ALL GOOD: Marcus Bettinelli
As they gear up to face European champions Real Madrid in a pre-season friendly in North Carolina, US, tomorrow at 1am, Chelsea goalkeeper Marcus Bettinelli reckons this is the closest they’ve been as a group in years.
The Blues have now enjoyed the best of times in recent years and finished 12th and sixth respectively in the least two Premier League seasons.
And with only one win in four pre-season matches under new coach Enzo Maresca, confidence in the camp can’t be too high.
But Bettinelli, who joined the Blues in 2021, says: “When I look at this squad, [captain] Reece [James] and I were talking the other day and we were saying it definitely feels like this is the closest the group has felt over the last couple of years.
“We have experienced some really tough times over the last two years, some really bad moments, and I think we had a good season last season, we finished well and now the new head coach has come in and we are all really enjoying his ideas and the way he wants us to play.
“The closer we are off the pitch, it is only going to transcend on the pitch..”