People are worried about how the short summer break will impact Chelsea going into the new campaign. However, in their first game of pre-season, they completely dominated with an impressive display against Bayer Leverkusen.
During a 2-0 victory against German Bundesliga side Leverkusen at Stamford Bridge, several Blues stars looked razor sharp.
On his unofficial Chelsea debut, Estevao Willian opened the scoring as part of a brilliant performance. Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink raved about Estevao after the attacker made a great first impression in front of the home fans.
Joao Pedro scored his team’s second goal as he picked up where he left off at the recent Club World Cup tournament.
Chelsea stars Liam Delap, Andrey Santos, Estevao Willian, Malo Gusto and Moises Caicedo during a pre-season friendly against Bayer Leverkusen.
Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
Erik ten Hag views Chelsea as Premier League title challengers
On Friday night, Enzo Maresca competed against Erik ten Hag in the manager’s dugout.
Ten Hag, the new Leverkusen head coach, actually thinks Chelsea can be in the mix to win the Premier League title in the upcoming season after his side’s defeat against them.
When asked if Maresca’s side can challenge for the Premier League, Ten Hag said via HaytersTV: “I think so. You always have to see how the season develops. That is a lot about injuries, but they have a big squad. All the teams you see, they invest so much in the Premier League in this transfer window. There are many teams who can in this moment construct a very good team… It’s very difficult to say in this moment who is favourite because I think five or six in this moment are able to win the league.”
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Maresca’s target is another top-four finish for Chelsea in the 2025/26 Premier League campaign. However, there are some external noises suggesting that the talented young squad can compete for the league crown.
Jamie Carragher insists Chelsea need a new goalkeeper before they can kick on and win the Premier League title.
In fairness, the Blues finished 15 points behind champions Liverpool last season, who have made some eye-catching signings themselves this summer to get even stronger.
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca and Bayer Leverkusen manager Erik ten Hag during a pre-season friendly.
Photo by Chelsea Football Club/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
The statistics from dominant Chelsea win against Bayer Leverkusen
The eye test will tell you that Chelsea were well on top against Leverkusen last night. It is no surprise that the statistics support that, too.
Chelsea Bayer Leverkusen
70% Possession 30%
24 Total shots 4
9 Shots on target 2
4 Big chances 0
596 (94%) Accurate passes 235 (85%)
13 Fouls committed 9
7 Corners 4
Chelsea vs Bayer Leverkusen statistics via FOTMOB
Maresca’s side have just one pre-season friendly left to play, which is at home to AC Milan on Sunday afternoon. The attention will then turn towards hosting Crystal Palace in their Premier League opener on 17 August.