Chelsea continue to look uneasy, but they have beaten Lincoln City 2-1 to advance to the next round of the Carabao Cup. For 45 minutes, they were steering at the exit door, and Enzo Maresca sensed that some players could not get to grips with the fact that “you have to play in a different way.”
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‘Buonanotte was very good’
Set-piece struggles return
It is not the first time that direct attacks and set-piece situations snagged this side. Upon the return from the international break, Brentford bagged a late leveller from Fabio Carvalho at a throw-in.
“I don't know how many balls they put inside the box, throw-ins, free kick, cross. It was not easy for any keeper to be honest. We concede against Brentford in extra time from a throw-in, it's not easy.”
The threat from the League One opponent was clear. Yet, Filip Jorgensen did not cover himself in glory with a fidgety aura full of mistakes. The Italian insisted on standing up for the shot stopper.
“They bring so many players in the box they try to create crowds around the keeper so you cannot move, you cannot go out, you cannot catch the ball. It's difficult. For Filip, it was the first game of the season so not easy but at the end we won the game and I was very worried about this game.”
George and Buonanotte turn it around
He has Tyrique George to thank for a blistering start to the second half and an equally powerful volley. Facundo Buonanotte turned around the score completely in a half that was smoother.
“Buonanotte was very good. First half we struggled a bit. Second half I think we were much better.”
The tactical tweak at half time
The manager mentioned one tactical detail that helped him to get over the line in this fixture.
“Half time we changed something tactically important. Jorrel Hato was playing in different position from the first half. We were lucky that we score immediately after the second half but the structure of the team between first half and second half was completely different and that probably helped a bit.”
