5 truths and 3 lies about Chelsea as poor festive form sees title hopes fade

Chelsea have endured a tough festive period, failing to win any of their three games over Christmas and New Year. The Blues have fallen behind leaders Liverpool by a margin of 10 points as a result, with the pressure on to snap out of the bad spell against Crystal Palace this weekend.

Enzo Maresca’s will be pleased with their overall efforts this season, but with others closing in on the top four, they are not guaranteed a successful campaign just yet. Here we have taken a look at some of the truths and lies surrounding Chelsea so far this season.

Chelsea are in the title race - Truth

Strictly speaking, while Chelsea are 10 points behind leaders Liverpool, they are not out of the title race. It’s unlikely Liverpool will go the whole season without a bad patch of form, and so there will likely be a chance for the Blues to close the gap, even if not all the way. This could change very soon if Chelsea don’t end their poor form now, but currently, the Blues are still just about in the race.

Chelsea are good enough to beat Liverpool to the title - Lie

A key caveat to the above statement is that Chelsea are not likely good enough to catch and beat Liverpool to the title. The Reds will have to beat themselves to lose the title based on their current form and obvious quality. Arne Slot’s men look better than everyone, and they have a nice blend of experience and elite quality. That experience, in particular, is something Chelsea do not yet have, with plenty of young players or players still adapting to the Premier League in their squad. The Blues can put up a fight, but they are not of Liverpool’s quality this season.

Chelsea need January signings - Lie

New signings could obviously help Chelsea as they look to maximise their output this season, but ‘need’ is not the word. The Blues have a strong squad with depth in most areas. Coming into this season, Champions League qualification will have been viewed as a success, and they are in a position to achieve that. Instead of spending to try to stay in a title race they don’t necessarily belong in at this point, Maresca and Chelsea should get through this season with what they have got to get a crystal clear idea of what they need in the summer, which is a much easier and cheaper window.

Enzo Maresca’s first season has been a success - Truth

When asked about the criteria for success set by the board during the summer, Maresca made it clear that such a criteria did not exist. That probably shows how deep a hole Chelsea found themselves in in the not too distant past. Even with the improvements Mauricio Pochettino made, the start to the season the Blues had under the Argentine showed the club still were not guaranteed to avoid returning to such a pit. Maresca found momentum from day one, changing almost all of the narratives surrounding Chelsea over recent years, and that is a huge achievement based on the size of the squad he inherited and the pressure surrounding the club based on the money spent.

Chelsea need an elite striker - Truth

The answer to this question does depend on how quickly Chelsea want to step up their bid to win a league title. If their aim is to seriously compete next season, they should look to sign a top striker in the summer. They don’t need one now, not unless one can be found for a bargain price in January, but sooner or later, they will have to look to land an elite goalscorer.

Nicolas Jackson is a top player, make no mistake, and Christopher Nkunku can also compete, but it’s that much harder to win a league title without an Erling Haaland, Mo Salah and so on. Those players unlock doors and score goals from nowhere even against the toughest of defensive blocks, and that makes all the difference come May. With Chelsea covered in most areas, aside from adding depth here and there, a top striker should be next on their shopping list, and the summer seems to be the best time for it.

Chelsea have a goalkeeper problem - Truth

Chelsea have 10 goalkeepers on their books but still have a problem between the sticks. Robert Sanchez has made some big saves, and he is capable of doing enough, but he has to find more consistency, as backed up by WhoScored. Of the 18 Premier League keepers to have played more than 10 games this season, Sanchez posts in at 12th with a rating of 6.63.

Filip Jorgensen is a quality keeper, but he is still inexperienced at the very top level, although he could get a chance to develop further on that front if he gets more opportunities in the second half of the season. Top goalkeepers are not easy nor cheap to come by, but they can be a difference-maker in a title race. Maresca must decide if Sanchez or Jorgensen are the answer, and indeed whether he needs to look elsewhere.

Todd Boehly’s wild spending strategy worked after all - Lie

It’s easy to look at Chelsea’s current trajectory and say that the big spending worked because some of the players bought have turned out to be key players, but that’s skipping out far too much in the middle. Chelsea’s poor performance over recent years owed plenty to the irrational purchases made during that strategy, and the club lost plenty of prize money across the Premier League and Europe in the process.

It took a number of managers and, finally, Maresca to clean up the mess made by the strategy, and plenty of money has been lost in the process. Chelsea are succeeding because the right head coach has arrived at the right time, while many of the excess players were, fortunately for Chelsea, willing to move on. This could have gone very differently with another wrong managerial appointment. Boehly has gotten fortunate that this has turned around, and it is not the predicted result of some transfer masterplan.

Chelsea’s success is sustainable - Truth

What we can give Boehly and his transfer chiefs credit for is that the strategy was largely based on signing younger players. That has created the path for Chelsea’s success to be sustained over a long period should things remain on course.

Key players like Romeo Lavia, Malo Gusto, Levi Colwill, Cole Palmer, Noni Madueke, Nicolas Jackson and Enzo Fernandez are all 23 or younger. That’s some foundation for a first team squad going forward. If the Blues can keep hold of those players, there is no reason why Chelsea should not be a contender for years to come.