Just as Chelsea seemed to be finding some rhythm this season, they have slipped back into familiar struggles following a frustrating draw with Qarabag. The 2-2 result in Azerbaijan on Wednesday night leaves the Blues in a fragile position in the Champions League, currently sitting 12th and facing a daunting showdown with Barcelona later this month.
Things aren’t looking much brighter in the Premier League either. Their 1-0 victory over Tottenham on Saturday was well-earned, but after dropping points in half of their 10 fixtures so far, Enzo Maresca’s men are struggling to keep pace with title contenders Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City. Aiming to give a rest to several fatigued regulars, Maresca made seven changes for the trip to Qarabag. However, that strategy quickly fell apart. Injuries – including an early setback for eternally-crocked Romeo Lavia just eight minutes in – and a 2-1 deficit at the break forced him to summon his main stars sooner than he had planned.
Goals from Estevao and Alejandro Garnacho highlighted progress in Chelsea’s attacking width, yet they couldn’t disguise an overall uneven performance – particularly against a side the Blues crushed 10-0 on aggregate back in the 2017/18 campaign.
As the pressure once more builds on Maresca, the Italian manager now faces the urgent task of steadying the team ahead of Saturday’s meeting with Wolves. Here, Express Football takes a look at the latest Chelsea talking points.
Maresca sack verdict
Although Chelsea’s campaign has been inconsistent, Maresca’s job does not appear to be in immediate jeopardy. The club’s leadership continues to support him, expressing faith that he can guide the squad back into the top four.
Reports surfaced last month linking Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola as a potential successor, but insiders maintain that no formal discussions about replacing Maresca are underway.
Within the club, there’s widespread acceptance that injuries have significantly disrupted progress. Cole Palmer, for example, hasn’t appeared since September after starting the season short of full fitness. The absence of Levi Colwill has weakened the defence, while Liam Delap’s injury left Chelsea lacking options up front.
The club’s mid-summer Club World Cup campaign – which, while financially rewarding, interrupted their pre-season and denied players proper rest before 2025/26 – is also being blamed as a key factor behind their uneven form.
That, coupled with wins over Tottenham and Liverpool, has given Maresca a little breathing space. But if Chelsea’s inconsistency lingers into the new year, that patience may begin to wear thin.
Qarabag blame pinpointed
Although Jorrel Hato conceded a decisive penalty against Qarabag, Maresca laid the blame for the result elsewhere. The 45-year-old manager believes the extended summer tour of the United States has drained his squad, affecting their fitness, rhythm, and sharpness – all contributing to their slow start.
“The Club World Cup affects a lot,” he told reporters after the game. “We try to rotate. When you win, no one mentions all that. When we don’t win, everyone is focused on that, and now I think it’s important to recover energy for Saturday and go again.”
Even so, he admitted Chelsea’s finishing was lacking and criticised the poor defending that led to both goals. “The big difference today for me was inside the box,” Maresca insisted. “The goal we conceded, they are silly goals for me. In their box, for the amount of times that we arrived, we have not been clinical enough. So this is the big difference for me.”
Captain Reece James echoed those frustrations, highlighting defensive lapses that handed Qarabag their goals. “Disappointing to sum up,” the 25-year-old said after the game. “Coming here, we wanted to win. We felt that we set up strong, but we made two errors that led to a penalty and a goal that we gifted them, and then to get back into the game is difficult.
“Two mistakes led to two goals, and it’s difficult when the momentum in the game changes, and we simply didn’t do enough. We had a few chances we didn’t take and we only have ourselves to blame.
“If you look at the goals that we have conceded, they haven’t been from amazing play, more our mistakes, and that is something we need to cut out.”
