It was clear that Enzo Maresca was missing as Chelsea dropped points on the opening day of the season at the hands of Crystal Palace.
The performance from the Blues was evidence of a side who had just a couple of weeks back in pre-season, after their 2024/25 campaign went on all the way until the middle of July.
They struggled to get anything going in attack, registering just three shots on target. Maresca made a mistake not starting Liam Delap, with his physical presence being missed in the final third.
One problem that emerged which was out of the manager’s control was at the back, with Levi Colwill and Tosin Adarabioyo both missing the game due to injury.
Enzo Maresca arrives at Stamford Bridge ahead of Chelsea v Crystal Palace - Premier League
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Chelsea loanee Mamadou Sarr shows Enzo Maresca what he’s missing in star performance
Josh Acheampong performed well, however it was the passing and ball progression which the Blues were really missing from their defenders.
On the same day that Chelsea drew with Palace, fellow BlueCo club Strasbourg started their Ligue 1 season with a 1-0 win over Metz, with Mamadou Sarr and Mike Penders keeping a clean sheet in a perfect start on loan from the club.
Sarr in particular enjoyed a very positive outing back at the Ligue 1 side, with his stats reflecting very well on his performance.
Mamadou Sarr vs Metz Total
Minutes 90
Duels won 6/7
Recoveries 8
Accurate passes 81/84
Passes into final third 7
Clean sheets 1
The passes into final third were what Maresca was missing most without Colwill and Tosin, however Sarr’s capabilities are not going to be available to him until the end of this season.
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Excitement over Mamadou Sarr
After seeing a brief amount of the defender during the Club World Cup campaign with Chelsea, there is plenty of excitement around the youngster going forwards.
While he is not currently available for selection, Chelsea fans think Sarr is the reason they are not signing a new centre-back, despite the demands of Maresca.
The Italian has been told to find solutions internally to Chelsea’s defensive injury woes, meaning that Acheampong could be set to add to his four Premier League starts up to now.
Chelsea can be safe in the knowledge that their future is in good hands, although will need to come up with an answer more immediately if they are to get their first win of the season against West Ham.