Regardless of spending closely once more in the summertime, evident points stay inside Enzo Maresca’s squad and Chelsea have underwhelmed to start out the 2025/26 marketing campaign consequently.
Coming into the season, hopes for the Blues had been sky excessive. The triumph within the Membership World Cup and the summer time switch window of funding left some tipping Maresca’s facet to push for the Premier League title.
There may be nonetheless time, in fact, however the early indicators haven’t been promising.
Saturday 4th October 5:00pm
Kick off 5:30pm
An unconvincing draw to Crystal Palace began the season and now three defeats throughout their final 5 outings, in addition to a close to miss in opposition to League One Lincoln within the Carabao Cup, have piled the strain on the Chelsea boss and his gamers heading into the assembly with Liverpool, stay on Saturday Night time Soccer.
Right here, Sky Sports activities examines a number of the early points hindering the Blues…
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Forward of Saturday Night time Soccer check out Chelsea’s greatest objectives in opposition to Liverpool, together with strikes from Didier Drogba and Eden Hazard.
Are Chelsea now worse off?
Whereas their upcoming opponents dominated the headlines within the window with the signings of Hugo Ekitike, Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak for a mixed £320m, Chelsea remained one of many extra energetic groups within the high flight.
Joao Pedro, Liam Delap, Jamie Gittens, Jorrel Hato, Facundo Buonanotte, Alejandro Garnacho, Mike Penders, Dario Essugo, Mamadou Sarr and Willian Estevao all arrived.
Nevertheless, recruitment at Stamford Bridge is led by sporting administrators Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley, with the top coach anticipated to work with the gamers offered for them.
Of the brand new signings, Joao Pedro has featured essentially the most with 11 appearances and 794 minutes performed throughout all competitions. Delap, regardless of being injured since August 30, is second.
There are some extenuating circumstances. Garnacho arrived late within the window and was missing match health, 18-year-old Estevao continues to be discovering his ft in English soccer and Hato was predominantly signed to offer competitors for Marc Cucurella at left-back.
Nevertheless, the type of gamers let go by the membership has put an undesirable highlight on the switch enterprise following the unconvincing begin.
Noni Madueke impressed for each England and Arsenal earlier than selecting up a knee harm. He was allowed to depart regardless of beginning 30 video games beneath Maresca final season, and was changed by a mix of Garnacho and Gittens – neither of whom have hit the bottom operating.
Djordje Petrovic, after thriving on mortgage at Strasbourg final season, was additionally allowed to depart and is now tied second for clear sheets within the league with Bournemouth.
Whereas Nicolas Jackson scored his first Champions League aim for Bayern Munich on Tuesday, teenage winger Tyrique George was toiling up entrance for Chelsea in opposition to Benfica in the identical recreation Joao Pedro was despatched off.
Has the £296.5m spent been justified or are Chelsea really worse off following the window?
Do Chelsea have a top-class goalkeeper?
Regardless of signing 10 new gamers, it was maybe shocking {that a} new No 1 wasn’t amongst them, with 20-year-old goalkeeper Penders loaned to Strasbourg after arriving from Belgium.
Sky Sports activities Information reported in June that Chelsea walked away from a deal for AC Milan’s Mike Maignan, a participant who wished the transfer to Stamford Bridge, resulting from their reluctance to pay the £25m asking worth for the France No 1 – a determine that will have marked their fourth-lowest charge of the window.
The place now stays a subject of dialogue for all of the incorrect causes.
Sanchez’s pink card at Manchester United in the end value his staff, however apart from the evident error, he additionally ranks twentieth for post-shot anticipated objectives, a metric used to measure a goalkeeper’s shot-stopping capability.
In the meantime, Maignan is sixth in Serie A for that statistic and has an 83.3 per cent save charge, the third highest within the league.
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Kaveh Solhekol explains whether or not Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca is beneath any further strain in his job after a disappointing begin to the season.
Centre of defence additionally uncared for
Goalkeeper just isn’t the one place wherein it’s questionable whether or not Chelsea sufficiently strengthened in the summertime.
After dropping Levi Colwill – who began 35 Premier League video games final season – to an ACL harm, Maresca spoke publicly about why he thought Chelsea wanted to signal one other centre-back, whereas admitting they had been additionally in search of “internal solutions”.
Hato – a left-footed defender who can play within the center or left of defence – had already arrived however the brand new centre-back Maresca craved didn’t arrive.
He’s now counting on Trevoh Chalobah – one other participant who has contributed to their tally of three pink playing cards to this point this season – Wesley Fofana, Tosin Adarabioyo, Benoit Badiashile, Josh Acheampong and Hato, who has solely performed 145 minutes since signing.
Which means Chelsea’s centre-back choices are primarily the identical as final season, besides with Hato changing Colwill. Jamie Carragher warned that the Blues wanted a brand new star defender nearly a 12 months in the past – but that view was not shared by the sporting administrators at Stamford Bridge.
However, six video games into the season, solely Brighton – who beat the Blues 3-1 of their final league outing – have conceded extra objectives than Maresca’s among the many top-half sides.
Chelsea selected to not reinforce two key areas of their staff forward of a season wherein they need to be aiming to problem the perfect sides within the nation. Add in a couple of accidents and Maresca has been left with holes in his squad and new gamers whom he seems but to belief.
Fortunately for them, Arne Slot and Liverpool are experiencing related issues forward of their journey to west London.
A win for Chelsea would probably propel them into the highest 4 and knock Liverpool off the highest of the desk.
However a fourth defeat in six video games for Maresca’s facet, who’re solely 4 factors above Nineteenth-placed West Ham, may see them tumble into the underside half – a state of affairs that will ask severe questions of the top coach and those that constructed his squad.
Watch Chelsea vs Liverpool stay on Sky Sports activities Fundamental Occasion and Sky Sports activities Premier League from 5pm on Saturday
