Chelsea’s season has been a rollercoaster, leaving fans and pundits alike questioning their title credentials. While a strong showing against Arsenal sparked hope, subsequent results have cast doubt on their ability to consistently challenge for the Premier League crown. However, former Chelsea legend Gianfranco Zola believes it’s too early to write them off, citing the team’s maturity and the impact of their new manager, Enzo Maresca.
Zola’s Optimistic Outlook
Zola, a Stamford Bridge icon, remains optimistic about Chelsea’s chances. He emphasized the significance of their performance against Arsenal, stating, “That Arsenal game was a great sign of their maturity. Playing for so long 10 against 11, and playing in a way that meant they didn’t suffer much at all against probably the best team in Europe right now, is a sign of great strength.” He also highlighted their ability to limit Barcelona, even before a red card incident in that match.
Impressed by Enzo Maresca
Zola has been particularly impressed with the influence of Enzo Maresca. He noted, “I’ve been really impressed with Maresca, and not just because he’s already won titles. That element is really important but what I really like is the team’s sense of identity.” He believes Maresca has instilled a clear identity within the team despite the presence of many young players and a large squad.
Zola added, “Despite being young, despite having such a big squad with so many great players to try to get the best from, he has already given a really clear, rich and distinct identity. That reflects well on Maresca, and because he’s still so young, he still has so much scope to progress even further as a coach.” He also acknowledged Maresca’s impressive coaching background, having worked with renowned managers like Arrigo Sacchi, Manuel Pellegrini, and Pep Guardiola. “I didn’t know him personally before he came to Chelsea, but I had followed what he did at Leicester and could see that we were dealing with a serious coach. He’s worked with and for [Arrigo] Sacchi, Manuel Pellegrini, [Pep] Guardiola. He’s had an excellent grounding.”
Contrasting Views: Gary Neville’s Doubts
While Zola remains hopeful, other pundits, such as Gary Neville, have expressed significant doubts about Chelsea’s title aspirations. Following their 3-1 defeat to Leeds United, Neville stated that Chelsea were “miles away” from being a title-winning team.
Neville criticized Chelsea’s approach to the game against Leeds, highlighting the team’s slow passing and lack of physicality. He said, “He played a team of very young players, Chalobah at right-back was awkward in terms of on the ball first half, you have a mountain of passes, a million passes in the back three that was driving me crazy, and you start passing slowly, don’t start a game slowly, get the ball moving.”
He further elaborated, “They drifted, walking on the ball, so many passes back the way, and when you start like that and a team are on top of you, you’re playing right into their hands. They want them to play across the back slowly, it’s the easier thing in the world for the opposition, so don’t do that, feed the ball quickly into positions further forward.”
Neville concluded that Chelsea lacked the necessary “beef” and physicality to compete with teams like Leeds. “I have to say, Chelsea didn’t approach the game correctly. They didn’t have the beef on the pitch to handle Leeds’ muscle, it’s as simple as that, they were out-muscled, out-fought, out-run.”
Neville’s Assessment of Chelsea’s Shortcomings
Neville provided a blunt assessment of Chelsea’s weaknesses, stating, “Let’s stop talking about Chelsea being a title-winning team, it’s not there. They haven’t got the goalkeeper for it, they haven’t got the centre-backs for it, and they haven’t got the centre-forwards for it.”
However, he did acknowledge the team’s potential, suggesting they could still finish in the top four. “But they will finish in the top four, I think they’ve got a lot of very good players, they’ve spent a fortune on that squad, they’ve got some real talent in there.” Despite this, he reiterated his belief that they are far from being a title-winning team, emphasizing the importance of physicality and durability, especially during the demanding winter months. “They’ve seen the physicality and the durability you need to win the league, it’s not all about playing football. Particularly in these months of December, January, February, there are big demands on these players, it gets colder, games come thick and fast, the lads are having to go every three or four days, you’ve got to play a more robust game at this period of the year.”
Chelsea’s Upcoming Challenges
Chelsea’s immediate focus will be on getting back to winning ways in the Premier League when they face Everton at Stamford Bridge. Prior to that, they have a Champions League fixture against Atalanta, a crucial match as they navigate a busy schedule. The team will need to address the concerns raised by pundits like Neville and demonstrate the maturity and consistency that Zola believes they possess if they are to mount a serious challenge for the title.