It’s been a pretty inconsistent beginning to the 2024/25 season from Chelsea, which is perhaps not the biggest surprise after another change of management.
Chelsea have four points from their opening three matches in the Premier League to make it an average start. Meanwhile, the Blues narrowly edged past Servette in a two-legged play-off tie to reach the Conference League group stages.
It’s now a good time during the September international break for Enzo Maresca to reflect on his start as the Chelsea head coach.
London World claimed that Maresca had to gee Chelsea’s crowd against Crystal Palace in the weekend’s league game, which ended up as a 1-1 stalemate. It feels like the Blues manager, along with the fanbase, are still adjusting to more change.
Here is a look at a few things Maresca needs to do to ensure Chelsea return after the break in great form…
The Christopher Nkunku dilemma
Christopher Nkunku, 26, was one of Chelsea’s stars of pre-season with encouraging displays under Maresca. Therefore, it’s baffling that he’s only started once in the league so far this term.
The versatile French attacker netted in both Conference League ties versus Servette, but he’s yet to score or assist in the Premier League. He lasted under an hour in the opening day defeat to Manchester City, while against Wolverhampton Wanderers and Palace he was only handed late cameos as a substitute.
Surely, Nkunku is the type of goalscoring threat that needs more league minutes in the upcoming fixtures.
Speaking via The Obi One Podcast last month, John Obi Mikel said Nkunku should be starting as Chelsea’s No.10. Cole Palmer has made that position his own in the last few weeks, though.
Midfield puzzle
Yet again, Chelsea’s midfield is a big talking point this season. When you invest so much money into signing central midfielders, that’s always going to be the case.
Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo have performed moderately in the opening weeks of the campaign, but it’s hardly been spectacular from the midfield pair. In fact, Romeo Lavia has outshone both despite only making two appearances so far.
If Maresca can get his midfield engine firing on all cylinders, Chelsea will become a very hard machine to beat. That could mean a very uncomfortable decision to leave one of Caicedo, Fernandez or Lavia out of the starting XI, though.
£26m player issue
Chelsea right-back Malo Gusto was fantastic during his debut season at Stamford Bridge last year. Interestingly, Cole Palmer shared he voted for Gusto as Player of the Season, as quoted by the club’s Instagram account.
But we don’t think that Gusto, 21, has quite found his rhythm so far under Maresca.
A main reason behind this drop in form is he’s being asked to invert into midfield at times, so the £26m youngster (Sky Sports) is very much learning on the job.
It’s certainly something we’d like to see the Italian head coach address with some extra coaching. Despite Reece James’ imminent return, Gusto is still a key part of the squad that can improve under Maresca.
Keep investing time in Noni Madueke
Noni Madueke has been one of the huge pluses so far this season. As a result, the 22-year-old is now joining up with England’s senior squad during the international break for the first time ever.
We’ve seen in the past that the right-winger can go through patches of great form, but he’s still seeking consistency in his game.
It’s been a fantastic start for Madueke with four goals in four appearances across all competitions. However, his next aim must be to keep this up over a much longer period. Let’s hope Maresca continues to give him the platform and trust to shine.
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