Troy Deeney thinks he’s noticed a trend with the current Chelsea side that worries him ahead of their next match this weekend.
The Blues return after the international break with a trip to the City Ground, where they will be favourites to beat Nottingham Forest in the Premier League fixture.
Even though Enzo Maresca’s side will be expected by most to win, they do go into Saturday’s match with some injury problems.
Unfortunately, Cole Palmer is out for six more weeks because of a groin injury that is troubling him this season. In addition, Benoit Badiashile has been ruled out until December with a muscle problem.
On the flip side, Forest are troubled by the fact that they have zero wins from their opening seven matches across all competitions under Ange Postecoglou’s management. The former Tottenham boss will be desperate to stop the drought against Chelsea, though.
Chelsea Training Session
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Troy Deeney claims Chelsea struggle to lift themselves for smaller games
Of course, Chelsea’s trip to Forest in the league is very important in its own right. However, it doesn’t carry the same weight as some of the glamorous games they are involved in over the course of a season.
According to Troy Deeney, Maresca’s side have a habit of only really stepping it up for the biggest fixtures.
Speaking on talkSPORT (17 October), Deeney said: “I think I’m starting to get a bit worried for Chelsea why they only get up for the big games.
“The games that they get written off against the PSG’s, your Liverpool’s, they step up and they play their best.
“The concerning games are the likes of Forest for me where we’re all expecting if Chelsea play they’re much better. Every player on the squad in every position, arguably the goalkeeper not, but in every other position they’re better. And I think if they all play eight out of 10, they win 4-0 comfortably. But will we get the same performance? I’m not sure.”
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Like Deeney mentions, Chelsea’s best performances and results in 2025 have come against the likes of Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain. In the lesser matches, they are vulnerable to slip up or drop their levels.
In fairness, the only times Maresca’s side have been beaten in the league this season, against Manchester United and Brighton, there were extenuating circumstances because they had red cards in both games.
It is a great opportunity for them in Nottingham this weekend to record back-to-back wins and assert their dominance. Paul Merson has urged Chelsea to find consistency, something which can be difficult with such a young group of players.
Chelsea must climb the Premier League table
After seven league matches in the 2025-26 campaign, Chelsea sit seventh in the division table with 11 points.
On paper, the next few top-flight fixtures look like a great opportunity to rack up the points and climb the table. We’ll be able to test the theory that the Blues drop off against the smaller teams.
Even with the current injuries, Chelsea should be able to get through to the November international break with a healthy points return.