Kolkata: “No matter how many games we are going to win, I think we are not ready to compete for the title.” That was Enzo Maresca after Chelsea beat Brentford 2-1 and moved to second in the Premier League, two points behind Liverpool who have a game in hand. Win at Everton on Sunday and Chelsea could be leading the standings if only till Liverpool finish against Tottenham Hotspur.
So, no matter how much the head coach tries to deflect talk of being contenders, Chelsea cannot avoid it being part of Christmas conversation. That they are the first team to win five successive league matches, and, after their 5-1 win against Shamrock Rovers on Thursday, have comfortably qualified for the Conference League round of 16 do nothing to reduce talk of a first title since 2016-17.
After the win against Brentford, Maresca was making the point about Chelsea’s inability to close out the game as proof of why he thinks they are not ready to be contenders yet. But in a season where no team bar Liverpool have got on a run, Chelsea are doing their bit to make the title race interesting.
They lead the goals chart with 37, six more than leaders Liverpool. And have conceded 19, which is also six more than Liverpool. But given that they conceded 63 goals last term, and 47 the season before, it is an improvement. At 23 years and 220 days, Chelsea’s 11 against Newcastle was the youngest in the league. Maresca’s fledglings? And though central defenders Wesley Fofana and Benoit Badiashile are injured, Chelsea have fewer injury worries than last season.
Add to that how the club cleared the Enzo Fernandez-Fofana mess after the Argentine was filmed making fun of France’s black players and it is clear that Chelsea have come a long way from the chaos at the start of the season.
That was when they had 48 players with Raheem Sterling not sure if he had a future at the club he had joined two years ago for £50m. He has since been loaned to Arsenal. In a bid to balance books, academy products Connor Gallagher, Omari Hutchinson and Ian Maatsen were sold and Trevoh Chalobah and Armando Broja loaned.
It felt like a continuation of the chaos from the summer of 2022 when Chelsea, sixth last term and 12th in 22-23, spent £273m on players from whom only Marc Cucurella and Fofana are regulars.
Cut to December and Cucurella’s slip against Spurs and his strike against Brentford mirror the fall and rise of the five-time champions. Maresca accepted ahead of the tie to Everton that Ben Chilwell and Carney Chukwuemeka might leave next month for want of game time but in four months he has built a squad that understands his box midfield (a double pivot with two No.10s) in the 3-2-4-1 formation. The 44-year-old Italian, who has been Pep Guardiola’s assistant at City, has also used the Conference League to create a solid back-up by giving players such as Christopher Nkunku, Joao Felix and Marc Guiu minutes.
Brought for £32m in 2023, Nicolas Jackson has been crucial to Chelsea’s turnaround. Maresca is using the Senegal striker closer to goal than he was last term. His tally of nine league goals has taken Jackson to 23 from 50 appearances. Only Erling Haaland (40) and Ollie Watkins (25) have more non-penalty goals in their first 50 matches, as per Opta.
Jackson moving up has made Cole Palmer the creative force and the England player has been in brilliant form. Moisés Caicedo anchors the box midfield where Palmer is either the right or left side No.10 with Cucurella often moving infield in support when Romeo Lavia, doubtful for Sunday, or Fernandes moves up. Maresca’s preference for pacy wingers like Jadon Sancho, Pedro Neto and Noni Madueke who can dribble has led to Chelsea being able to stretch the play.
As expected from a team in transition and under a new coach, there were nervous moments against Brentford and Spurs. Chelsea’s record at Everton is poor with one win and five defeats in their last seven matches but that could change on Sunday.
