the captain's armband should be given to a player who is less prone to injuries and is a regular starter.
"For sure, he will be one of the captains. He has already been, in the past. I want him again to be one of the leaders of this team. I like players who take responsibility," explained Maresca when asked about Reece James.
However, there are many other senior players in the squad who could take the reigns such as Conor Gallagher, Ben Chillwell, and Raheem Sterling. It remains to be seen who Maresca will choose to lead the team during his first season at Stamford Bridge.