Mauricio Pochettino begins life as Chelsea manager against Wrexham tonight as the Blues kick-off their pre-season tour and a brand new era in the United States. The former Tottenham boss is overseeing a huge rebuild of the club following such a disappointing season last time out and is set to hand big summer signings Nicolas Jackson and Christopher Nkunku their debuts out in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
Chelsea have sold plenty of players this summer, leaving Pochettino with a much smaller squad to work with and it will be fascinating to see just how much of his impact will be on show so early in a 2023 FC Series clash. Wrexham, of course, are a big story across the pond after their fairytale run under Hollywood owners in Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney as they prepare for life back in the EFL.
Pochettino has already spoken of the need to hit the ground running, such is the demand for success at a club like Chelsea. Though there will be tougher tests to come, getting off to a good start feels of the utmost importance. Follow Chelsea vs Wrexham live below, with expert analysis from Nizaar Kinsella at Kenan Memorial Stadium!
Live updates
20 mins: Wonderful centre-forward play from the experienced Mullin, holding off his man to set up the counter and feed Sam Dalby down the left-hand flank.
But again stand-in Chelsea captain Chalobah is nice and quick to come out and see off the danger.
Tozer has a dangerous long throw very much from the Rory Delap school, but Chelsea, to their credit, have done well defending them so far tonight.
17 mins: Better from Chelsea but Moreira’s first touch is heavy and the chance is lost.
Cucurella can’t prevent another Wrexham corner at the other end, but it’s swung in too deep and the ball flies out of play harmlessly for a goal kick.
14 mins: Some good interplay going forward from Chelsea involving Jackson and Maatsen again, orchestrated nicely by Casadei.
But the Blues lose it in midfield and Wrexham counter, with young Bashir Humphreys standing up to the challenge of Mullin and conceding a corner.
Chelsea eventually end up with a pressure-relieving free-kick after a spot of wrestling between Mullin and Cucurella in the box.
12 mins: Here come Wrexham again and Marc Cucurella is all too easily exposed down Chelsea’s left-hand side.
Stop me if you’ve heard that one before.
A deep cross comes in, Chalobah heads it away before Elliot Lee misses the target with an ambitious overhead kick.
What an equaliser that would have been!
10 mins: Wrexham are seeing plenty of the ball inside this opening 10 minutes, despite falling behind very early indeed.
But Chelsea’s backline manage to squeeze up to catch Mullin offside.
7 mins: Wrexham have responded well since going behind and are on the attack, looking for a quick equaliser.
A trademark long throw-in from Ben Tozer creates panic inside the Chelsea six-yard box, with star striker Paul Mullin’s effort blocked after an initial header away by Chalobah.
GOAL! Chelsea 1-0 Wrexham | Ian Maatsen 3’
3 mins: That certainly didn’t take long!
Chelsea are in front inside a matter of minutes and it’s a quick assist on debut for Nicolas Jackson.
He bursts forward into the box and tees up former Burnley loanee Maatsen for a composed sweeped finish low beyond Ben Foster.
The Pochettino era has swift lift-off!
KICK-OFF
The Mauricio Pochettino era at Chelsea is officially underway!
Pochettino selects young Chelsea starting lineup
That’s a much younger Chelsea squad than most had expected, with Trevoh Chalobah taking the captain’s armband initially.
Nicolas Jackson makes his debut in attack alongside fellow new arrival Diego Moreira and Ian Maatsen, with Mauricio Pochettino seemingly opting for a 4-2-3-1 formation.
The average age of Pochettino’s first XI is just 19.09.
Enzo Fernandez, Levi Colwill, Mykhailo Mudryk and Noni Madueke are not involved for Chelsea having joined up later than the rest of their team-mates for pre-season.
