Chelsea have started their English Premier League (EPL) campaign with a loss in their first game against reigning champions Manchester City. The Blues have a new setup for the 2024/25 season with new coach Enzo Maresca. The West London side did not have the best of pre-season. They won just a single match losing three and drawing the other two. It has been a concern for the side.
City started the game expectedly with a high press. They opened the scoring with Erling Haaland in the 18th minute of the game. It was his 100th appearance for the club, and he scored his 91st goal for the Sky Blues. Euro 2024 finalists Rodri, Kyle Walker, John Stones, and Phil Foden all were missing. All of them given rest and more recovery time. Rico Lewis was amazing down the left-hand side.
They made some promising attacking moves in their debut Premier League outing under new manager Enzo Maresca. Ruben Dias’s intervention denied Nicolas Jackson in the 14th minute. Italian’s starting lineup included none of the dozen or so players signed during the offseason, yet it was rusty at the start of the season. Mateo Kovacic sealed the deal in the 84th minute of the game for the visitors.
Chelsea’s dressing room problem continues
Does the first game of Chelsea decide the fate of the whole season? It is too early to predict Chelsea’s fate in the upcoming season. One match cannot decide the fate of the team for the rest of the season. Maresca has experience of managing a big side like Leicester City and helped them in promotion to the league once again.
However, the Italian manager needs to buckle things up quickly. Enzo Fernandez was given the captain’s armband. The dressing room chaos should be solved. Raheem Sterling was left out of the squad. The reason for the same is not been provided by the team’s official account or Maresca has commented on the same.
