“I can’t believe this” – Wrexham boss Phil Parkinson points out Enzo Maresca Chelsea big problem in 2-2 draw
After Wrexham and Chelsea drew 2-2 on Wednesday night in the Premier League, Wrexham manager Phil Parkinson brought attention to a serious Chelsea issue.
“You have to put it into context, they spent so much money on that team and we were in the National League two years ago and we went toe-to-toe and could have won the game,” Parkinson commented post-match. Chelsea had to claw their way back to avoid an embarrassing defeat against Wrexham, who recently secured promotion to League One, after squandering their initial lead.
This marked the first match at the helm for Chelsea’s new head coach Enzo Maresca, who remained upbeat despite the lacklustre performance. “The result for us is always important, but it’s more important to judge the performance,” he stated. “I was very happy with the performance, especially the first half, but second half we conceded two goals.”
It was the first game on the pre-season tour in the US for both teams, but tensions escalated within two minutes as Wrexham’s James McClean clashed with Chelsea’s Levi Colwill and had to be held back by teammates and coaches. McClean made a rash challenge on Colwill during a safe period of possession for Chelsea, leading to the Blues defender retaliating by grabbing his opponent by the collar.
After things calmed down it seemed like a routine game for Chelsea when Christopher Nkunku put them in the lead after 35 minutes, hammering his shot into the net following a defensive blunder that came from Tyrique George’s initial attempt. However, the second half saw a dramatic turn of events as the League One side surged to a surprising 2-1 lead.
Luke Bolton levelled the score with his first goal since joining Wrexham, capitalising on a disastrous misunderstanding between Chelsea’s Lucas Bergstrom and Wesley Fofana to tap into an open goal. With just 19 minutes left on the clock, Wrexham took the lead as Jack Marriott netted the standout goal of the match, outsmarting Bergstrom and slotting his shot into the bottom-left corner.
Marriott’s goal came after another sloppy spell from the Chelsea defence, but Lesley Ugochukwu saved the day for the Premier League side with a late equaliser, resulting in a 2-2 draw. Both teams can take positives from the game, but based on Wednesday’s performance, Wrexham will be heading into the next season with more confidence than Chelsea.
Parkinson’s remarks will resonate with Chelsea supporters, as the club continues to struggle to find its footing following the departure of former owner Roman Abramovich. During Abramovich’s tenure from 2003-2022, Chelsea did splash the cash, but the new ownership has continued this trend without a clear strategy.
Todd Boehly, who also co-owns the Los Angeles Dodgers, took over from Abramovich and has now spent over £1.1 billion on transfer fees without anything to show for it. Chelsea has already racked up an £80million bill this summer on six new signings, all under a new head coach.
Maresca is now the third permanent head coach to take charge since Boehly came in, succeeding Graham Potter and Mauricio Pochettino. Bruno Saltor and Frank Lampard also took charge on an interim basis. Maresca will be under instant pressure to achieve results, especially after being given a healthy budget when walking through the door.
For Wrexham, Wednesday night was a constructive performance, holding its own against Premier League opposition and perhaps feeling unlucky not to record a famous victory. Wrexham are facing a new challenge in League One next season following back-to-back promotions but proved that they have no fear when it comes to superior teams.
Less can be said for Chelsea, as Maresca will have some defensive issues to resolve before the start of the season. Chelsea face elite opposition against the likes of Celtic, Club America, Manchester City and Real Madrid on their US tour, but will have no time to rest upon returning to the UK as Premier League champions City await them in the opening game of the 2024/25 season.