£250m attack silenced
Joao Pedro, a £55m new signing from Brighton, was up front. On the wings were Jamie Gittens, who joined from Dortmund for £52m and made his debut, and Pedro Neto, a £45m signing. Cole Palmer, a £40m attacking midfielder, played just behind in the No.10 role. Despite possessing a formidable attack, Chelsea were still dominated by Crystal Palace in the early minutes and almost conceded.
Chelsea’s expensive attack was helpless against Crystal Palace
Chelsea’s expensive attack was helpless against Crystal Palace
In the 13th minute, Eberechi Eze successfully took a direct free kick, but the goal was disallowed by VAR because Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi was less than a metre away from the Chelsea wall.
In the second half, Chelsea brought in two more attacking recruits, winger Estevao Willian (£29m, from Palmeiras) and striker Liam Delap (£30m, from Ipswich Town). Both missed good chances, along with Andrey Santos, forcing the London team to accept a goalless draw at Stamford Bridge on a disappointing opening day.
After the opening match, Chelsea will feel worried when they only had 3 shots on target, 1 less than Crystal Palace in 90 minutes.
Although it is only one match and the title race is still very long, Chelsea will be under great pressure if they cannot maintain their form after winning the FIFA Club World Cup last summer.
Some experts have predicted that Chelsea can compete for the Premier League title this season, but to compete with Liverpool, Arsenal or Man City over 38 rounds, they need to improve both their creativity and scoring efficiency.
Should Chelsea be worried?
The Blues know that a FIFA Club World Cup title is unlikely to translate immediately into Premier League success, especially after a shortened summer pre-season of just 13 days after becoming world champions in July. Maresca urges Chelsea fans to be patient after lacklustre draw against Crystal Palace
Maresca urges Chelsea fans to be patient after lacklustre draw against Crystal Palace
Enzo Maresca was reluctant to blame a lack of preparation on his players’ performance, saying: “I don’t think so, because until the last minute we played with determination. We tried to win the match. I think at the end we had a few chances with Estevao and Andrey Santos.
That shows that overall the team played quite well. They (Crystal Palace) have played about seven or eight friendlies for sure. We only played two matches last week but we tried to spread the playing time. Our real match is today. But surely, little by little we will get better.”
New signings Joao Pedro, Gittens, Estevao and Delap will need time to settle in and build up an understanding with their teammates. Joao Pedro looks the most ready, having scored three goals in three competitive appearances for Chelsea after cutting short his holiday in Brazil to play in the FIFA Club World Cup.
This is in stark contrast to Crystal Palace, who named 10 of the starting 11 for the FA Cup final against Manchester City and Community Shield against Liverpool, with only midfielder Daichi Kamada missing through injury.
Striker Nicolas Jackson is suspended following his red card against Newcastle at the end of the 2024/25 season, but even if he is fit to play, he is unlikely to be selected. Chelsea are still considering selling Jackson and Christopher Nkunku and are in the market for a new striker, with both Alejandro Garnacho (Manchester United) and Xavi Simons (Leipzig) on their radar before the summer transfer window closes on 1 September.
