“He can beat us if this happen” – Pep Guardiola reveals what Enzo Maresca is trying to do after 4-2 win over Chelsea
Following Manchester City’s 4-2 triumph over Chelsea in a pre-season friendly played in Ohio on Saturday night, Pep Guardiola has stated that he is impressed with the playing philosophy that Enzo Maresca is trying to implement at Chelsea. Guardiola thinks Maresca’s tactical vision is encouraging despite the loss.
Erling Haaland, the star striker for Manchester City, was on fire when he scored the first goal in the fourth minute from the penalty spot after Chelsea’s Levi Colwill had fouled him. In less than a minute, Haaland extended the lead by taking advantage of a misdirected ball from Moises Caicedo.
More Chelsea mistakes occurred during the game. In the 56th minute, Oscar Bobb’s excellent reverse strike capped a City attack initiated by Raheem Sterling’s careless pass.
Haaland sealed his hat-trick by punishing another mistake in Chelsea’s midfield from Malo Gusto, resulting in a swift transition and an excellent finish past goalkeeper Robert Sanchez.
Despite Chelsea pulling back two goals through Raheem Sterling and Noni Madueke, the defeat adds to a worrying pre-season for the club, which has seen only one win against Club America, alongside losses to Celtic and City, and a draw with Wrexham.
However, Guardiola remains optimistic about Chelsea’s direction under Maresca, a former colleague from his time at City.
Addressing the mistakes made by Chelsea while playing out from the back, Guardiola attributed them to the pitch conditions, saying, “It’s happened due to the pitch conditions. At Stamford Bridge, this would not happen.”
Guardiola continued to support Maresca’s approach: “Let me say this, I see what Enzo wants to do and I like it. And I don’t just say that because he’s my friend.”
Despite the mixed results in pre-season, Guardiola’s endorsement suggests that Chelsea fans may have reasons to be hopeful as Maresca continues to develop his tactical framework ahead of the new season.