Lucas Bergstrom feels Chelsea have made a promising start to pre-season and is enjoying getting to grips with the new footballing philosophy head coach Enzo Maresca has brought to the team.
The young goalkeeper returned from a loan spell with Swedish top-flight side Brommapojkarna to join the senior Chelsea squad for the start of pre-season and has travelled with the Blues for our summer tour of the USA.
The Finland Under-21 international, who joined the club as a 16-year-old in 2019, featured in our opening match Stateside, replacing Robert Sanchez for the second half with the Blues leading Wrexham 1-0.
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Although the game ended in a 2-2 draw, Bergstrom produced a big save to keep us in contention when trailing by one goal, before Lesley Ugochukwu’s composed equaliser.
The keeper believes the game showed potential, even if we were unable to start pre-season with a victory.
‘I’m quite happy with my own performance,’ he said. ‘Obviously, I conceded two goals in 45 minutes, so everything didn't go well, but I think it was nice to play because it’s always nice to put on the Chelsea jersey and try to implement the new stuff we’re trying to do in an actual game.
‘We’d played in-house games and against the Under-21s, but this was obviously a bit different. To get into a real game and face real opponents felt good. I wanted a better result but I think we’re going the right way as a team and we will improve from here.’
That confidence in the direction the team is moving in comes from his early experiences working under Maresca over the last few weeks, following the Italian’s appointment as Chelsea head coach this summer.
Maresca is already known for teams focused on possession who build from the back, placing demands on his goalkeepers to be able to play with the ball at their feet. It is an approach Bergstrom is enjoying already.
‘He’s been very good,’ added Lucas. ‘In training he’s been very good at explaining what we’re trying to do and he has clear ideas about how we try to defend, how we try to attack and the new principles we’re trying to play by.
‘I’ve learned a lot and got some new insights into how you look at football, in terms of how you play. So for me, it’s been very good.
‘I think in every system you play you will have different responsibilities. It’s just a different one this time. I’m up for it, I think it suits me. I like to play with the ball and it’s also about more than the goalkeeper. It’s more of a team thing.
‘When everyone knows everyone’s responsibilities and you play together, it’s quite simple for most positions when you work as a team. You find good relations and timing between each other. So I’m looking forward to it. I like to mix it up and what we’re trying to do.’
Bergstrom already has experience of senior football at Chelsea, having been regularly named among the substitutes during 2023/24 before returning to Scandinavia on loan.
When it comes to building on that progress in the future, though, he is just taking things one day at a time.
‘Last season was a very interesting season for me. I had seven months in the first team, being on the bench many times in the Premier League and the cups. It felt very good being part of the team and trying to achieve things, before going on loan in March.
‘Looking to this season, I’m not someone who sets targets for myself. For me, I’m just going to focus on today now, and tomorrow I will focus on tomorrow, and I will see where it brings me.
‘Obviously, I want this team to succeed and hopefully we can, but for me it’s just about short-term goals and trying to be my best every day, and letting that path take you where it takes you.’
That means his focus will now be fully on preparing for Chelsea's next match in the US, when we face Scottish champions Celtic in Notre Dame on Saturday evening (9pm UK).