Enzo Maresca said Chelsea “are going to concede goals this season playing out from the back” after two defensive errors in a 2-2 draw with Wrexham in his first game in charge.
Lesley Ugochukwu scored in the 82nd minute to salvage a 2-2 draw in Santa Clara, California, cancelling out two second-half strikes from the League One side.
Christopher Nkunku opened the scoring with a sharp finish in the 35th minute in the opening game of their USA tour.
But the Welsh outfit took the lead early in the second half through goals from Luke Bolton and Jack Marriott, both of which were the result of some sloppy defending after wholesale changes had been made.
Asked if his possession-based style will result in goals more goals being conceded, Maresca said: “Hopefully, not too many. It is one of the risks that you have trying to build from behind.
Our first match of pre-season ends all square. ⏹️@FICO_corp | #BluesInTheUSA pic.twitter.com/YYgujYKDo9
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) July 25, 2024
“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.”
Arsenal and Bournemouth go to pens
💬 “I’m really proud of both the young kids and the senior ones because in their roles, they have fulfilled them in a really impressive way.”
Mikel on US Tour opener against Bournemouth. 👇
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) July 25, 2024
Arsenal kicked off their pre-season tour by beating fellow Premier League side Bournemouth 5-4 on penalties after a 1-1 draw.
Fabio Vieira gave the Gunners the lead in the first half, firing home on the volley from Reiss Nelson’s cross before Antoine Semenyo brought the Cherries level after his strike deflected in off Omar Rekik.
The pre-planned penalty shoot-out was needed to decide the encounter, with Ryan Christie’s miss proving costly.
All of Arsenal’s experienced stars got a run-out in Los Angeles with the exception of Emile Smith Rowe, who continues to be linked with a move away.
“There are things happening in the background and we decided the best thing to do was to keep him away from the game,” boss Mikel Arteta told reporters after the game.