Chelsea’s last two games have left me questioning what’s real, and what isn’t. By the end of their epic 4-4 draw with Manchester City I felt like Agent Kujan in the final scene of mystery crime thriller, The Usual Suspects.
When Cole Palmer dispatched a clinical penalty to secure a thoroughly deserved point for The Blues my coffee cup fell to the floor and smashed into pieces. The dots joined before my eyes. Everything I believed about Chelsea so far this season had been a lie.
Chelsea, despite spending money like Lotto Lout Michael Carroll and languishing in mid-table, are actually good. The media narrative was firmly in the bin. This isn’t a crisis club, it’s an exciting blend of youth and experience, with one of the best Premier League managers in recent years calling the shots.
This may not come as a surprise to some of you, certainly not my colleague Adam Clery who predicted (on camera) they would win the league before a ball was kicked, but all of a sudden Chelsea are The Entertainers.
Furthermore, they’re gritty. They can take a punch and land one back. Cole Palmer is a Premier League star born, while Raheem Sterling is reborn, delivering are-you-watching-Gareth-Southgate performances and driving the team's impressive attacking threat.
In Reece James and Conor Gallagher they have young, talented English leaders who genuinely care about the club. Two homegrown 23-year-olds, both with over 100 Premier League games to their name each and 26 senior international caps between them.
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At the back, 39-year-old Thiago Silva is defying medical science having played every single minute in the league this season while establishing himself a cult player in West London.
Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo always had too much talent not to be successes, and their partnership as Chelsea’s midfield axis has frightening potential that is only just beginning to bear fruit.
Would Chelsea fans rather have Kai Havertz and Mason Mount right now (the pair who combined to score the goal that won Chelsea the Champions League in 2021), or Caicedo and Fernandez?
And even though Chelsea are currently four places behind Manchester United in the league table, the mood at Old Trafford vs the atmosphere at Stamford Bridge is night and day.
Up front, Nicholas Jackson’s confidence seems to be unshakable. Sure, his movement and finishing need work but circumstances (money) mean he is unlikely to be replaced in January and instead given time to get it right. Time being the rarest commodity at Chelsea in recent years.
Naturally for a club who have spent over £1 billion on players in the space of a year, there is depth to the squad. The cavalry are coming in the shape of Romeo Lavia and Christopher Nkunku who are expected to be back from injury after the international break.
Meanwhile, Champions League chasing rivals Newcastle brought on an 18-year-old vs Bournemouth at the weekend who only signed his first professional contract four months ago. Eddie Howe would kill for the depth Mauricio Pochettino has at his disposal.
Giving Poch a proper chance to get it right with this group could lead Chelsea somewhere very special. Crucial to all of this is owner Todd Boehly. The American just needs to keep his hand off the oven door while all these tasty ingredients cook.
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