Chelsea 1 Real Madrid 2 – What’s the high line problem? Tour positives and negatives?

Chelsea completed the final leg of their tour of the United States on Tuesday evening in Charlotte, North Carolina.

But they fell to a third defeat in five games, losing 2-1 against European champions Real Madrid in front of 62,000 people at the Bank of America Stadium. It means new coach Enzo Maresca has won only one of his five matches in the U.S., with the only victory coming against Mexican side Club America.

They lost against Scottish champions Celtic and Premier League winners Manchester City and drew against League One side Wrexham.

Goals from Dani Ceballos and Brahim Diaz put Madrid two goals ahead before Noni Madueke halved the deficit before half-time.

Here, Adam Crafton analyses the key Chelsea talking points…

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Chelsea’s high defence looks shaky

On Saturday evening against City, Chelsea went 2-0 down in five minutes when they self-destructed, gifting the ball repeatedly to City attackers when attempting to play out from the back. On Tuesday, Chelsea went 2-0 down in 27 minutes and the cause, once again, could be attributed to Chelsea’s decision-making.

There was no shortage of pace in the Chelsea back line, with Reece James, Benoit Badiashile, Levi Colwill and Malo Gusto, but their high line was repeatedly exposed in the opening half hour. Chelsea also failed to close down their opponents quickly enough, meaning Madrid’s talented players had the time to pick passes for runners stretching the Chelsea defence.

To compound the problem, Chelsea were coming up against some of the quickest forwards around. Rodrygo, Vinicius Junior and Brahim repeatedly sped beyond their defence. Signs of Chelsea anxiety first emerged when captain Reece James misjudged a backwards header to his goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen, and Vinicius Jr almost found an opening to score.

This was the route that led to Ceballos opening the scoring. Brahim then broke free for the second, latching onto a sumptuous Vinicius Jr pass and rounding the goalkeeper. Early in the second half, Vinicius Jr was in behind once more, tormenting James and teeing up Brahim, only for the forward to place his shot wide. This, we should remember, was a Madrid side yet to introduce Kylian Mbappe, and you dread to think how the Frenchman may have exploited Chelsea’s errant offside trap.

Maresca criticised his players after their 4-1 defeat against Celtic, saying that they were “confusing some things on the ball and off the ball” and failing to drop their defensive line at the right moments.

Last night, he was asked by The Athletic whether the high line is a tactic imposed by him or a habit from last season when Mauricio Pochettino coached the team.

He said: “It’s a habit. 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 bit, usually about four or five metres.

“Last year, we already conceded many goals with this problem. Hopefully, we can solve it very soon.”

He added: “It’s a problem we are trying to solve from pre-season, since day one. One of my first meetings with the squad was about the number of goals we conceded last year with the defensive line very high.

“Offensively, we are there — the patterns are there. We created chances. The problem is defensively. Not just the defensive line, but in general, all the players.”

Goalkeeper Jorgensen said he has his role to play. He said: “I could also be higher to make a bit less space between me and the defenders. We will get to know each other.”

Speaking before the game, former Chelsea coach Ancelotti had sought to reassure Chelsea fans, insisting any chance of system requires patience and time. Maresca said: “It is not something magic that you can reach in two days.  That is PlayStation, not football. Day-by-day, you need to work and you need time and I know most head coaches ask for time and it sounds like an excuse but it is not an excuse, it is the reality.”

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What were the positives and negatives of Chelsea’s U.S. tour?

Chelsea’s tour of the United States has been arguably the most geographically demanding of the European clubs who have crossed the Atlantic this summer. Chelsea began on the west coast in California before playing in Indiana, Georgia, Ohio and, finally, North Carolina, but with a flight to their training base in Atlanta sandwiched between the game against Manchester City at the Ohio Stadium and this match against Real Madrid.

The tour is financially lucrative for the club and these trips can bring in £15million ($19m) for leading Premier League clubs. This is crucial for Chelsea when they are constantly striving to remain within the boundaries of the Premier League’s profitability and sustainability regulations. The training facilities and hotels are also largely excellent.

Yet the tour also brings challenges, notably five games within 14 days for Maresca’s team, traversing coasts and time zones. The head coach said he considered his “real pre-season” to have been the fortnight he spent at the club’s training ground at Cobham before the tour and the short period they will have back in London before the start of their Premier League season on August 17.

Before this game, Maresca said: “It was a good moment (coming to the U.S.) for different reasons, to see the fans from outside the UK. The ideal situation would be to prepare for the games but for most of the games, we have been without preparation. We didn’t prepare the game with the training session like we are used to doing during a normal season. We just prepared with a video or the tactical board. It has been a mixed feeling.”

Speaking in the pre-match press conference for the Real Madrid game, Chelsea midfielder Moises Caicedo also referenced the pitches in the U.S. as a substantial challenge for players during pre-season. Caicedo experienced the same issue while representing Ecuador during Copa America. Maresca and Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola cited challenges with the pitch in Columbus, where Caicedo had been culpable for conceding possession in the lead-up to a City goal.

Caicedo said: “It’s not the same as playing in Europe because the pitches there are so good there to show your quality. Here it is more difficult to play. The pitches are not so good. It’s so dry, the pitches. We know we are players with amazing quality but sometimes, it’s not all about you. It’s about the pitches.”

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Will there be more changes at Chelsea?

The good news is that Chelsea’s pretty patterns on the ball will be augmented by the killer instinct of Cole Palmer, who will rejoin the squad when they return to Cobham this week. Nicolas Jackson, who Chelsea staff believe has the potential to become a 20-goal-per-season forward, is also edging back from injury. Spain’s European Championship-winning defender Marc Cucurella will also return and appears a strong fit for a system that requires a left-back to tuck in as a third left-sided centre-back.

The broad expectation has been that Conor Gallagher will head to Atletico Madrid, but if that move falls through, Gallagher would face renewed internal pressure to sign a new contract or find a different club to join. The club have made clear they will not countenance losing him on a free transfer next summer.

Further exits are likely. Kepa Arrizabalaga, Trevoh Chalobah, Cesare Casadei, David Datro Fofana and Romelu Lukaku require new homes. Armando Broja is surplus to requirements and was not even named on the bench for the Madrid game. Maresca said it was “just a decision” not to include him and said there was no injury.

Another player who appears to be at risk is Ben Chilwell, who failed to get on the pitch against Madrid as Maresca favoured Gusto, ordinarily a right-back, to fulfil his specific demands in the left-back position. Chilwell does not appear a stylistic fit and Chelsea would likely consider large offers. Chelsea have plenty of options in the wide areas but Raheem Sterling, Mykhailo Mudryk and Madueke are yet to show consistency.

Chelsea continue to pursue strikers who can help the team to be more clinical when facing rigid systems or a deep defence. This week, the Atletico Madrid forward Samu Omorodion, who is 6ft and 4in (193cm), has been considered but a deal for the 20-year-old has not been agreed.

Chelsea want three forwards in their squad — they have Jackson as a striking option, but view Christopher Nkunku as operating most effectively in a deeper role or from the wide positions. Lukaku’s potential exit to Napoli — the Italian club’s new coach Antonio Conte wants to be reunited with the Belgian he previously managed at Inter Milan — could open the door to Victor Osimhen heading the opposite way on loan, as previously reported by The Athletic.

The 18-year-old forward Marc Guiu started against Madrid and Chelsea are considering keeping him as a backup striker to gain experience in cup competitions this season, but a final decision is still to be made as Chelsea weigh up all their options. Speaking to reporters this week, Guiu said: “We work very hard every day on and off the pitch, on the physical aspect and the practical. I’m ready to be on the pitch and help the team.”

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What next for Chelsea?

Chelsea face Inter Milan in their final pre-season friendly on Sunday afternoon at Stamford Bridge.

They then begin their Premier League season by hosting champions Manchester City at Stamford Bridge on 18 August.

(Top photo: Grant Halverson/Getty Images)