Enzo Maresca has largely denied all year that he was told to get into the Champions League places this season. He has maintained that his only objective was to challenge for those places, so even failing to reach them would still be a success, as his team have spent the whole season there or thereabouts.
Maresca on Chelsea’s timeline for title challenge
But what about beyond that? What are the medium and long term objectives given to him by the club? The best answer we’ve got came in a Sky Sports interview the coach gave back in January, which Simon Johnson cites in his Athletic piece today about the Blues trying to forge a first title race since 2017.
“The plan with the club, the schedule that you try to do at the beginning of the season or when we met for the first time, was for the second season to go for the top four, and then after the second season, try to compete for the title. This is the reason why I said many times we are ahead of my expectations because we spent almost the whole season in the top four, and this shows how far ahead we are in terms of expectations.”
Chelsea set to take step closer to top this season
So in fact there he’s saying he wasn’t expected to “go for” the top four until his second season. Then, a title challenge would come in his third.
How set up are we for that? We’ve finished an average of 27.4 points behind the first placed team since the years since our last title. Right now we’re 19 off, and have plenty still to play for while Liverpool could yet drop more points. So there’s no denying we’ll close the gap.
Can we make another jump next year? With the right singings, it’s perfectly possible.
An experienced, world class keeper would do wonders! Watching the Inter/Barca match today was bittersweet because Sommer (who was stellar between the sticks) was somebody we could have snapped up for fairly cheap a couple of years ago. It’s excellent with the ball at his feet and would have provided and anchor to the sporting directors’ ambition of playing “Pep” ball. Why we went out for Robert Sanchez (and even more inexplicably, why we’ve stuck with him) will do down as one of the great mysteries (and biggest mistakes) at Chelsea FC in the modern era (and that’s saying something when you can count Mo Salah and KDB as two players you let slip through your fingers!). I mean, if we don’t have Sanchez conceding bad goals we are AT LEAST six points better and sitting somewhat comfortably in third (well ahead of schedule based on Maresca’s comments).
The best thing that can happen now is for the directors to admit they’ve screwed up royally and FIX the problem. Go get a proven #1 and quit mucking about with this mediocrity.
For Me Next Season Chelsea Should Change Goalkeeper,Sell Players,Sign Player,Used The Same Tactics He Used Against Liverpool But Need To Improve To ×2 Of That There Really Played Well Against Liverpool But Don’t Give Up Continue ,Change Formation And Stop Using 1 Striker In Up Front. Maresca Pls If You Want To Survive Change Your goalie To Petrovic And Pender,Sell Players Like Sanchez,Loan Filip,Sell Fofana,Benoit,Disasi,Veiga,Return Sancho Because He Lack So Many Things,Sell Christopher Because He Said It With Is Mouth I Am Tired Of Chelsea,Chukwuemeka,Lesley,Felix,Madueke If Possible And Maresca Shouldn’t Be Trusting Jackson Always Infact Sell Him Even Marc Guiu Is Better Than Him,Sign The Likely Of Sane,Garnacho,Recall Dario,Petrovic,Santos,Penders,Gyokeres Or Watkins I Think 1 Of Them Is Okay,Kendry, Estevao,Hato,De Brunye Is Leaving For Free Try If You Can Get Him And Try Play As You Did Against Liverpool ×2 Because Any Two Pl Game Win Champions League Straight See Me In My Next Comment Thanks
So As I Said He My First Comment I Continue So Chelsea Will Be Competing In The Premier League,Champions League,Fa Cups,Carabao Cup Club World Cup In Five Competition There Should Win Like Two Or Three Titles Pls and Transform Your Formation To 4 2 3 1 To 4 3 3 Because 1 Player Been Up Front There It Not Good For Next Season Lineup
Goalkeeper:Petrovic
Defenders:James,Colwill,Guehi Or Kounde Or Chalobah Or Any Strong CB,Cucurella
MidFielder:Enzo,Palmer,Caicedo
Strikers:Neto Or Garnacho,Watkins Or Gyokeres,Sane There You Go