Chelsea showed more defensive vulnerability as they lost 2-1 to Real Madrid in Charlotte in the final game of their US tour.
Dani Ceballos and Brahim Diaz scored in the first half for Real, with the Blues pulling one back through Noni Madueke’s header.
Chelsea have conceded 12 goals during manager Enzo Maresca’s first pre-season as boss, winning just once.
Their defensive frailties were on show again as Ceballos tapped home a deflected Lucas Vazquez shot in the 19th minute.
Eight minutes later they were 2-0 down as Diaz rounded new goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen to fire into an empty net.
Our final matchday in America ends in a narrow defeat. 🇺🇸@FICO_Corp | #BluesInTheUSA pic.twitter.com/1AixDV1wp3
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) August 7, 2024
Chelsea conceded a club-record 63 goals in the Premier League last season under Mauricio Pochettino and new boss Maresca says he has been trying to change old habits since arriving at the club.
He said: “One of my first meetings with the squad was about the amount of goals we conceded last year with the defensive line very high.
“We are not working on defensive lines so high. It’s a habit from last year, or years ago, I don’t know.
“We are trying to drop the defensive line a little bit, usually about four or five metres, just to have some advantage.
“Last year, we already conceded many goals with this problem. Hopefully we can solve it very soon.”
Chelsea have one more pre-season fixtures remaining against Inter Milan at Stamford Bridge before their Premier League opener against chapions Manchester City on Sunday, August 18.
