Chelsea beat Nottingham Forest 1-0 in their last Premier League match of the season to finish fourth in the league table with 69 points from 38 matches.
The Royal Blues will play UEFA Champions League football next season after having missed out on it for a few years.
Chelsea have actually won four of their last five Premier League matches to ensure a top-four finish.
They lost their way somewhat in the middle of the season but ended strongly enough to give Enzo Marseca a lot of reasons to celebrate.
Ensuring Champions League football was surely the minimum target Maresca must have set at the beginning of the season. Hence, he should take pride in attaining it.
Emerging Stability in Chelsea’s Defence
Chelsea have let in 43 goals this season in the Premier League, which is the third-lowest behind Arsenal and Liverpool’s tally.
It is quite a big achievement, given that the Blues have had a young pair of central defenders in Levi Colwill and Tosin for the majority of the season.
With the exit of both Trevoh Chalobah (on loan to Crystal Palace before returning in January) and Thiago Silva, Colwill and Tosin have come of age with a string of mature performances this season.
Left-back Ben Chilwell has also left Crystal Palace on loan, thus leaving Chelsea more reliant on Marc Cucurella and Malo Gusto.
Reece James has played 26 matches this season as Chelsea’s right-back, with most of those appearances coming in the second half of the season.
Marc Cucurella has probably been the best left-back in the Premier League this season with seven goals in 47 matches.
After having a great time at Euro 2024, Cucurella has built on his reputation as a player.
In addition to that, Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez have mostly done their jobs as the holding midfielders.
Caicedo has probably been the second-best defensive midfielder in the Premier League this season behind Ryan Gravenberch, though Declan Rice is also one of the contenders.
Fernandez has scored seven goals in 45 matches this season and has made his presence felt in the midfield for the Blues.
With Cole Palmer enduring a slightly underwhelming season after being superb for the West Londoners in the previous season, Fernandez has had to shoulder a lot of responsibility in the middle third.
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High Hopes for the Next Season
The West Londoners will feel that they are ready to challenge for the title next season.
However, as of now, they are still probably a notch below the threesome of Liverpool, Manchester City and Arsenal.
Maresca will want his young team to gain some valuable experience by playing Champions League football next season.
The likes of Palmer, Caicedo, Colwill and Fernandez have not played in too many UCL matches and hence, it is a chance for them to have some experience under their belts.
However, having another good run in the Premier League should be of paramount importance for them.
Main Photo
Credit: IMAGO / Pro Sports Images
Recording Date: 25.05.2025