Chelsea must challenge for the Premier League title this season
Chelsea fans would be understandable if they were feeling a little anxious about the 2024/25 Premier League season.
The five-time Premier League champions were rated the fourth favourite to win the title before the season began and expectations are understandably high at Stamford Bridge.
However, a 4-1 defeat to Celtic in a pre-season friendly highlighted the scale of the task facing new manager Enzo Maresca this term.
Maresca’s comments after the disastrous defeat to Celtic did not exactly inspire confidence in Chelsea fans about their chances of winning the title.
“We need to improve off the ball,” Maresca said. “Sometimes we confuse when to play short and when to play a little longer, but that’s part of the process.”
“We maintained a high line, but we need to drop back when the ball is not under pressure. We still mix up some things with and without the ball. That’s normal at this moment, when we’re trying to do something new.”
Chelsea dominated possession against Celtic but sloppy defending thwarted any hopes of a much-needed confidence boost ahead of the new season.
Maresca insisted the Blues were ready for their opening game against Manchester City but a 2-0 defeat put them at a disadvantage.
One of the biggest concerns is whether Maresca is fit to be the manager, with the Italian yet to prove himself in the Premier League.
He led Leicester City back to the top flight at the first try last season but a closer look at his record reveals some worrying aspects.
The Foxes won just six of their last 14 Championship games, leaving many fans questioning his risky tactical approach.
After gaining momentum towards the end of last season, Chelsea’s decision to replace Mauricio Pochettino with Maresca came as a big surprise.
Co-owner Toddy Boley has made a series of questionable decisions since taking over the club and parting ways with Pochettino could be one of them.
Chelsea’s sporadic approach to transfer business shows no signs of abating this summer, adding further uncertainty within the club.
Nevertheless, Maresca’s men must put their defeat to Manchester City behind them and build momentum in the coming weeks.
After spending big in the past few transfer windows, it is imperative for Chelsea to prove they can become genuine title contenders.
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola claimed in November last year that Chelsea would soon be back in the title race and the club must live up to that expectation.
Some fans might argue that a return to the top four would represent progress, and there is a strong case to be made for this.
But given how much Boley has invested in the squad since arriving at Stamford Bridge, not challenging for the title would be tantamount to failure.