The Chelsea loss to Bayern Munich on Wednesday, September 18, once again pointed out the obvious fact that despite having an exceptional squad, the Royal Blues are still not quite up there with the very best in European football.
Chelsea won the UEFA Conference League last season and then brought home the Club World Cup trophy, which does not quite match up to its nomenclature as a tournament. Still, their performance in the Champions League has not been as good as Enzo Maresca would love it to be.
Chelsea Loss to Bayern Highlighted Issues With Defence and Team’s Balance
Trevoh Chalobah scored an own goal at the Allianz Arena to put Bayern ahead. The Royal Blues then conceded a penalty to allow Harry Kane to score the first of his two goals in the match.
Moreover, Chelsea had to play Cole Palmer on the left flank instead of his preferred right and Enzo Fernandez as the No. 10, with Joao Pedro starting as the centre-forward.
Right-back Reece James played in the double-pivot alongside Moises Caicedo, which was once again hot his preferred position. Jamie Gittens has not been able to establish himself in the starting XI for Chelsea yet, otherwise he could have started on the left for them.
Chelsea have literally spent a billion pounds on acquiring players during the past few seasons and should be eager to see the results.
There is some off-field controversy regarding Raheem Sterling, who could have been one of the options on the flanks as well. Sterling is past his prime as a player, but might still have something to offer in terms of his experience.
Noni Madueke has left the club for Arsenal and has been performing really well for his new club this season.
Chelsea also decided not to sign Jadon Sancho, who came from Manchester United on loan.
Axel Disasi also finds himself out of favour with the manager, which means that Chalobah is the most experienced player in Chelsea’s defence at the moment.
Maresca’s focus should be on extracting good performance out of his players and not having one-on-one battles with some of them.
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A Trip to Old Trafford Awaits the Blues
After the Chelsea loss, up next for the Royal Blues is Manchester United next in the Premier League on Saturday, September 20. United have been going through a lean patch for quite some time now, but they might still be able to spring in a surprise.
Maresca’s team is still not considered as good as the top-three in England: Liverpool, Manchester City and Arsenal. Hence, the challenge for him seems to be to ensure a top-four finish rather than winning the title.
At least, not many people are ready to bet their money on Chelsea to win the Premier League title.
As their loss in the Bayern Munich vs Chelsea clash showed, they are still not on the level of Europe’s best.
Maresca might still take some time to bring his very expensive club to that level, but the Chelsea supporters will not be willing to wait for too long.
In an age of instant gratification, the results will have to come fast and an empty trophy cabinet is not a very attractive thing for a top club either.
Maresca is, however, immune from the sack this season at least, unless his team’s performance deteriorates drastically. Therefore, he should not be feeling any pressure and can go about his job with a relatively free mind, regardless of the result of the Manchester United vs Chelsea clash.
Main Photo
Credit: IMAGO / DeFodi Images
Recording Date: 18.09.2025