Why Chelsea fans should be worried about these preseason losses

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca is on record saying he recognizes the issues and knows what to work on, however, after five games of the preseason, preparing to face the sixth and final opponent before the season starts proper, you would be well within your rights to wonder if he knows what to work on at all. 

These last few performances show that Chelsea fans should be worried about these preseason losses, because the defensive fragilities are a feature, not a bug, like many fans - and the manager himself - would like you to believe. 

Chelsea has faced several opponents in the off-season, ranging from lower league teams in the third division to league champions and UEFA Champions League holders. In all these games, the Blues have looked equally shaky defensively, with opponents finding it incredibly easy to get in behind Maresca's men.

On the surface, it shouldn't matter, as it's just preseason and these losses don't have any real consequences except a blow to the players' and coaches' egos. However, a look at the actual performances show that there is in fact, a problem, and one that cannot be ignored, especially considering the reality of what is coming up.

In the Premier League, defensive fragility is punished, severely. Maresca has no pedigree managing at the top level, and he may find out very suddenly all the ways the Premier League is different from the Championship. 

The West Londoners posted similar numbers against different levels of opposition, and the only opponent they were able to dominate was a club in the Mexican league, which as of 2020, was ranked 21st in the world. This is worrying, because one of the teams Chelsea faced is a team that played the whole of the 2023/24 season in the fourth tier of English football. 

Wrexham

The Wrexham performance was bad, but not for the same reasons the other games were, because while Chelsea seemed to dominate, Maresca's men created two big chances, one more than Wrezham, but the few times Wrexham got on the ball they were able to inflict enough damage to score as many goals as the Blues. 

For the second goal Maresca's men conceded, the Chelsea players were so badly positioned that five Chelsea players were taken out of the game when Josh Acheampong lost the ball in midfield, leading the Blues to concede despite having numerical superiority in that situation. 

Chelsea's backline of Tosin Adarabioyo, Benoit Badiashile and Levi Colwill, combined for one (1) clearance in that game. Yes, combined. If you include substitute Acheampong, you would increase that number to two. 

This is not a case of the centerbacks being poorly positioned, but a case of the system they're operating in not giving them an opportunity to be in position to make a clearance when needed. 

To put this in perspective, Badiashile averaged a relatively low number of clearances per game last season (3.2), Colwill too (2.8), but that combines for at least six clearances between them when both are on the pitch. 

It should be noted though, that Chelsea averaged 75% possession, which means there'd have been few opportunities to clear the ball anyway, but one clearance from three centerbacks is abysmal.

Celtic

This trend continued against Celtic, and it's much more difficult to defend here, because the Blues were under a lot more pressure, and they conceded many more chances, and big chances. Yet, Chelsea's 3-man starting backline, combined for two (2) clearances. 

In a game where the team concedes five clear cut chances, two clearances from three centerbacks is eye-watering. Again, these centerbacks aren't strangers to clearing their lines, but when the team is set up so badly that the opponents get in behind as often as five big chances, it means the team is almost always in disarray when it loses the ball. 

Club America

Chelsea dominated Club America and kept a clean sheet, but as with all results like this, the best indication of progress is not in the game itself, but in the game after. Yet, the Blues starting 4-man backline combined for 4 clearances, in a game where they kept 50% of the ball. 

Chelsea created four big chances, though two of them were penalties. 

Man City

As embarrassing as the Celtic and Wrexham performances and results were, the Manchester City game drove home how helpless Chelsea has been defensively. 

Man City was so comfortable, never getting out of second gear, yet Pep Guardiola's men suffocated Chelsea and cut through them at will. The Premier League champions went 4-0 up, before the Blues pulled two back, but if the result was embarrassing, the circumstances surrounding it were even worse. 

First of all, Chelsea created five big chances to Man City's two, which makes sense, considering that Maresca put forward a much stronger team than Guardiola. 

Guardiola sent out five academy graduates: James McAtee, Rico Lewis, Josh Wilson-Esbrand, Oscar Bobb, Nico O'Reilly, along with several non-regular first team players in Stefan Ortega-Moreno and Jack Grealish. 

The fact that Erling Haaland captained the side, tells a lot about the side that was put out. Haaland is behind Ruben Dias, Kyle Walker, Kevin De Bruyne, and Rodri, at least, in the captaincy hierarchy.

Yet that team scored four goals before Chelsea scored one, and they had an easy time doing it too. Man City also took more shots on target, and had the same number of touches in the opposition box (25). 

The problems remained, because despite the pressure Chelsea's defenders came under, the starting backline combined for...four clearances, which is mind-blowing. 

Some fans feel Chelsea did not play that badly, but that is why these results are cause for concern, because the only situations in which a club plays relatively well and still gets soundly beaten is when they don't belong on the same level as the opponents. 

For instance, you'd expect Chelsea to beat Wrexham by three or four goals even if Wrexham plays well, because the gulf in talent and player ability is supposed to be that large. 

For City's B side to beat Chelsea 4-2 despite the Blues playing well, it's alarming. 

Real Madrid

This game was characterized by the same defensively weak performances, only making five clearances from the starting backline (more clearances than any other preseason game, mind). Of course, Chelsea still lost, but it wasn't as comprehensive considering they played against the reigning Spanish and European Champions. 

That is until you realize that Real Madrid also had at least six starters out, including new signing Kylian Mbappe.

Perhaps the most indicative thing about the performance against Madrid, was that Real Madrid completed three through passes against Chelsea. Meaning that Carlo Ancelotti's men put their players through on goal three times, of course not all of them resulted in goals (thankfully).

Many fans believe that these preseason results don't matter, and while they don't matter in and off themselves, as no points are attached to them, the performances, especially in defense, are reasons to be worried, as there is no indication that Chelsea is ready to compete in the Premier League come August 18. 

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