The new manager Enzo Maresca has come under fire from Chelsea legend Frank Leboeuf for his ‘dumb’ choice to play out of the back in the preseason friendly against Wrexham.
In the opening match of their US tour, the Blues were held to a 2-2 draw at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, by the League One team.
Chelsea took the lead through Christopher Nkunku, but were pegged back in the 58th minute when Luke Bolton equalized after Lesley Ugochukwu threw up the ball and failed to block the cross.
Things deteriorated further. After 13 minutes, Jack Marriott pounced and gave Wrexham a 2-1 lead after teenage striker Josh Acheampong attempted to push forward but was dispossessed inside his own half.
Ugochukwu made amends for his earlier mistake to help salvage a draw but former Chelsea defender Leboeuf admitted he’s ‘not a fan’ of Maresca’s philosophy.
He also disagreed with the Italian coach, who had said after the game: ‘Sometimes teams that try to build from the back concede goals but I think you are going to score more than you concede.’
When asked on ESPN whether he thought playing out from the back was ‘brave or stupid’, Leboeuf said: ‘Well, when you miss it and you concede a goal, you look stupid. That’s for sure. That’s what it is, and that’s a fact.’
Leboeuf continued: ‘And I’m not sure, contrary to what Enzo Maresca says, that it’s proven that if you build from the back, then you’re going to score more goals than if you don’t.
‘I’m not a fan of it. I understand that you want to keep the ball and tire the opponent and not give the ball away too easily, but it’s a risk.
‘And sometimes, it’s too much of a risk for me, especially from goalkeepers and centre backs.’
Leboeuf accepted that Maresca has the ‘right to try’ to ask the players to play out from the back in a pre-season friendly ‘in order to see if it works’.
‘But if it doesn’t work,’ he said, ‘you have to be ready to change your mind and then say, “okay, with the players that I have, the individuals that I have at the back, we’re not capable of doing it, so we’re going to play a little bit further up.”
‘But, it’s a training session. It’s pre-season. Try whatever you want. It’s the first day of the Premier League that we’re going to judge.
‘I would have a hard time trying to get that risk, but I belong to another era, I guess.’
Chelsea captain Reece James said of Maresca: ‘The first message is that he loves the ball. He loves playing.
‘He’s very tactical, and so, a lot of information, a lot of understanding, and a lot of playing and making mistakes to learn quicker.’
Maresca added after the game: ‘For sure, we did many things we can improve, but we started just two weeks ago. Tonight was important to start seeing the identity of the team and the identity is there.’