"We play different football. We play better football" - Chelsea star on Enzo Maresca after 1-1 draw against Inter Milan
Wesley Fofana has said that Chelsea are playing better football under new manager Enzo Maresca. The Italian tactician replaced Mauricio Pochettino as the club's manager at the end of last season.
Chelsea have played six friendly matches under him so far, having won just once. That win came against Club America (3-0) but they lost to Celtic (1-4), Real Madrid (1-2), and Manchester City (2-4), and drew 2-2 against Wrexham in their pre-season opener.
Their latest pre-season game ended in a 1-1 draw against Inter Milan on Sunday (August 11). They took 21 shots to Inter's six but needed an 89th-minute goal from Lesley Ugochukwu to share the spoils at Stamford Bridge.
Fofana, who played 69 minutes against Inter before being subbed off, praised Maresca after the full-time whistle and told the club's media (via @AbsoluteChelsea):
"He's very good. Everyone sees we have new tactics. We play different football. We play better football. The process takes time, but everyone knows we don't have so much time because we need to perform this year."
Fofana, like Maresca, left Leicester to join the west London giants. However, the French centre-back didn't play under the Italian during his stint with the Foxes, as he left the club before Maresca took charge in the summer of 2023.
Wesley Fofana looking forward to the season ahead after tough start at Chelsea
Wesley Fofana has said that he is feeling positive ahead of the new season after a tough start to life at Chelsea. The Blues paid a £75 million transfer fee to bring him from Leicester, but the player failed to justify that price tag straightaway, largely due to injuries.
Fofana made just 20 appearances across competitions in his debut 2022-23 season at Chelsea and missed the entirety of the last season with a cruciate ligament injury. He is now back in action and has featured in all six of their pre-season matches this summer.
Speaking after the draw against Inter Milan, Fofana said, via the aforementioned source:
"I'm feeling very good and very happy. After a long time, I feel a little bit stressful. I enjoyed the moment. It's good to be back at home. It's hard because football is my life. When you aren't playing for a long time, it's hard. I stayed concentrated on the work to get back quickly. Now I'm back, I feel good."
Chelsea open their Premier League campaign with a blockbuster home game against Manchester City on August 18.