Nobody takes Enzo Maresca seriously any more. The Italian keeps playing down Chelsea’s chances of muscling themselves into the title race, but the line is becoming harder to hold. Modesty, after all, does become less believable when analysing a team with the Premier League’s most productive attack, growing bite and control in midfield, an improving defence and a hunger that makes them a match for anyone.
Maresca was not budging before Sunday’s trip to Tottenham. The message remains that Chelsea are ahead of expectations. Maresca’s position is that his young side are not ready to compete with Arsenal, Liverpool and, yes, Manchester City. He believes his players need to suffer more before they possess the mentality required to match the very best over an entire campaign.
The caution is understandable. Chelsea’s deep, extravagantly talented squad still lacks experience and it was interesting that Maresca gave Noni Madueke some tough love after he grabbed a goal and an assist in Wednesday’s 5-1 win at Southampton. The 22-year-old, Maresca said, could not afford to rest on his laurels. There is no room for complacency. Madueke is having a good season and impressed for England last month, but Maresca had seen the winger dip in training and reacted by dropping him for last Sunday’s emphatic 3-0 win against Aston Villa.
“Overall he is working well since we started but sometimes he drops a little bit and he is not allowed to drop,” the head coach said. “The only reason I said this the other day is because I want the best for Noni. The only way to get the best from him is to push him every time. The moment he relaxes a little bit, it is wrong.”
This is part of the challenge of managing such a youthful group. Mauricio Pochettino, Maresca’s predecessor, raged about his side’s laissez-faire attitude when Chelsea drew 2-2 with 10-man Burnley in March. Pochettino wanted his players to know careers can easily slip away. He abhorred the idea of them falling into a comfort zone.
This season, though, there has been no sign of Chelsea believing their own hype. Internally, there is resistance to the idea that they can overhaul Liverpool. Nobody is getting carried away. Do not fall into the trap of thinking that the ownership and recruitment team are telling themselves they have cracked it. There is simply belief in the process; a determination to continue with a plan intended to ensure any success Chelsea enjoy is no flash in the pan.
Still, the rest of us are under no obligation to be quite so sensible. Chelsea have lost to only Arsenal, City and Liverpool in the league since February. Although they lack a statement victory against their immediate rivals, they are clearly moving in one direction. “They don’t have doubts like last year,” said Unai Emery after Chelsea overwhelmed his Villa side with goals from Nicolas Jackson, Enzo Fernández and Cole Palmer.
For Emery, a canny tactician who has always found ways to disrupt superior opponents with clever strategies, there was bemusement at trying to take on a side no longer quite as susceptible to throwing points away with avoidable mistakes or sudden moments of drift. The Spaniard could see that Chelsea’s mentality has changed. Once so erratic and chaotic, they are approaching games with a greater sense of purpose and there is total belief in the tactical plan.
It is a challenge for opposing managers. How will Maresca set up at Spurs? Do not be surprised if the lineup contains a curveball or two. One of the things Chelsea like about Maresca is that he is a shapeshifter. The tweaks are constant. Keeping track of their formation is a challenge. Although it looked like a conventional 4-2-3-1 against Villa, it became something else entirely in possession.
Moisés Caicedo’s positioning was key. The £115m Ecuadorian has been one of the best midfielders in England this season but Villa were flummoxed by him starting at right-back. Chelsea’s control was total when Caicedo moved inside, linking with Fernández and Roméo Lavia to form a 3-3-3-1 formation that underlined Maresca’s ability to innovate.
“We want to put players in situations where they can be the best,” says the former Leicester manager. So far it is mission accomplished. Cole Palmer FC? Not any more. Palmer remains the difference, the lock-breaker, the man Chelsea will turn to for a moment of magic in a crisis, but the reliance on the playmaker has lessened this season.
Other forwards have grown in stature. Madueke has five goals in the league. Jackson has eight goals and three assists. Pedro Neto took a pass from Fernández, who has two goals and six assists in his past five appearances, and scored a brilliant equaliser against Arsenal.
There is so much depth. Maresca made seven changes against Southampton, some of the Conference League regulars coming in, and standards remained high. Christopher Nkunku made it 12 goals in all competitions this season. Jadon Sancho came off the bench to score for the first time since joining on loan from Manchester United. João Felix featured as a No 10. The Portugal forward needs to be more consistent. So does the Ukraine winger Mykhailo Mudryk, unavailable because of illness.
Maresca wants more ruthlessness at both ends of the pitch. Chelsea have improved defensively but Wesley Fofana’s hamstring injury is a blow. The France international has formed a strong partnership in central defence with Levi Colwill. Spurs may eye a point of weakness to exploit.
There are obstacles to overcome. It remains to be seen how Chelsea deal with setbacks. They are callow and some of their players do not know what it means to compete for major honours. What happens when their unity is tested? Can Maresca keep all the egos happy? Perhaps he is right about it being too soon.
Even so it is easy to see why supporters were chanting: “We’ve got our Chelsea back,” during the Southampton game. They are right to be excited. They can see a plan coming together and, for all Maresca’s attempts to keep expectations in check, the noise will only grow louder if Chelsea beat Spurs.
