On August 4, in a pre-season friendly match, Chelsea lost 2-4 to Manchester City. Post-match, head coach Maresca said that the game was rather weird; in fact, Chelsea had prepared well for the match and performed commendably in the first half, but all plans went up in smoke after conceding goals.
Maresca said, “This was a very weird game. We were well-prepared for it, and our game plan was excellent. In the first half, aside from the two goals we conceded, we actually played quite well.”
“Sometimes football is like this: you prepare adequately, but then the situation changes drastically once you concede. In terms of possession, we did create scoring opportunities, but we lacked a bit in the final third, especially in one-on-one situations in key areas.”
