Chelsea’s ‘nightmare’ has officially reached its final phase. As their pre-season campaign nears an uneventful end, it is concerning that a team that has spent so much in the transfer market, struggles so badly on the pitch. Enzo Maresca ‘s men were once again on the wrong side of the score line as they took on Real Madrid at Bank of America Stadium.
The reigning champions of Europe were in no mood to give Chelsea an easy evening as they got to business from the very start. Chelsea were pinned down in their own box thanks to a relentless front three of Vinicius Jr. , Rodrygo Goes and Brahim Diaz .
Madrid opened the scoring in the 19th minute, when Lucas Vazquez ‘s scuffed shot tumbled its way into the net. Not another ten minutes had passed when Chelsea found themselves trailing by two goals to nil. The Blues were punished by a precise through ball sent forward by Vinicius Jr.
, following which the striker rounded the keeper. @RealMadridEN 2-1 @ChelseaFC ⚽ 19' @Lucasvazquez91 ⚽ 27' @Brahim ⚽ 39' Noni Madueke #RealMadridOnTour | #Emirates pic.twitter.
com/sxSTLu2FHY Despite being into an empty net, his finish from a tight angle accumulated praise from all sides. Even though Chelsea responded with a header from Noni Madueke , the score line remained 2-1. Enzo Maresca blames Premier League rules for ‘failure’ of Chelsea academy Not every club has the luxury of owning a world class football academy.
However, Chelsea Football Club boast Cobham Training Centre and generates several good players every single year. That being said, the proportion of players that make it into the first team from the academy is greatly skewed, with Conor Gallagher being the latest academy product to leave the club . Newly appointed boss Enzo Maresca was quizzed about the academy situation, to which he pointed fingers at the rules of the Premier League ! Maresca claimed that the League’s profit and sustainability rules make it a necessity and an obligation to let go of academy products in order to keep the books in check.
Besides Gallagher, Mason Mount , Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Callum Hudson-Odoi have all been let go by the club. Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has said Premier League clubs are having to transfer academy players due to the league's profit and sustainability rules pic.twitter.
com/cyxNctdNyv Following a series of defeats, Maresca will have to look for a winning formula so that his billion-dollar squad does not disappoint this time around. Chelsea have one more friendly against the reigning champions of Italy on Sunday. The Blues are in for a tough run of games, with them having to face Manchester City , Wolves and West Ham United in their first five fixtures.
This article first appeared on FirstSportz and was syndicated with permission..
