Chelsea are sticking to leader Liverpool thanks to a flamboyant attack, a very talented Cole Palmer and a very complete squad, but coach Enzo Maresca insists: his “Blues” are not candidates for the title.
“You (the media) can talk about the title and the fans can dream about the title, absolutely“, launched the Italian on Sunday after having knocked down Brentford (2-1). More “no matter how many matches we win, for me we are not ready“.
Chelsea yet has the wind in its sails and the look of a potential champion. A success at Everton (3:00 p.m.) during the 17th day of the Premier League would place the Londoners on the throne before the match of Liverpool has Tottenham (17h30).
The London club has gone from mockery linked to its frenetic, and sometimes failed, transfer windows to strong compliments from opposing observers and coaches.
“They play amazing football and are well coached“, applauded Thomas Frankthe manager of Brentfordahead of their duel. They have great talents.”all over the field“and particularly in front, where”they look extremely dangerous“.
Two teams
In fact, Chelsea dominates the ranking of goals scored in the Premier League with 37 units, a loot made possible by Nicolas Jacksonwith a now interesting yield, and by Cole Palmer.
The elegant 22-year-old left-hander remains on the basics of last year, his first at Stamford Bridge: he has already racked up eleven goals and six assists after sixteen days.
And the offensive leader can concentrate on his mission in the championship: to preserve it, Maresca and his staff did not include him on the list of players engaged at the start of the Conference League.
The Italian has such wealth in his squad that he can afford to field a team in the league, and another in the small European Cup.
Thursday against Shamrock Rovers (5-1), he signed a sixth victory in six matches in the competition with a Chelsea bis. The rotation smiled on goalkeeper number 2 Philip Jorgensento the defender Axel Disasi (captain), to the 18-year-old attacker Marco Guiu (tripled) and Christopher Nkunku (2 assists).
Because yes, Chelseathe French international is only a luxury replacement, a year and a half after his transfer estimated at around 60 million euros.
Strong in front, fragile behind?
The west London club have spent wildly since May 2022 and the takeover of Todd Boehly and its group of investors: more than 1.3 billion euros, according to estimates, to recruit around forty players.
But the stacking of talents, in the middle and in attack, perhaps masks weaknesses behind. In any case, this is the idea put forward by Jamie Carragher after the stunning victory at Tottenham (4-3) early December.
Certainly, they are among the candidates for the title, “but I look at the goalkeeper and the central defenders and I'm not sure“, declared the former international on Sky Sports. “You see City winning with Ederson and Dias, then Liverpool with van Dijk and Alisson. Further in the past we find Cech and Terry. I think you need these great figures in goal and in defense to win the title“.
Maresca draws its caution from the inexperience of a group in construction, sometimes guilty of a crippling naivety, according to him.
The reduction in the score of Brentfordas the final whistle approached, called out to him: “Teams that know how to fight for titles are not going to concede the goal we scored in the 90th minute after a throw-in in our favor“.
The coach is also, perhaps, trying to keep his troops under pressure by reminding them that they have not won anything yet.
Enthusiasm will be harder to temper if they win on Sunday at Goodison Park. Especially since behind, Chelsea benefits from an affordable schedule in the Premier League with opponents Fulham, Ipswich, Crystal Palace, Bournemouth et Wolverhampton.
