The manager of Chelsea, Enzo Maresca, has mentioned that he is focused on eliminating a specific “tendency” that the players adopted during Mauricio Pochettino’s tenure last season.
Leading up to the 2024/2025 season, the Blues have conceded 12 goals in five pre-season matches.
Following the 2-1 loss to Real Madrid on Tuesday evening, Maresca disclosed that they are currently addressing defensive strategies.
He explained: “It has become a tendency. We are no longer emphasizing on maintaining high defensive lines. This has been a recurring pattern from the previous season, or even earlier; it’s hard to tell.”
“We are striving to slightly lower the defensive line, usually by about four or five meters, in order to gain some advantage,” he added.
“Last season, we encountered significant goal concessions due to this issue. Hopefully, we can rectify it promptly.”
During Pochettino’s reign last season, Chelsea managed to score 77 goals but also let in 63, ultimately finishing in the sixth position.
Despite their efforts, they narrowly missed out on the final Europa League slot to Manchester United and will not be participating in the UEFA Conference League.