Chelsea’s latest setback, a damaging Champions League defeat away to Atalanta, has underlined an uncomfortable truth: Enzo Maresca’s young team simply aren’t tough enough yet. The Blues are now winless in four games in all competitions and will almost certainly need to win both of their remaining Champions League league-phase matches to secure a top-eight finish.
Atalanta’s pressing and aggression were entirely predictable. It is how the Serie A side play at home, and as a fellow Italian – and friend of Atalanta coach Raffaele Palladino – Maresca could hardly claim he didn’t know what was coming.
Five changes from the weekend draw with Bournemouth only added to the instability. Some rotations were forced by injuries or fatigue, others were managerial choices. In theory, with such a packed schedule, fresh legs should help. In practice, for Chelsea right now, the constant shuffling is hurting more than helping, especially in defence.
Maresca, however, stood by his decisions. “If you see the five changes that we did compared to Bournemouth, it’s different,” he said. “But we had eight, nine players the same as against Barcelona, Arsenal, Tottenham and Wolves. The ones who played tonight are the ones who have been playing almost all the games.”
Defensive rhythm broken and punished
Chelsea’s defensive cohesion was disrupted further when Trevoh Chalobah was taken off at half-time and replaced by Wesley Fofana, who later had to leave the pitch injured. Maresca explained it was “a little bit planned because Trev is playing every game” and also because Chalobah was already on a yellow card. The caution was understandable – but the change carried its own risks.
Errors at the back decided the night. Gianluca Scamacca escaped far too easily to score with a header for the opener. For the second goal, Marc Cucurella, wary of Davide Zappacosta’s overlapping run, kept backing off, waiting for support from Benoît Badiashile. That hesitation allowed Charles De Ketelaere the space he needed to cut inside and finish.
“Mostly if the full-back comes out, I try to give the ball to the wing-back,” the scorer explained afterwards. “They kept dropping back so I shot.” Chelsea quite literally invited trouble and paid the price.
The one shining light was 19-year-old Josh Acheampong. The defender produced several outstanding tackles and blocks to keep Chelsea in touch and showed exactly the kind of grit the team is lacking. Maresca admitted he regretted not using the teenager against Leeds, but in Italy he looked every inch ready for this level.
The wider picture is grim: the drop-off since talk of Chelsea as title contenders began – after the spirited draw with Arsenal and the dismantling of Barcelona – has been stark. They were outplayed by Leeds, who clearly learned lessons from facing Manchester City and applied them ruthlessly. Bournemouth, themselves out of form, rarely looked troubled in their draw at Stamford Bridge.
Maresca’s team is starting to resemble what it really is: an exciting but naive, inexperienced group of prospects. Their game management and mentality are far from where they need to be.
Champions League pressure and a brutal schedule
Chelsea’s last two Champions League league-phase fixtures are now loaded with pressure:
- January 21 – Pafos (H)
- January 28 – Napoli (A)
Some will argue that the summer’s Club World Cup exertions are catching up with them, stretching the season and slicing into pre-season. Maresca did point to fatigue after the Atalanta defeat. “After the first goal, we lost a little bit of control of the game,” he said. “Also, we are playing every two days. We look like we struggle a little bit.”
The reality, though, is that their hopes of avoiding a Champions League play-off – and yet more fixtures – have taken a huge blow. “If we want to try to finish top eight, we need to win both,” Maresca admitted bluntly when asked about facing Pafos and Napoli.
The next step for this side is simple but tough: find consistency in both performances and results. With the Premier League and Champions League tables both incredibly tight, every point matters. Right now, Chelsea still haven’t learned how to grind out results when they’re not at their best.
Everton next: wrong time for a wobble
Things will not get any easier. Everton visit Stamford Bridge on Saturday in the Premier League, and they are in far better shape than earlier in the season. David Moyes has overseen four wins in their last five league games, and unlike Chelsea, they don’t have to juggle a midweek European trip.
Chelsea can expect to welcome back some players and, inevitably, there will be more rotation. But this is the worst possible time of year to hit a slump. If Maresca’s young squad want to avoid their winless run stretching on, they need to rediscover their edge – and fast.
Talent is there in abundance. What’s missing is resilience. For Chelsea’s youngsters, the message is clear: grow up, show some steel, or this season’s ambitions – in Europe and at home – will slip away.
