Enzo Maresca reveals why Chelsea ‘struggled’ despite 4-1 victory over Panathinaikos

Enzo Maresca has admitted that his Chelsea side struggled against Panathinaikos despite winning 4-1.

The Blues opened the scoring in the first half through Joao Felix before Mykhailo Mudryk doubled their lead in the second half.

Felix netted his brace later on before Christopher Nkunku converted a penalty to make it 4-0. Facundo Pellistri got a late consolation for the hosts.

Despite the dominant scoreline, Chelsea struggled to control possession in the first half and Maresca has admitted that his side could have done better before labelling the performance as ‘very good’.

Speaking to the press after the game, as quoted by football.london, Maresca said: “It has been very good performance.

“We struggled at the beginning of the game and then we adjusted, we weren’t pressing off the ball.”

However, the Italian was happy with his side’s reaction when he made tactical tweaks to their system, which saw them dominate for the rest of the match.

“We made some adjustments and it was much, much better,” he continued.

“The most important thing is that no matter how many changes, you can see the identity. It is quite clear.”

The win saw Chelsea go top of the Conference League after matchday two and Maresca’s side remain the favourites to win the competition.

With 11 changes made, Maresca has the unique opportunity to rest many players in his squad while also keeping the quality and intensity to a high standard.

Chelsea fans were impressed by the performance of Mykhailo Mudryk, who netted a goal and grabbed two assists, just days after being left out of the matchday squad to face Liverpool in the Premier League.

Maresca himself admitted that Mudryk’s development has been slow compared to his team-mates but was proud of the performance of his winger.

The Blues will hope to build momentum as they face Newcastle in consecutive games, with the first coming at Stamford Bridge on Sunday in the Premier League.

Maresca’s side then travel north to face the Magpies again, this time in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday as they look to regain their form after falling to defeat against Liverpool last weekend.