'We tried something new' — Chelsea boss Maresca admits after 3-1 defeat to Flamengo

Enzo Maresca revealed he “tried something new” in Chelsea’s 3-1 loss to Flamengo, putting their Club World Cup knockout stage hopes at risk.

Despite taking a 1-0 lead through Pedro Neto, Chelsea conceded two goals in three minutes, flipping the game. Nicolas Jackson’s red card, just a minute after coming off the bench, further complicated matters.

“Unfortunately, we conceded two goals in a very short period, a very short moment — and then the red card,” Maresca said.

“Then it’s very complicated to come back into the game. We tried, but congratulations to them.”

On the team’s performance, Maresca added: “Congratulations to them; I think they deserved to win. I think we tried to do something different during the game, also for next season, but congratulations to them. Now we have one more game, and we are going to try to win the next one.”

When pressed on whether the new approach backfired, Maresca responded: “No, I’m not saying this. I’m saying that we tried something new.”

Regarding Jackson’s red card, he said: “No, to be honest. It was a red card, so there is nothing to say.”