- Chelsea’s pre-season form was not great, winning only 1 of 6 matches.
- There is still the issue of concentration in the game that is concerning.
- Pedro Neto made his Stamford Bridge debut at half-time.
Cole Palmer is back!
Chelsea in this game has all the main players back in full form. Whether it’s Nicholas Jackson, Mark Cucurella, and most notably, Cole Palmer. The club’s best player last season. But only Cucurella started as the main player. Palmer was substituted
in the second half to replace Noni Maduake, who had shown good form throughout the pre-season. But in the match against Inter Noni still couldn’t show his power.
Palmer’s arrival helped Chelsea’s attacking game become many times more fearsome from the vision of the 22-year-old’s penetrating passes. Which created many chances to score goals for his teammates. Especially when playing with experienced players like Christopher Nkunku or a fast player like Nicholas Jackson. The ball leaving Palmer’s feet becomes even more dangerous. Therefore, in the opening match of the
Premier League against Man City. If there are no fitness problems, Cole Palmer should be able to start as usual.
The Blues are lacking focus
One of the problems that Enzo Maresca still can’t solve is the concentration of Chelsea players, who often lose focus during the match, allowing their opponents to take advantage and turn it into a goal. To be
honest, in the ยูฟ่าเบท game against Inter Milan, Chelsea initially had the advantage in ball possession and attacking play. Although they still couldn’t put the ball in the back of the net, being able to chase after their opponents was a good sign for victory.
But after a short break, Chelsea players from the front line to the defenders were not alert and refused to chase the ball even though they had been pressing all the time before. On the other hand, Inter players used the slow pace to play quickly and easily break through to score a goal. This goal was a mistake from the front to the back.
This is not the first time that Chelsea players lost focus during the game. In the match against Man City, they made a mistake in front of the goal, allowing the Blues players to steal the ball and shoot. And after conceding a goal, less than a minute later, they quickly fell behind because they couldn’t regain their focus twice.
3 players with interesting form – Kiu, Cucurella, Vega
Despite the weaknesses that need to be improved, the good thing we saw from Chelsea today was the form of Marc Giw, Marc Cucurella, and Renato Vega.
Up until now, the £5 million that Chelsea paid Barcelona looks like it will be worth it more and more as Marc Giw starts to develop and give fans a clearer picture of where the 18-year-old star has good qualities. Today, Giw showed his diligence in pressing without stopping and also had many chances to shoot, each of which came from his quick nose and instincts as a striker. If Yan Sommer wasn’t particularly tough, we would have seen Giw’s name on the scoreboard.
As for Marc Cucurella, who had the chance to start today, he still showed good form after returning from Euro 2024. The fluffy-haired player looks more confident, more aggressive, and understands Maresca’s game plan very well even though he has only just returned to practice with the team. It looks like he will hold the position of the team’s first left back for a long time after Ben Chilwell barely got a chance to play.
In the second half, Chelsea decided to change Renato Vega to replace Marc Cucurella. Although Vega is not a natural left back, the 21-year-old star played his duty without any embarrassment. He was able to handle Inter’s offensive game fiercely and there was not a single mistake to be seen. It looks like the left wing will be a fun fight for the first place.
Pedro Neto debuts
After the news with Chelsea a few days ago, Pedro Neto came to watch the game at Stamford Bridge wearing the team’s latest home shirt to confirm that he will definitely become a new player for the Blues. During the half-time break, Neto had the opportunity to step on the grass of ‘The Bridge’ and waved to the fans around the stadium. And not long after, the Chelsea club website officially introduced Pedro Neto.
The Portuguese star agreed to sign a 7-year contract with Chelsea for approximately 54 million pounds, divided into 51.4 million pounds of principal and the rest is various add-ons. As for the salary, it has not been disclosed. But in the latest contract with Wolverhampton Wanderers, Neto receives 50,000 pounds per week.
“I am very happy to join this club. I have worked very hard to get to this point and I can’t wait to put on this shirt to play.”