FIVE THINGS WE LEARNED after Chelsea beat Club America

Chelsea recorded their first win under new manager Enzo Maresca with a 3-0 triumph over Club America in Atlanta.

Christopher Nkunku converted from the penalty spot after only three minutes and Marc Guiu doubled the lead soon after.

Noni Madueke got the third for the Blues in the United States, also converting from the spot.

Mail Sport’s Kieran Gill was on hand to see the game and reveals FIVE THINGS we learned from Maresca’s first victory.

Chelsea recorded their first win under new manager Enzo Maresca against Club America

MARESCA DRILLS HIS MEN 

There is one specific drill that Chelsea have practised repeatedly in the two training sessions that Mail Sport has been invited to watch in the United States. 

It involves them playing a pass through the opposition defence on to a runner who then cuts the ball back. It is a passage of play that Enzo Maresca clearly wants to perfect ahead of the next Premier League season, and I lost count of the number of times we saw that same move here against Club America. 

Their finishing was not the greatest, but it will get better with time and Maresca now has his first win in charge of Chelsea.

There were signs of Mareca’s ideas starting to take shape in the way Chelsea play 

KEEPERS GET THE BLUES 

Chelsea named four – yes, four – goalkeepers on their substitutes’ bench and one of them was Filip Jorgensen. 

Their £20.7million signing from Villarreal was brought on in the second half for his unofficial debut after being announced on Tuesday. He gave away the odd ball – not to worry, it’s only pre-season – but seemed assured enough in his passing otherwise. 

The winner of my ‘best save award’ went to Robert Sanchez, however, when he acrobatically denied Javairo Dilrosun from finding the top corner. Friendly or otherwise, it was top class.

Filip Jorgensen, the £20.7million signing from Villarreal, played in the second half 

UNITED FRONT 

Amid all the controversy surrounding Enzo Fernandez, Chelsea are putting on a united front. When Reece James was substituted, he handed the 23-year-old Argentinian the captain’s armband. 

That came after Wesley Fofana asked the club if he could speak to the journalists covering their United States tour in order to let us know all was back to normal after internal talks which included an apology from Fernandez. 

Mind you, there did seem to be some boos aimed at Fernandez from Club America fans when he was introduced.

MALO PLAYS WITH GUSTO 

Chelsea lined up in a 3-2-4-1 shape at the start – Sanchez; James, Tosin, Badiashile; Lavia, Gusto; Madueke, Dewsbury-Hall, Nkunku, Sterling; Guiu – and us tactical nerds noticed something new. In their previous two friendlies – a 2-2 draw with Wrexham and 4-1 defeat by Celtic – Maresca had his right back inverting. 

Here, he did it from the left, with Malo Gusto moving into midfield. Gusto must be a manager’s dream as he is happy to not only invert from the left but from the right also.

Christopher Nkunku has produced some impressive form for Chelsea in pre-season 

NKUNKU LOOKING GOOD 

That’s three friendlies, three goals for Christopher Nkunku now and it is hard not to get excited at the prospect of the season he could enjoy if he remains fully fit. 

Nkunku pulled rank when Noni Madueke had hoped to take Chelsea’s first penalty here – don’t worry, it was nothing near the fiasco we witnessed in the 6-0 win over Everton at Stamford Bridge last season – but Nkunku kindly allowed Madueke to take their second spot-kick. 

Here’s hoping we see Nkunku show us what he can do over the next campaign.