Chelsea lead the Premier League in an area that won’t best please Enzo Maresca.
It has been an interesting start to the season for Chelsea.
After nine games, it’s ninth place for Maresca’s side. Based on the performances we have seen from them, being halfway down the table feels harsh, but that’s the reality of the season so far.
Gary Neville has called out Maresca for inconsistency, but the coach may not be to blame.
It’s thanks — in large part — to a worrying habit that has become apparent in the last couple of months.
Enzo Maresca reacts during Chelsea v Liverpool - Premier League
Photo by Robin Jones/Getty Images
Chelsea have dropped the most points from winning positions
Chelsea’s loss to Sunderland at the weekend wasn’t the first time they’ve been caught on the wrong end of late drama.
In nine Premier League matchweeks, Chelsea have taken the lead on seven occasions. Of those seven, they have held on to win four.
Drawing once and losing twice, they have dropped eight points. That’s the same as the gap to first-placed Arsenal, and a tally only matched by Brentford this season.
Those instances were the aforementioned loss to Sunderland, Brighton’s comeback with two stoppage-time goals, and Brentford’s controversial last-second equaliser. The former two happening at Stamford Bridge.
That these levellers and winners are coming so late is an issue on its own, but it’s the fact that Chelsea can’t stay on top in general that’s most concerning.
A sign of inexperience in the Chelsea squad
It can be jarring to see Chelsea’s squad-building approach reframed on a weekly basis.
When they win, it’s Todd Boehly’s masterplan, age is just a number, and Chelsea are a perfectly run club. When it goes wrong, it’s running the club as a business and not caring about actually winning.
Both are exaggerated talking points stemming from the fact that there are pros and cons to all approaches. But it’s hard to shake the idea that inexperience is costing Chelsea in the biggest games.
The average age of Chelsea's squad has been decreasing over the last few seasons.
In the match vs Ajax, Chelsea's team had an average age of 22 years and 163 days – the second youngest in UCL history. (@SkySports) pic.twitter.com/SQhS6QqB8g
— EuroFoot (@eurofootcom) October 24, 2025
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The other side to it is that injuries are leaving Maresca with little choice but to shuffle things around on a regular basis, something that can halt momentum and make it difficult to organise defensively.
Chelsea’s position in the table isn’t what fans were expecting when the season began, especially given the kind run of fixtures they had in the opening weeks. If Maresca is serious about winning the league in the near future, this kind of tendency to throw points away cannot stand.