Chelsea’s ruthless hire and fire policy appears to be finally working after Enzo Maresca’s strong start… but tough trip to Anfield to face Liverpool will show just how close Blues are to challenging the elite again

Premier League manager of the month in September, four points off the top and undefeated in seven games – have Chelsea struck gold with Enzo Maresca?

On the surface, it may appear so. Their chop-and-change managerial policy under Roman Abramovich has continued as a tradition in the Clearlake Capital-Todd Boehly era.

Maresca is Chelsea’s sixth manager since the BlueCo consortium took over in 2022. ‘Win trophies or get sacked trying’ is still the Chelsea motto. 

With a free shot at one in the UEFA Conference League and an impressive record domestically to start the season, fans may think Maresca is the man to bring glory back to Stamford Bridge. Their last taste of silverware came almost three years ago when Chelsea won the Club World Cup in February 2022.

However, their optimism has shaky foundations. Chelsea have only beaten one team in the top half of the Premier League this season, winning 4-2 at home to Brighton towards the end of September. Cole Palmer became the first Premier League player to score four first-half goals, shooting his side up to fourth in the table.

Chelsea’s owners Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital (Behdad Eghbali pictured right) have been happy to change managers regularly, and it finally seems to be working

But Chelsea beating Arne Slot’s Liverpool at Anfield will be a huge challenge for the Blues

But Chelsea have been lacklustre against the league’s better sides. They suffered a 2-0 defeat by Manchester City in their first game of the new campaign. Before the current international break, their fans were subjected to watching a frustrating 1-1 draw against 10th-place Nottingham Forest.

In other competitions, Chelsea have taken care of business. They beat Gent 4-2 in their Conference League opener and schooled League Two side Barrow in the EFL Cup, winning 5-0 at home. Big wins against weak opposition are great for a team’s confidence but should do little to provoke any narrative that Chelsea are real title contenders.

Some of their results have flattered their performances. They conceded 1.96 expected goals in their 6-2 win over Wolves, while accumulating only 1.68 themselves. Similarly, they allowed Bournemouth 19 shots in their trip to the Vitality Stadium but escaped with a 1-0 win.

In and out of possession, Chelsea are volatile. Their build-up play is quick, while their pressing is mediocre. They rank fourth in the Premier League in passes per sequence of play with 4.26 but are fourth from bottom in pressed sequences (71).

Maresca’s side move the ball fast and often but are slow to recover once they lose it. Weaker teams may not capitalise on this issue, but table-toppers Liverpool will pounce on such disorganisation.

Perhaps the most concerning tactical observation of Maresca’s setup is the sway that Palmer has on his team’s performance. If Palmer plays well, so do Chelsea. But we have seen what happens if he is used sub-optimally when Maresca deployed him as a right winger against City.

Cole Palmer is the player that makes Chelsea tick, and scored four goals against Brighton

Noni Madueke is also improving, but Chelsea are still too reliant on Palmer

With Malo Gusto inverting from right back to adopt a more central role, Palmer was isolated against his defensive match-up Josko Gvardiol. This offered the 22-year-old less freedom to operate in the crowded centre of the field.

Maresca has since given Palmer the keys to the No10 position, with Gusto now switching between playing as a traditional attacking full back and inverting on occasion. The manager admitted that his initial use of Palmer did not bring out his best.

‘We try to use Cole [as a No10] because it is, for me, his best position,’ Maresca told the Evening Standard. ‘But he can play as a false nine, play as a winger, in the pocket like he is now. He can play in different positions because he’s so good. 

‘I don’t know compared to last year because I wasn’t here. The only thing I can say is that Cole inside the pitch is where he’s at his best.’

Yet, with their plethora of attacking options, Chelsea have struggled to organise their attack at times. On the right wing, Noni Madueke has netted five times in eight appearances this season. With his electric form, he has been called up by England twice in as many months.

However, the 22-year-old inconveniently operates on the same side of the pitch as Palmer. When Gusto inverts to join the midfield, the right side of the field is up for grabs, often leading to a wrangle between Palmer and Madueke. Both players are left-footed and prefer to cut inside onto their stronger foot, which is easier to achieve on the right flank.

Again – it is the Cole Palmer show. Deploy him correctly and ensure that his team-mates fall into place, or the system fails. But what if he gets injured? One player’s absence should not derail a whole team’s season, no matter how important they are.

Between August and December last season, Kevin De Bruyne missed 35 games with a hamstring injury for City, yet they were still only six points off league leaders Arsenal on Christmas Eve. Martin Odegaard has missed seven games for Arsenal this campaign, but they trail Liverpool in first by only a point. The best teams do not crumble when the going gets tough.

Liverpool’s front line – and former signing Mohamed Salah – will punish the Blues if they make mistakes this weekend

Maresca’s Chelsea are not the finished article yet and Sunday’s match will show how close they are to challenging the best sides

While Liverpool have hit the ground running under Arne Slot, they too face one of their toughest challenges of the season against Chelsea. Prior to their annual embarrassment of Manchester United, the derby may have looked difficult on paper, but it seems that any team can beat Erik ten Hag’s side if they want to badly enough right now.

Hosting Chelsea at Anfield will only be Liverpool’s second ‘Big Six’ match-up in their opening eight matches. Both teams have had a favourable start the 2024-25 campaign.

Until the chips are down for Chelsea, they cannot be labelled title challengers. They must show they can compete when Palmer does not to prove they can challenge the league’s best.

Sunday’s away clash against Liverpool will be Maresca’s real acid test. He had his probationary pardon after losing to City – it is time to prove that Chelsea are truly back to their best.