Liverpool in sight
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Back in August, Enzo Maresca still had major concerns about the Chelsea squad. “When I think about the fact that I have 43 players, that’s not good,” said the Blues coach. With 30 professionals, the Londoners still have one of the largest squads in the Premier League, but this obviously benefits them because Chelsea are despite the high load currently one of the strongest teams in Europe.
Chelsea are unbeaten in ten games across all competitions and were able to consolidate second place in the Premier League with a 2-1 win against Brentford FC at the weekend. After five wins in a row, the gap to Liverpool FC, who still has a catch-up game, was reduced to two points. The lead over third-placed Arsenal FC is currently four points. The struggling champions Manchester City are now seven points behind them.
Since a consortium led by US entrepreneur Todd Boehly bought Chelsea in May 2022, they have invested 1.09 billion euros in 29 additions in the 2022/23 and 2023/24 seasons. The squad was bloated as a result. Due to the high fluctuation, there was a lack of a clear hierarchy – with twelfth and sixth place, the two seasons were disappointing. There was also no continuity in the coaching bench, as four coaches were dismissed during this period: Thomas Tuchel, Graham Potter, Frank Lampard and Mauricio Pochettino. “Since Boehly took over the club in 2022, Chelsea seemed to stumble from one disaster to the next. Many expected this to continue this season,” says Benjamin Littlemore, Content Manager UK at Transfermarkt. However, Maresca is currently proving the opposite.
Maresca best Chelsea coach since 2010 – Improves numerous players
With an average of 2.2 points per game, Maresca is the coach with the highest points since 2010. In the club’s history, only José Mourinho in his first term in office as well as Avram Grant and Guus Hiddink have had a better result. “What Maresca has done so far this season is incredible. He has a lot of egos to manage and players to keep happy. He also manages this by rotating a lot internationally. He found the right balance between rotation and a well-coordinated core.”
The best scorer in the team is Cole Palmer, who recently Market value update received an increase of 40 million and is valued at 130 million euros. He was involved in 17 goals in 16 games, second only to Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah more scorer than the England international. “Cole Palmer is of course the standout star, but Nicolas Jackson’s performances have also improved. “Last season he showed that he could cause problems for the defense, but he had big problems finishing himself,” explains Littlemore. Jackson has nine goals and three assists in 15 appearances. In the December update, the Blues’ squad value broke the billion mark.
But it’s not just the offensive duo that has strengthened this season, Enzo Fernández and Moisés Caicedo have also improved significantly under Maresca. After the World Cup title with Argentina, Fernández came from Benfica for 121 million euros, six months later Caicedo, who, according to Littlemore, is “starting to prove himself in the Chelsea shirt,” moved to Stamford Bridge for 116 million euros. No footballer in the club’s history was more expensive than the two of them.
“Enormous quality in transition” – return to the Champions League in sight
Maresca, whose contract with the Blues runs until 2029, was assistant coach to Pep Guardiola at Manchester City in the triple season before leading Leicester City back to the Premier League last year. “He is very tactical and relies on possession. At Leicester this was more defensively oriented, but at Chelsea he allows players to play more offensively. Under him the team developed enormous quality in switching.”
After the good start to the season, Chelsea is aiming for a return to the Champions League, in which they last took part in 2022/23. “If Chelsea finishes fourth this season, I think the team has had a good season and is well on its way to getting back to the top.” However, Littlemore doesn’t think they can win a title yet. “In the last two seasons they have finished sixth and 12th and I don’t think they are ready to win the title yet. The way they are playing at the moment is one of the best in the league and they have to be taken seriously. In my opinion they still have some weak points in defense and I don’t think Robert Sanchez is a good enough goalkeeper to win the Premier League.” Next matchday, Chelsea will host Everton at Stamford Bridge.