Chelsea drew 0-0 against Palace At Stamford Bridge
Maresca's side failed to score against a stubborn defence
Chelsea are the FIFA Club World Champions
Enzo Maresca could not fault his Chelsea team for their efforts in their goalless draw against Crystal Palace in their Premier League opener on Sunday.
Maresca watched on as his team were made to pay for a glut of missed opportunities, though the Blues were perhaps fortunate not to find themselves behind early on.
Palace thought they had taken the lead in the 13th minute when Eberechi Eze's brilliantly-driven free-kick flashed beyond Robert Sanchez and into the net.
But the goal was overturned as the referee deemed Marc Guehi was less than one metre away from the Chelsea wall, with neither side able to find a winner at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea did have their chances, though, with substitute Andrey Santos firing the best of those opportunities over the crossbar while Estevao also came close.
Indeed, Chelsea ended the game with an expected goals (xG) total of 1.8 from their 19 shots to Palace's 1.1 from their 12 efforts, though Maresca was pleased with the display.
Maresca referenced his side's lack of preparation for the new season, having played just two friendlies before facing the Eagles after going the distance in the Club World Cup.
"I think we created enough chances to win the game. We just conceded the free-kick in the first half, which they scored from," Maresca told Sky Sports.
"I am happy with the performance because they have already played seven or eight games, but we just have to play more."
The result saw Chelsea start a Premier League season with a 0-0 draw for the first time since 2011-12, despite heavily investing in a new-look forward line.
Joao Pedro led the line but was replaced by Liam Delap, while there were also top-flight debuts for Jamie Gittens and Estevao, but they were unable to find a way through.
Indeed, there were also 31 shots in the game, the most shots without scoring in an MD1 Premier League game since Burnley vs Southampton in 2018-19 (34).
The Blues take on West Ham in their next league match, and Maresca is confident of an improvement.
"The attitude overall from the boys was very good. They tried until the end to win the game," Maresca added.
"Slowly, we will be better. We have to give them rest in this moment, recover energy and go again on Friday."
Maresca has also made clear his desire to sign another central defender before the window ends, with Levi Colwill sustaining an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury.
Tosin Adarabioyo also missed the game with Palace through injury, with Maresca starting Josh Acheampong at centre-back, despite new arrival Jorrel Hato on the bench.
Acheampong became the second-youngest player to start for Chelsea in their opening game of a Premier League season, after Glen Johnson in 2003-04.
"They played very well, they didn't concede anything," Maresca said of his defence's performance.
"Josh [Acheampong] did well, he is very young, and he is going to be a good player for this club."
Having registered consecutive shutouts at the end of 2024-25, Chelsea have now kept three in a row in the top-flight for the first time since February 2023 under Graham Potter.
