The performance of Chelsea in the 2024 summer preseason has left fans in a dejected state, as they are perturbed that the ghost from recent seasons might continue to hunt them.
Enzo Maresca At Chelsea?
Enzo Maresca officially became manager of the Blues on July 1, 2024, replacing Mauricio Pochettino, who exited the Stamford Bridge side at the end of the 2023/24 season.
There was optimism that things would turn out for the better under Maresca’s stewardship, however, his early days handling the side haven’t been impressive.
This has led to early calls from many of the club’s supporters that Maresca should be dismissed ahead of the 2024/25 campaign.
Chelsea put up an underwhelming display last season under the tutelage of Mauricio Pochettino, as they ended the term in 6th position with 63 points from 38 matches.
Light At The End Of The Tunnel
Despite their performances being below par, it was a relatively improved campaign in terms of their placement on the Premier League table.
They also secured European football, with the side having UEFA Conference League playoff matches to play this season.
The English side will have to outwit the winner of the game between Braga and Servette to play in the competition proper.
Meanwhile, in the preceding Premier League campaign (2022/23), the Blues finished in 12th position, following a disastrous outing that resulted in lots of managerial turnovers.
Chelsea
Chelsea are a club administered by BlueCo, with notable individuals like Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali handling the affairs of the side.
Their dispensation has been filled with thorns and supporters of the Blues are hoping for roses in the foreseeable future.
Chelsea’s 2024 Preseason Engagements
Moreover, Enzo Maresca has won just 1 game out of 5 preseason matches played thus far, with their performance leaving much to be desired.
On July 25, 2024, they played out a 2-2 draw with Wrexham in their first preseason game, before embarrassingly losing to Celtic 4-1 on July 27, 2024.
The Blues secured their first and only victory thus far on August 1, 2024, beating CF America 3-0.
On August 3 and 7, Enzo Maresca’s side fell to a 4-2 and 2-1 defeat to Manchester City and Real Madrid respectively.
Chelsea have one more preseason match to play this summer, with the club scheduled to face Inter Milan at Stamford Bridge on August 11, 2024.
How Bad Will 2024-2025 Season Be For Enzo Maresca?
The London side are presently in a precarious situation despite the reinforcements made this summer.
Chelsea have signed 7 players this summer, namely; Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Filip Jørgensen, Omari Kellyman, Renato Veiga, Caleb Wiley, Tosin Adarabioyo, and Marc Guiu.
Their scattergun approach has continued to lead them nowhere, and it appears their fortunes might not improve in the coming season.
Defensively, they have looked shaky so far in their preseason campaign, having conceded a whopping 12 goals in 5 matches. Other issues bedevilling them in recent seasons have also not been resolved.
It will be fascinating to see how Enzo Maresca will handle a bloated Chelsea setup, filled with over 40 first-team players.
Every indicator ahead of the new season is not pointing towards the right trajectory and it appears they could be set for another disappointing campaign.
