'It's a habit from last year' - Enzo Maresca working to solve huge Chelsea 'problem' as he aims dig at Mauricio Pochettino after Real Madrid defeat

The Blues' pre-season tour of the United States ended on a disappointing note as they went down 2-1 against Real Madrid on Tuesday. The Premier League giants played five matches in America, out of which they won and drew once each and lost the other three.

After the disappointment in the US, new Blues boss Enzo Maresca pointed out one flaw in the team that he believes has been persisting since last season, when Pochettino was in charge of the club. The former Leicester boss replaced the Argentine at Stamford Bridge after his sacking in May.

Speaking to reporters after the clash against Los Blancos, Maresca said: "One of my first meetings with the squad was about the amount of goals we conceded last year with the defensive line very high. We are not working on defensive lines so high. It's a habit from last year, or years ago, I don't know.

"We are trying to drop the defensive line a little bit, usually about four or five metres, just to have some advantage. Last year, we already conceded many goals with this problem. Hopefully, we can solve it very soon."

The west London side will play one final friendly match against Inter at home on Sunday before taking on reigning champions Manchester City in their season opener on August 18.