In the height of summer, Premier League rivals LUFC made a massive squad change, however, with the arrival of Italian manager Maresca, the team has encountered unprecedented challenges. On their first trip to the United States, they drew 2-2 against League One side Westham, before losing 1-4 to Soviet Premier League champions Ludi on Sunday (28). Mariska admitted after the match that his team feared they would not be in top form for the Premier League opener.
In this matchup, Chelsea showed a fierce offensive posture, with core players such as Nicholson, Medillieu, and Liz Zhanshi on the field. They attacked the legal system, launching 23 attacks, but the defense was full of holes. In the first half, they conceded two goals in a row. French midfielder Benoit Badiachouli gave a "big gift" in the 76th minute, directly assisting the opponent's score; just three minutes later, Chelsea's midfield defense cracked, and they were hit by a quick counterattack, conceding another goal, and ultimately falling to a 0-4 defeat. In the last minute of the game, Nicholson broke the deadlock with a penalty kick, but it was not enough to save the game.
After two matches, Malliska led the way with 1 win and 1 loss, and after the match he said, "Results are important, but analysis requires a big picture view. I'm ten times better than I was in the last game. Of course, there is still a lot of room for improvement, but every division has to go through this process." Maliska also admitted that the team may not be at its best in the face of the upcoming Premier League opener against Manchester City: "In the first official match I will give my best and at least the performance will be improved, but I don't dare to hope that the first official match will be carried out perfectly."
