The worst manner for the London club to react to their thrashing of Barcelona would be to believe the hype. The challenge is that emotions in football shift from one pole to another, as the individuals running things at Chelsea have swiftly come to understand.
They have endured plenty of criticism for their alternative method since acquiring the side from Roman Abramovich three years ago, so perhaps they are entitled to be a little sceptical now that Chelsea are being commended for their player acquisition plan and touted as prospective league competitors before welcoming Arsenal on Sunday.
Contrary to widespread perception, this is not a leadership that gets carried away quickly. The starting chaos has settled – Chelsea have had four full-time managers since their purchase by the new leadership and Clearlake Capital – and the objective of constructing a enduring future-oriented project is incompatible with overreacting to one bad result, one decent sequence of form or even one convincing victory over Barcelona in the Europe.
The directive has not altered since the outset of the term: remain humble. It is worth bearing in mind that there was plenty of critical noise from outsiders when the team lost to the Red Devils and the Seagulls at the conclusion of September. Was any pundit speaking about a league push then? Or, indeed, after the side squandered a one-goal lead and lost at home to the Black Cats last month? The atmosphere was contrasting. Level minds were essential; the message from the top was that the manager and his players had to believe themselves after the defeat by Albion.
Now, with draining travel matches against the Whites and Bournemouth to come next week, the priority is on guaranteeing the team are not tricked into satisfaction after that remarkable beating of the Spanish side.
Possibly that calm atmosphere will aid the most youthful team in the English football remain balanced. the Italian, calm to a extreme in his media dealings, plays into the strategy. Chelsea were in a analogous situation this time last year but the manager consistently insisted they were not in the league hunt. He thought it was too early in their evolution. The Italian received backlash when Chelsea declined and ended up in a battle for Champions League qualification – had he provided the squad an escape route? – but he was in his first season as a top-flight coach. He and his team had to learn and progress.
It is a deliberate strategy. Maresca is not given to making audacious pronouncements, often saying he is focusing no further than the following game. His attitude has not been shifted by the team climbing to number two after a run of victories from their last six games. It will probably not even alter radically if they beat their rivals and cut their opponents’ lead to a few points.
“If we succeed, if we fail to come out on top, I feel it’s too soon,” the Italian said on Friday. “We are still in the eleventh month. It’s extremely crucial in winter, March, where we are. From there we’ll assess if we can accomplish something meaningful.”
That was about as close as it arrives to an acknowledgment that, certainly, it is feasible for the side to disrupt Arsenal. Yet there is no pressure on the manager to claim the league this term. The manager has targets to reach but the club will not assess his performance until next summer. They have zero desire to be forced into firing a boss during a term again. Chelsea desire stability and are only just getting going.
They have deals in position to recruit more youngsters in the transfer windows of the future and 2027. They were questioned for selling Noni Madueke to the Gunners last off-season but did so because moving an experienced English talent had to be done to free up a spot for the incoming the Brazilian.
The youngster is progressing. The teenager attacker was outstanding against Barcelona, scoring a breathtaking finish, but the young talent is unlikely to start against the Gunners. His minutes is being cautiously overseen by Maresca. Chelsea had a affected warm-up period after making it all the way in last previous Club World Cup. Maresca’s heavy changes is evidence of a boss thinking about the future as well as the present.
Notwithstanding the restraint, though, it is also correct that the Blues are absolutely capable of overcoming Arsenal. Cole Palmer is back after an extended absence and prepared to play. Pedro Neto is in fine shape in attack, and Moisés Caicedo and the midfielder will match Arsenal’s centre strength.
The manager said overcoming PSG in that global tournament decider had helped his side’s mentality. He likes that they are spreading the goals around more evenly than the prior season, when there was too much dependence on Palmer. A deep substitutes will also offer him a range of options to confront their rivals’ defence strength.
Can it be enough? Maybe not now. Chelsea sometimes lack a ruthless edge and the centre-back’s unavailability with a prolonged {
