Enzo Maresca has made an impressive start at Chelsea since his appointment in the summer of 2024. He effortlessly navigated the main hurdle of squad size at the London club, making it clear which players were part of his plans and those that needed to move on or train with the Under 23s.
He then implemented a balanced, pragmatic approach that turned Chelsea into one of the league’s toughest sides to break down, conceding just 1.1 goals per game last season, the fourth-best defensive record in the division. It was a stark contrast to Mauricio Pochettino’s final campaign, when Chelsea shipped 19 more goals. Yet with a final points tally not far off his predecessor, Maresca’s real edge came from clinching Champions League qualification on the final day and lifting the European Conference League and fledgling Club World Cup in the summer.
However, despite this good start, questions over his future have already surfaced in the media after a sluggish start to this season. The criticism feels harsh, particularly given the absence of Chelsea’s main man, Cole Palmer. The midfielder delivered 25 league goal contributions last year and started 36 of 38 games but has already missed three league fixtures this campaign – a loss that has left Chelsea looking far less incisive.
Questions must also be asked of the clubs transfer policy. Allowing Nicolas Jackson to depart to Bayern after notching 10 league goals last season and replacing him with Joao Pedro who has never reached double figures for Brighton and Liam Delap who was relegated with Ipswich, seems questionable and is one of a number of changes that so far haven’t worked.
This weekend will be another litmus test of Maresca’s progress, when Chelsea host Liverpool at Stamford Bridge. Slot’s men arrive on the back of consecutive defeats. Whether that is a good or bad omen remains to be seen. In the days when Chelsea were genuine contenders they would have looked at this game as one they should win. By 7:30pm tonight we’ll have a far clearer idea of where this current Chelsea team stand.