Former Wales striker Dean Saunders has been discussing Chelsea’s pre-season, which has pretty much been a disaster.
Chelsea have had some very poor results, losing 4-2 against Manchester City and 4-1 to Celtic.
Enzo Maresca‘s men also failed to beat League One side Wrexham, conceding two goals against them in a 2-2 draw.
Of course, it is only pre-season, so most Chelsea supporters will not be pressing the panic button just yet. But some of the defending on show has been concerning.
In fact, even Maresca has shared his worries about Chelsea’s defensive line, something the Italian will need to fix before the Blues play City again on the Premier League’s opening weekend.
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Dean Saunders on Chelsea’s pre-season
Chelsea were able to beat Club America 3-0 while they were in the United States. But other than that game, they were not convincing at all.
Saunders has now questioned the club’s decision to arrange fixtures against the likes of City and Real Madrid.
Speaking on talkSPORT, the retired forward said: “Why would you play Real Madrid, Man City and a flying Celtic, who are two or three weeks ahead of you fitness-wise? And then, you’re testing your back four out against that.
“And now, pressure’s on, players lose confidence, ridiculous. They must be getting so much money for these pre-season trips.”
Following their pre-season tour of America, Jamie Carragher is now worried for Maresca, feeling that the Italian will not even last a year at Chelsea.
Has Chelsea’s pre-season really been that bad?
It has been, but some perspective is needed. They have a new manager, who is obviously going to need time to implement his ideas.
The Blues also played some very good teams and were without their best player from last season Cole Palmer.
They have one more game left to play, which is against another top side in Inter Milan. If they win that and perform well, it will change the complexion of things a bit.
Of course, Chelsea should not need Palmer to beat Wrexham, while the attacker would not have done anything about the eight goals they conceded against City and Celtic. But the Blues are a different outfit with him in the side.
The good news is Palmer has returned to Cobham ahead of Chelsea’s last friendly against Inter on Sunday.
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