After becoming world champions and dominating in pre-season, the good times screeched to a halt as Chelsea started the Premier League campaign with a 0-0 draw against Crystal Palace. The Blues even went 1-0 before VAR chalked off Eberechi Eze’s free-kick, saving the day for a side that often looked a little sluggish. Despite that, there’s no reason to run to the panic stations just yet if you’re a fan.
Crystal Palace Draw Should Not Cause Panic for Chelsea
Tough to Beat
Under Oliver Glasner, the Eagles have become a very compact, strong team that doesn’t often lose matches. In the 2024/25 campaign, they drew 14 of their 38 league fixtures, with 13 wins to boot. They tormented Manchester City in the FA Cup final win and did the same against a strong Liverpool team in the Community Shield victory.
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Glasner has built something very interesting in London. A defensively resilient unit with the attacking talents of Jean-Phillipe Matete and Eze causing havoc for opposing teams. Until core members of that spine leave this will remain one of the most difficult teams to beat in the entire league.
Squad Isn’t Finished Yet
It may seem insane to consider after all of the money thrown around by the Blues and the overhaul they’ve had, but the squad isn’t in its final form yet. The match notably shifted a bit when Estavo came on, sending Pedro Neto to the left wing instead of Jamie Gittens. Both Gittens and Tyrique George look too raw and unfinished to be the starting left winger, with the former Borussia Dortmund man currently lacking in output when in and around the box as he adapts to the league.
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As reported consistently by Fabrizio Romano, Chelsea are in talks to sign Alejandro Garnacho and Xavi Simons. Garnacho could slot in to the left winger role, as a player who knows the league, he will have a more consistent output than the current options. Until one or both are brought in it’s clear that the ideas Enzo Maresca has for his attack won’t be fully utilised.
The Levi Colwill Problem
The manager outlined in the pre-match media rounds that the ACL injury to Levi Colwill would pose a major issue. He claimed that Tosin Adarabioyo was the only available player who could fit his system as the middle of a back three when in possession. Tosin also ended up missing the match leaving Josh Acheampong and Trevoh Chalobah the difficult task of playing around the Palace press without a natural left-footer.
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Until Tosin is back or Acheampong settles in at Premier League level, this will prove to be an issue for the Blues. Colwill’s passing ability was one of their major assets as he can break lines better than almost anyone, with a slower build-up and no left-footer it becomes easier for top-division tacticians to suppress Chelsea’s build-up.
Ultimately, while the performance against the Eagles was far from optimal, Maresca’s real test will be the clashes with West Ham, Fulham, a woeful Brentford, and Manchester United. Getting his tactics right and new players settled by then will be a real indication of his team’s ceiling this season.