As we approach the business end of the 2024/25 campaign, we wanted to ask if Chelsea are heading in the right direction under Enzo Maresca. His appointment divided opinion at the time and Blues’ supporters are little closer to forming a consensus now. Chelsea desperately want to regain their status as one of the best clubs in Europe but are they any closer to this goal now than they were last season?
Remembering the Original Objectives
To an extent, Enzo Maresca has been a victim of his early success. If you told Chelsea fans in August that after 27 matches played they would be in fifth place, two points from third, most would have gladly taken that. However, despite sitting in this situation currently, there is little good feeling at Stamford Bridge because the club has been suffering a decline of late.
After their 4-3 win over London rivals Tottenham in early December, some were asking if Chelsea were genuine title challengers. Although Maresca refused to entertain the idea, by mid-December many bookmakers had the Blues trading at just 3/1 to win the league. The short-odds seemed fairly justified too. On December 16th, Chelsea were second in the table, four points clear of third-placed Arsenal and just two shy of leaders Liverpool. They also boasted the best scoring record in the division (37 goals from 16 games).
To Show Improvement
Expectations were raised following this but Maresca has failed to meet them, which is perfectly understandable as the Blues were never meant to be title challengers this year. In fact, according to the Italian, his only objective was to show improvement. In an August interview he said:
The target at this moment is to improve players. No one from the club asked me to compete for the Premier League or compete for a Champions League spot. They just asked me to improve the players and improve the team.
While the Italian may be facing criticism now for Chelsea’s drop in form, it should be remembered he took over at a club that finished sixth the previous season with 63 Premier League points (1.66 points per game). Currently, Maresca sits higher in the table and has a better points-per-game return (1.70). A very modest improvement, admittedly, but Maresca has some fair excuses as to why he’s not been able to progress the Blues further in the right direction.
Chelsea 2024/25 (Premier League)
| Points Per Game | Goals Per Game | Goals Conceded Per Game | Clean Sheet % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.66 | 2.03 | 1.66 | 21% |
Chelsea 2024/25 (Premier League – After 27 Games)
| Points Per Game | Goals Per Game | Goals Conceded Per Game | Clean Sheet % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.70 | 1.93 | 1.33 | 19% |
Recruitment Letting Maresca Down
Chelsea have spent masses on transfers over the past few years, bringing in some talented names in the process. Despite this, there have been major transfer failings that have hindered Maresca’s first year at Stamford Bridge. The first is not signing a top goalkeeper. Maresca has had to make do with Robert Sanchez and Filip Jorgensen but both have disappointed, particularly the error-prone Sanchez. Goalkeeping errors have cost Chelsea a considerable number of points this season and it is hard to put any blame for this on Maresca.
Then you have the limited quality options at centre-back. Colwill and Adarabioyo are largely serviceable but Fofana is too injury-prone meanwhile Badiashile and Disasi (loaned to Aston Villa in January) are below the required level. The lack of options in the heart of defence has seen the 18-year-old Acheampong start two Premier League games this season, which is not something Maresca would have wanted to resort to. Bringing back Chalobah early from his Crystal Palace loan has helped this situation but not to the extent Chelsea would like.
Another glaring recruitment shortcoming is the lack of cover for Nicolas Jackson. Things were going great for the Blues when the Senegalese international was firing but his form dropped and then he suffered a hamstring injury. With no natural replacement, Maresca turned to Christopher Nkunku who has some experience playing as the number nine. Very rarely though has the Frenchman looked comfortable leading the line against Premier League opposition in a Chelsea shirt.
Given the lack of quality personnel at both ends of the pitch, it is easy to understand why Chelsea’s early season form has proved unsustainable. The Blues ship in too many goals and do not have the striking power to make up for it with Jackson missing and Palmer now out-of-form (partly due to Jackson’s absence). Given Maresca has little say in recruitment, the squad’s weaknesses are his problem, but not his responsibility.
Maresca Partly to Blame for Recent Decline
While you can point the finger at those in charge of Chelsea’s recruitment, Maresca is not without blame for his side’s recent struggles. Tactically, he has been making some wrong calls and this has seen the Blues slump to just four wins across 13 in all competitions. One example is his insistence on playing it out from the back. He is so committed to this he claimed he would drop Jorgensen if he ended up passing it long. Such an approach proved disastrous during pre-season and although they have got a bit better at it, Chelsea would likely benefit from a little more tactical flexibility.
Final Games to Prove Decisive
Coming up in March. 💪🔵 pic.twitter.com/PJbDXbYa1y
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) March 3, 2025
This season, a top-five finish in the Premier League will likely be enough to secure Champions League football. If Maresca can pull this off, it will be seen as a step in the right direction for Chelsea and that could breed further improvements.
Race to Secure Champions League Football
| Position | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 3rd | Nottingham Forest | 48 |
| 4th | Man City | 47 |
| 5th | Chelsea | 46 |
| 6th | Newcastle | 44 |
| 7th | Bournemouth | 43 |
| 8th | Brighton | 43 |
| 9th | Fulham | 42 |
| 10th | Aston Villa | 42 |
The trouble is, given their current form, the Londoners are in real danger of slipping out of the top five. There are a lot of teams hot on their heels and ones that do not have to deal with midweek European fixtures. Should Chelsea finish sixth (or lower) then even when factoring in the squad’s shortcomings, you would have to consider them to be stagnating as squad problems were also an issue last season.
A season stagnating may not be enough for Maresca to lose his job but it would cast real doubts about whether he is the right man for the job in the medium-to-long term. It will also put him at risk of losing the dressing room, something which is notoriously difficult to come back from, especially at this club!