With the first half of the Premier League season already behind us, Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea find themselves in the 4th position, two points behind Nottingham Forest and three ahead of Newcastle United.
To put it into a better context, Enzo Maresca’s side are 10 points better than the same period last season, having collected 35 points compared to the mere 25 accumulated under the guidance of Mauricio Pochettino, effectively being as many as six places higher.
However, the draw against Everton away from home, compounded by the misery following two disappointing defeats on the spin against Fulham at Stamford Bridge and Ipswich Town at Portman Road, has left a bitter taste in fans’ mouths, not least due to putting a seemingly comfortable position inside the top 4 in jeopardy and damaging a very refreshing momentum of wins and impressive performances.
For this reason, it is reasonable to delve into the positives and the negatives the Italian’s appointment has brought to the West London club before reaching a balanced conclusion.
The Positives
1. Chelsea’s Identity Revival
For the major part of BlueCo’s – the consortium led by American businessman Todd Boehly, who bought the club in May 2022 – stewardship, it is fair and straightforward enough to admit Chelsea has suffered a tedious and draining crisis of identity, related to a myriad of factors.
The club has spent over a billion on transfers in less than two years, made low-key managerial appointments, brought in numerous young players without a clear plan, and failed to secure a shirt sponsor by the new season’s start.
These missteps have caused a dramatic fall from being a consistent top-four team and trophy contender under Roman Abramovich to struggling to compete for a Champions League spot.
Since Enzo Maresca’s arrival, though, an oasis in the middle of the desert has been found, as his team is firmly in contention to return to the most prestigious European club competition.
Due to an identifiable style of positional play, system-wise a 4-2-3-1 is specifically preferred, often becoming a lopsided 3 at the back on the ball. With Marc Cucurella playing higher up the pitch, the squad has been better organised and interconnected in relation to the calamity of the previous two seasons.
This season’s squad has been characterised by a higher level of proactivity in terms of chance creation and less instinctive reactivity, mainly in the shape of overreliance on individual spontaneity.
2. Absolute Domination in the UEFA Conference League
It is as obvious as daylight that the competition in question does not represent the proper barometer to measure the scale of how legitimately well a footballing institution of such magnitude is doing.
However, the preservation of the aforementioned identity on the European stage despite significant squad rotation has been drastically big compared to the Premier League fixtures, defining another bright spot of Maresca’s Chelsea.
In quantifiable terms, in addition to the perfect winning record, The Blues have enjoyed in the league phase; it is worth pointing out that last season’s finalists, Fiorentina, used to hold the record for the most goals scored from the start to the end of a single edition. The Italian club found the back of the net 25 times in total in the whole competition.
The record has been broken by Chelsea, who boast the figure of 26 goals even before the knockout stages have begun, conceding only 5 in the process. Here are the impressive stats from Chelsea’s European squad:
- Marc Guiu – 6 goals
- Christopher Nkunku – 5 goals
- Joao Felix – 4 goals
- Mykhailo Mudryk – 3 goals
- Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall & Renato Veiga – 2 goals
- Marc Cucurella, Axel Disasi, Pedro Neto & Tosin Adarabioyo – 1 goal
There is no room for complacency. However, it is right to say the two-time Champions League winners have done their job in style so far against every team they have come up against.
3. Media Relationships and Man-Management
Certainly, there is a long way to go, and time will tell much more. There are also definitely personality traits of former Pep Guardiola’s right-hand man that have helped steady the ship at Cobham.
In front of the media, Maresca’s attitude has generally been bold and substantial, never trying to mince his words or beat around the bush.
The bluntness of his has also stretched to his man-management skills, put to the test firstly in the summer, when he showcased his ability to solve the problem of having to deal with an oversized group of players – keeping the ones he judged fit for his idea of football and detaching the rest.
And in the interpersonal bond with certain names, as seen in the manner he is professionally imposing his authority with Noni Madueke, among others.
4. The Distribution of Goalscoring and Assisting Responsibilities
One of the most concerning handicaps The Blues have been notorious for has been the goalscoring drought. This has been a regular occurrence since Didier Drogba’s and then Diego Costa’s and Eden Hazard’s departures.
On such a basis, 2024/25 has demonstrated a beautiful and inspiring anomaly in this regard, not only about the total goals scored but also in the peculiar variety of those names who have managed to put their chances away.
The Blues have scored 69 goals in all competitions: 38 in the Premier League – second best after current leaders Liverpool – 26 in the Conference League, and 5 in the Carabao Cup. The diversification of the scorers unfolds as follows:
- Christopher Nkunku & Cole Palmer – 12 goals
- Nicolas Jackson – 9 goals
- Noni Madueke & Marc Guiu – 6 goals
- Joao Felix – 5 goals
- Pedro Neto, Enzo Fernandez & Mykhailo Mudryk – 3 goals
- Axel Disasi, Marc Cucurella, Jadon Sancho, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall & Renato Veiga – 2 goals
- Tosin Adarabioyo & Moises Caicedo – 1 goal
A similar level of variety in productivity is spotted in the assists data as well:
- Enzo Fernandez – 8 assists
- Cole Palmer – 6 assists
- Mykhailo Mudryk & Jadon Sancho – 5 assists
- Pedro Neto, Noni Madueke & Christopher Nkunku – 4 assists
- Nicolas Jackson – 3 assists
- Marc Cucurella, Axel Disasi, Joao Felix, Moises Caicedo & Malo Gusto – 2 assists
- Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Levi Colwill, Renato Veiga, & Romeo Lavia – 1 assist
The Negatives
1. “Above the Expectations” Mindset
Many invested in the football world are not psychologists, and neither should many pay excessive attention to what a manager says during a press conference, but when a quote mirrors a form of mentality, then it is worth considering.
Standing by the stance that the cohort he is working with are not in a title race is perfectly normal and excusable, but treating the actual position as a huge overachievement is clearly backfiring. Instead of keeping the prospect of getting carried away under control, the approach is generating its opposite effect, rubbing off on the players as well.
The hectic nature of a fiercely dog-eat-dog environment the Premier League prides itself on doesn’t allow for too much room for error and slumps. Therefore, the most rational thing would be to nurture a positive mindset, but by no means an “over-positive” one, for the second half of the season ahead and beyond.
The balance may have just shifted towards a dangerous extreme; thus it needs fixing.
2. Mixed Feelings About Maresca’s In-Game Management
Sometimes forced and at other times, deliberately fruitful, there have been games during which Maresca’s substitutions have been quite beneficial. One of the most memorable instances is the game against Bournemouth, one of the most in-form teams at the minute, back in September, away at Vitality Stadium.
Jadon Sancho (at half-time) and Christopher Nkunku (in the 79th minute) came on to replace Pedro Neto and Nicolas Jackson, respectively. They combined to produce the winner in a cagey contest, with four minutes of normal time remaining.
Against Aston Villa, the Italian stated that he had changed the shape he had gone for in the previous matches, opting for Moises Caicedo, Enzo Fernandez, and Romeo Lavia to start simultaneously. The Ecuadorian fulfilled the duties of a rightback off-the-ball very convincingly.
On the other side, in the past week or so, the passive version of Maresca has unfortunately prevailed. Against Everton, Fulham, and Ipswich Town, the in-game personnel refreshments have either been quasi-absent or too little too late to have a fundamental impact on the destiny of the match.
At Portman Road, Nicolas Jackson, Jadon Sancho, Pedro Neto, and Malo Gusto came on with the hope of materialising an improbable comeback, but to no avail.
3. Succinctly Put, the Last Three Games in their Entirety
One of the key elements that has universally distinguished the world-class managers from the rest, and has become even more emphasised with the ever-increasing pace of the sport, the commercialisation of it, and, most strikingly, the higher number of games, is the ability to find, maintain, and nurture the balance between idealism/fundamentalism and pragmatism.
Contextually speaking, 1 point from 9 available is always a very ugly stat, to say the very least. But more than the shortage of points, it is the manner of the losses that present a worse cause for concern.
Unlike the defeat at Anfield, where the showing was quite encouraging and with some fifty-fifties gone Chelsea’s way, both from the referee and in terms of half-chances, the encounter could have easily finished in a draw.
This time around, though, aside from some parts, the second half against Fulham and the majority of the Ipswich game, in particular, demonstrated a sterile side, unable to respond to having been figured out.
The chances were there, but not systematic, and yet they got wasted. Combined with the continuous defensive flaws, it constructed the perfect recipe for disaster.
What Do the Numbers Tell Us?
According to the FBRef, Maresca has his team in line with the xG figure of 38.4. Only Liverpool have been attributed a better value – 41.3.
Chelsea have scored precisely 38 goals after 19 games – 2.00 goals scored per game – but the defensive numbers aren’t equally fascinating to see.
The 27.7 xGA is the worst in the top 9, and the 27 goals conceded make for grim reading as well, the worst in the top six.
As the attack needs improvement, the defence definitely needs further solidity, both on a personnel and collective level – a persistent issue that has lately been exacerbated.
Conclusion
If I had to give Enzo Maresca a grade from 1 to 10 regarding his stint in West London, I would award him a 6.5-7.
Stability and evident improvements are undeniable. However, given the intense scrutiny, the Premier League’s trademark unpredictability, and the frustration of an international fanbase feeling disconnected from Chelsea’s identity, the challenge remains immense.
To succeed in this fiercely competitive environment, the manager and his staff must demonstrate a clear, comprehensive response to recent setbacks – building on progress while eliminating the shortcomings.