It is clear that Enzo Maresca has a lot of work still to do to restore Chelsea to the sort of side their fans expect. A promising start to the current Premier League season sees them positioned 4th after 10 games and having finished 6th last term and 12th before that, a top-four finish would certainly be a step in the right direction. However, they remain seven points adrift of the pace being set by Liverpool and, objectively, they are not really at the same level as the Reds, nor the other two top teams, Man City and Arsenal.
However, Maresca’s work is beginning to show signs of improving the side, and perhaps just as importantly, the club’s seemingly scatter-gun transfer policy appears to be paying dividends. On Thursday the 7th of November the Blues recorded a thumping 8-0 victory in Europe. That may sound more impressive than it really is, given the win came in the third-tier Europa Conference League against a team few English fans would have heard of (Armenian outfit FC Noah).
Things Looking Up for Chelsea
It was a record-breaking win and, moreover, one achieved with what can almost be seen as Chelsea’s second-string team. FC Noah were outclassed at the Bridge – hardly a surprise given they are ranked 311th by UEFA, compared to Chelsea’s mark of eighth. The Blues are overwhelming favourites to land the Conference League which would give them a unique slice of history.
Many pundits feel they shouldn’t be in the competition, with some sort of implication that the Blues are too big, or too good, for it. Well, that might be the case historically and hopefully so this term, but it hasn’t been the case over the past two seasons and Chelsea are playing in the third-tier UEFA competition because it is the one they qualified for. Moreover, now they are here, they may as well win the damn thing!
Major Club Competitions
Maresca has clearly not made a priority of the competition, the most notable omission from the club’s European squad being Cole Palmer. However, at the current time they have scored 16 goals from their three games – double the tally of the next-best club. They are top of the table and boast three wins from three, scoring four or more in every game thus far. The bookmakers make them odds-on favourites to go all the way and if they do, they will become the only club to have won all of UEFA’s major club competitions.
No side, yet, has done the historic treble of the Champions League, Europa League and European Cup Winners’ Cup, then landed the Conference League as well. Given the Cup Winners’ Cup no longer exists, and it is rare for a big side to play in the Conference League, it is possible that should Chelsea go all the way, their record will stand forever. Maresca and his players will not be thinking that far ahead, nor will they be overly concerned with making such history, however for the fans it would certainly be a nice achievement.
Record 8-0 Win
Chelsea romp to 8-0 win over Noah in Conference League https://t.co/m2S3mN80Jr pic.twitter.com/zLq3P8YAN1
— Reuters (@Reuters) November 8, 2024
The Blues have already entered the record books in fact, with this 8-0 win being the biggest in the short history of the Conference League. Prior to Thursday’s clash there had been three wins by a six-goal margin, as below:
- Nordsjælland 7-1 Ludogorets, 05th October 2023 (Group Stage)
- Fiorentina 6-0 Čukarički, 26th October 2023 (Group Stage)
- Eintracht Frankfurt 6-0 HJK Helsinki, 26th October 2023 (Group Stage)
Amazingly, the Blues had matched that advantage after just 41 minutes as they blitzed the Armenia visitors. Tosin Adarabioyo netted the first from a corner after 12 minutes and then almost immediately Marc Guiu made it 2-0. Axel Disasi scored after 18 minutes from another Enzo Fernandez corner, with Joao Felix making it four after just 21 minutes. The Portuguese got his second of the night with 41 minutes on the clock, with Mykhailo Mudryk scoring a magnificent goal in between.
The Blues took their foot off the gas somewhat in the second half, as often happens in these sorts of one-sided affairs. They added two more, with Christopher Nkunku getting both goals, his second coming from the spot. In the final analysis, the home side racked up a massive 31 shots, with 18 of those on target. Their xG was a whopping 5.80 and despite scoring eight times they missed seven of the 11 “big chances” the statisticians attributed to them.
Entire Squad Valued at Less Than £7m
To say it was not all one-way traffic would seem a little crazy but FC Noah actually started quite brightly. They were only founded in 2017 and their stadium holds a mere 3,300 fans. Their entire squad is valued at less than £7m but even so they tested Chelsea’s reserve goalkeeper, Filip Jorgensen, with only three minutes on the clock.
The minnows might have scored at least once and mustered seven shots on target and 15 in total in what was very much an end-to-end affair. That indicates there is still work to do for Maresca defensively, something evident by the fact the Blues have conceded more goals than any side in the top five of the PL and only one fewer than 17th-placed Palace.
Squad Depth Looking More and More of a Plus
Chelsea did “only” have 58% of the ball and were far from perfect defensively. However, recording such a huge win with an XI that was completely different from the one that started against Man United in the game before this is testimony to the unrivalled strength in depth that exists at the club. Todd Boehly and co have been questioned and even mocked about their transfer strategy – many saying there was in fact no strategy at all, just rampant spending.
But it now looks like perhaps there was a plan after all. Chelsea have a group of players that is strong enough to compete in three and four competitions. Whilst other clubs and managers moan about the number of fixtures and the injuries that are resulting, Maresca can simply use different teams in the cups to his first-string Premier League group.
As spring comes and fatigue is setting in at the likes of City, Arsenal and Liverpool, Chelsea might just have the edge. A title push this time around is too much to ask for but we are more confident than ever that the club are moving the right way and a top-four finish – plus a cup or maybe two – would certainly back that up.