Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca says he is happy with his side’s performance despite losing to Premier League champions Manchester City in their opening fixture.
The Blues were downed by Erling Haaland and former Chelsea midfielder Mateo Kovacic, who netted in the 2-0 win for Pep Guardiola’s side.
It was still a positive performance from the West London side, who enjoyed 48% possession and 10 shots, one less than their opponents.
The likes of Pedro Neto and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall also made their competitive debuts for the club, which meant Maresca was in good spirits speaking to the media after the match.
He said: “I think the performance was good.
“We competed in this moment against the best team in the world and for a large part of the game I think we competed well.
“We created chances and probably the biggest difference between us and them on the day has been inside the box, and the way they managed the ball at the end, for which they are the masters.
Match reaction from Enzo. 🎙️#CFC | #CHEMCI pic.twitter.com/kVOTbqc9w4
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) August 18, 2024
“I am quite happy, we don’t like to lose games, for sure, but the performance was good.”
Chelsea were without Raheem Sterling in the squad at Stamford Bridge.
The former City winger’s camp released a statement ahead of the game, suggesting that the player expected to be part of the squad after a positive pre-season.
But Maresca confirmed leaving the England international out was simply a technical decision.
He added: “The manager has to make some decisions.
“Sometimes players don’t like it, that’s normal. Just a technical decision, no more than that.
“I want Raheem Sterling but I want all the 30 players that we have, but there is no space for all of them, so for some of them they are to leave.”
