Are We Overlooking the Quiet Rise of Maresca’s Chelsea in the Premier League Title Conversation?
Heading into a crucial week featuring high-profile matches against Barcelona and Arsenal, Chelsea’s away game against Burnley felt like an obligatory task, a box they needed to check.
However, their dominant and thorough victory in that less celebrated fixture could, perhaps surprisingly, provide a stronger indication of their genuine championship ambitions than the more prestigious and exciting contests that lie ahead.
A resounding performance against a supposedly weaker opponent demonstrates consistency and focus, qualities vital for a sustained title challenge.
For the past year, a persistent question has echoed throughout the Premier League: “Do Chelsea have what it takes to compete for the title?” The question typically elicits hesitation and contemplation, with the prevailing answer being a cautious, “Not at this stage.”
The youthfulness of the squad and perceived issues with their organizational structure and focus are often cited as valid reasons why Chelsea might struggle to keep pace with teams considered genuine championship contenders, such as Arsenal and Manchester City.
However, are we perhaps underestimating Chelsea’s potential? Can we honestly attribute the same shortcomings to them that were accurately used last year to dismiss their chances in the previous title race?
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While it’s true that Chelsea boasts a youthful team, this has been the case for the past two campaigns. These players are no longer inexperienced newcomers.
Furthermore, the club’s unusual display of patience with Enzo Maresca has allowed the Italian manager to guide a group of players who, for the most part, have developed and matured as a unit.
Maresca also deserves more recognition than he often receives. His first season at Stamford Bridge was as turbulent as many have come to expect from Chelsea.
However, this season, following their triumph at the Club World Cup, the team exhibits a noticeably more cohesive and structured style of play, despite facing ongoing disruptions and challenges.
And while still in the process of developing and refining his approach, Maresca’s performance record is more noteworthy than many might believe.
This brings us to Burnley, the location where Chelsea’s victory propelled them to second place in the standings.
They now trail Arsenal by a mere three points, surpassing Manchester City in the process, although both Arsenal and City face challenging matches ahead.
Chelsea also faced potential upsets at Turf Moor. However, Enzo Maresca’s squad, after smoothly transitioning back into league play following the international break, skillfully navigated these obstacles, displaying a far greater level of success than Cole Palmer’s unfortunate collision with a doorframe earlier in the week.
Palmer’s mishap forced Chelsea to once again manage without their most imaginative player. The English star hasn’t played a full 90 minutes since the season’s inaugural weekend, and has been completely absent for the past two months.
Despite these setbacks, and while remaining neck and neck with Arsenal and Manchester City, the Blues have fashioned a greater number of clear scoring opportunities than any other team while also directing the most shots on goal.
The calm and assuredness that Palmer brings to their already inventive but frequently chaotic attack will make Chelsea an even more formidable force.
Palmer isn’t the sole absentee Maresca has had to contend with. Only Manchester City and Tottenham have experienced a greater number of injuries this season.
This contributed to the noticeable void in midfield that Maresca was facing as he travelled to Lancashire.
Moises Caicedo was only in Burnley on Saturday afternoon after returning from leading Ecuador in New Zealand on Wednesday. Even if Palmer had been fit, Caicedo would definitely still be Chelsea’s most vital performer.
Nailing down the midfield battle, this Chelsea player reigns supreme in tackles won, exceeding every other player in the squad.
Furthermore, until Fernandez’s decisive goal against Burnley, he shared the throne as the team’s leading goalscorer across all competitions. Truly, Caicedo serves as the engine that drives the Blues.
While Romeo Lavia possesses the potential to perform adequately, his persistent injury problems, a hefty £50 million investment, cast a shadow of doubt on whether we will ever witness his true capabilities.
Similarly, unfortunate injuries have sidelined summer acquisition Dario Essugo, preventing him from demonstrating his ability to deputize for or partner with Caicedo.
In the Burnley clash, Andrey Santos stepped up to fill the void. Although primarily deployed in a more attacking role this season, the Brazilian seamlessly transitioned to a more defensively-minded posture, earning him the coveted Man of the Match award.
Initially, it took both Santos and Chelsea about fifteen minutes to gain a firm grip and effectively stifle the home side.
Burnley launched repeated counterattacks in the early stages, compelling Chelsea’s defenders to make three crucial blocks, preventing the Clarets from getting a clear shot on goal.
However, once Santos and Fernandez asserted their dominance over the midfield, Burnley’s dangerous wingers were completely deprived of any meaningful passes, effectively neutralizing their threat.
Once again, Marc Cucurella bolstered Maresca’s midfield setup, surging forward from his left-back position.
While he contributed somewhat less from a more advanced wing-back role after Chelsea adjusted their formation at halftime, he was instrumental in creating Chelsea’s initial goal.
Following Cucurella’s contribution, Chelsea’s speedy wide players then took over. Jamie Gittens delivered a beautiful cross to the back post, where the consistently impressive Pedro Neto capitalized, giving the away team a lead they appeared unlikely to surrender.
Naturally, more challenging matches are coming up this week. However, these tricky away games against teams content to defend deeply have been considered a vulnerability for Chelsea.
Easily defeating Burnley indicates that they might possess more solutions to these kinds of tactical problems than previously anticipated.
