What a pleasant surprise this season has been for Chelsea fans.
Chaos, confusion and stupidity were just some of the words used to describe what was going on at Stamford Bridge and beyond heading into the 2024/2025 season. A seemingly endless list of summer transfers must have sucked the joy out of any new signings made.
It was turning into a daily circus, with worrying pre-season results leading many to believe that another season centred on chaos was on the way in west London. How wrong that prediction has turned out to be.
Chelsea have seemingly gone from a basket case to possible Premier League title challengers within six months. The Blues sit second in the top-flight table, on goal difference, seven points off league leaders Liverpool.
Enzo Maresca has done a phenomenal job, so far. Appointing a manager from the Championship was a huge risk and it appears to be paying off.
The Italian coach has been able to mould a bloated squad into a talented team. The advantage of having so many players is that he can compete on all fronts as he uses the Europa Conference League as a chance to offer minutes to those who may not feature at any given weekend.
And the good news just keeps on coming for Chelsea when looking at their upcoming fixture list. The Blues won't face a potential title contender until Manchester City away on January 25.
Of their league games until that clash against Pep Guardiola's champions, Tottenham, Fulham and Bournemouth look on paper to be their only genuine tests. Chelsea will be further boosted in the knowledge that only City and Liverpool have been able to beat them in the top-flight so far.
That's why the next few months are so crucial. If Maresca's squad can maintain their near-perfect record against teams outside of the top-four, they could move ever closer to their title rivals who face trickier games.
Liverpool, for example, have the Merseyside derby against Everton, Tottenham away and Manchester United on their radar. Arne Slot also doesn't have the luxury of having as big a squad as Maresca does.
Arsenal, meanwhile, face a testing start to January with Brighton away, United in the FA Cup, the north London derby against Spurs and then Aston Villa. The current suspicion is that Chelsea are still short of being considered title contenders but, by the end of next month, we should know the answer.
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Chelsea ended the 2023/24 Premier League season on a high, but it is never quiet at Stamford Bridge and the summer looks set to be one full of news, with question marks over Mauricio Pochettino's future at the club and plenty of talk around transfers.
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