The FIFA club’s World Cup winner is the world champion after a US victory in the early summer, but if you’re going to challenge a Premier League title, you’ll need to be far better than facing Crystal Palace on Sunday
Enzo Maresca stuck to Chelsea’s clean sheets like a comfortable rug after he began the season with a whisper, but told fans, “We’ll be better.”
After trying out fireworks to celebrate the Club World Cup victory, Maresca’s side became the equivalent of a flooded blue touch paper. And the Italian boss refused to settle too much as Chelsea quickly lost the ground on the first day of the semester in things like Liverpool and Manchester City.
He said: “I’m not thinking about May or June (where we’ll finish) – I’ll only think about the next game. For now, it’s just Friday (at West Ham).
Maresca has made it less than use Chelsea’s truncated preseason as an excuse for lack of sharpness.
“Until the end, we were competing and trying to win the game. We had a chance with Estevao and Andrei Santos at the end. We tried to share a few minutes (around the team), but certainly, slowly, slowly, and better.”
read more: Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca issues a dull forwarding statement after Crystal Palace drawread more: Chelsea issue title message they didn’t want to send with a controversial draw – 5 topics
With Ebelech Eze’s free kick protected, Chelsea was released, and goalkeeper Robert Sanchez thought it was due to a foul by Moises Caco’s Eagles skipper.
Sanchez said:
Palace boss Oliver Grasner praised Guech and Eze’s unlined commitment to the cause, despite the repeated links of both players before the transfer window closes. When he was replaced six minutes after the time, the AIDS pause looked suspicious, as if travel fans were saying goodbye.
However, Glasner said: “I know the truth. I see these players in every training session. If most of the things written about them are true, then they couldn’t play this way, and they couldn’t commit to each other or to the group.
“I hope EB will play for us on Thursday against Fredrikstad. He has a contract with Crystal Palace and he is a palace player and as long as he plays like this, he will continue to play for us.
“I was a bit surprised when he wasn’t allowed to have a free kick. Hopefully we can celebrate next time.”
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