BREAKING NEWS: Maresca defends his tactics following Chelsea’s draw with Wrexham.
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca acknowledged that his team “are going to concede goals this season playing out from the back” following two defensive errors that led to a 2-2 draw with Wrexham in his first game in charge.
Midfielder Lesley Ugochukwu scored an 82nd-minute equalizer in Santa Clara, California, canceling out two second-half goals by the League One side.
Christopher Nkunku opened the scoring in the 35th minute with a sharp finish in the penalty box during Chelsea’s opening friendly on their pre-season tour of the United States.
However, Wrexham took a surprise lead after both teams made significant changes at half-time, with Luke Bolton and Jack Marriott scoring due to Chelsea’s mistakes.
The defensive errors reflected a weak second-half performance as Chelsea adapted to Maresca’s possession-based style.
Wrexham’s performance was commendable, adding to their 1-1 draw against Bournemouth on Saturday in a half-empty Levi’s Stadium, home of the San Francisco 49ers.
This is Wrexham’s second consecutive US pre-season tour, leveraging their popularity under co-owners Hollywood actors Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds, as Phil Parkinson’s side prepares for third-tier football for the first time since 2005.
Maresca addressed concerns about conceding goals due to his playing philosophy, which emphasizes patient build-up from the back.
“Hopefully, not too many. It is one of the risks that you have trying to build from behind,” he said.
The 44-year-old former Leicester manager affirmed he would “absolutely” continue with his style, stating: “I have no doubt. I think you are going to concede in different ways, so you need to decide in which way you need to concede a goal. Sometimes teams that try to build from the back concede goals, but I think you are going to score more than you concede. For sure, we did many things we can improve, but we started just two weeks ago. Tonight was important to start seeing the identity of the team and the identity is there.”
The match began energetically, with Levi Colwill and James McClean avoiding red cards after an early altercation.
Reece James hit the post with a curled free-kick and delivered several dangerous corners in the first half, as Chelsea led 1-0 at the break.
In the second half, Ugochukwu failed to intercept Seb Revan’s cross, which Bolton turned in at the far post.
An error by Josh Acheampong allowed Marriott to score with an impressive low drive, giving Wrexham a shock lead. Marriott then had another effort well saved by Chelsea’s second-half goalkeeper, Lucas Bergstrom.
Chelsea’s equalizer came from a slick move involving substitutes Angelo Gabriel, Armando Broja, and Ugochukwu, who redeemed himself by sliding in a good left-foot finish to level the match.