Their Season So Far...
Life is certainly never dull at Stamford Bridge. Enzo Maresca took the Blues to Conference League and Club World Cup glory in his first season in charge.
But after a turbulent end to 2025 he has now left the managerial hotseat – the fourth permanent boss to leave since BlueCo’s takeover in 2022 – replaced in the dugout by Liam Rosenior.
Chelsea were never going to have the smoothest pre-season, thanks to their extended summer exploits in America, which culminated in lifting the Club World Cup.
In the reverse game of today’s fixture on the opening day of the season, Chelsea had only had 13 days of preparation under their belts.
But the Blues still began with a four-match unbeaten run in the Premier League, which included a 5-1 thrashing of West Ham. Defeats against Manchester United and Brighton then dampened positive start, although the Blues were reduced to ten men in both games thanks to red cards.
Heading into December, Chelsea were third in the table, only six points behind leaders Arsenal. But patchy form throughout a busy period, not helped by ongoing speculation around Marseca’s situation, saw them fall out of the top four.
Some below-par defending in a 3-1 defeat at Leeds set the tone for the month, with the Blues going on a run of just one win from six games.
However, Rosenior has arrived with the team still in the mix for Champions League qualification and having progressed in the FA Cup with his first game in charge, a 5-1 win over Charlton.
In Europe, Chelsea produced arguably their best display of the season when seeing off Barcelona 3-0 at the Bridge, and a win in their final league phase game against next week Napoli should seal automatic qualification for the Round of 16.