DREAD it, run from it, destiny arrives all the same.
That destiny is what Enzo Maresca and Chelsea are now being forced to face head on after years of ridiculous spending on young, talented players, and failing to address glaring issues in the squad with quality recruitment.
Enzo Maresca watches on as Chelsea capitulate at home to Brighton[/caption]
Trevoh Chalobah’s red card leaves Chelsea facing an unprecedented defensive crisis[/caption]
There is no denying the potential quality of the signings made by BlueCo since they took charge at Stamford Bridge – but with two injuries to key players, Chelsea have been left almost bare in terms of quality at both ends of the pitch.
Their 3-1 loss at home to Brighton laid these issues out plainly, for all to see.
In defence, a long-term injury to Levi Colwill left Enzo Maresca with a central defensive partnership of Tosin Adarabioyo and Trevoh Chalobah – one a free transfer from Fulham, and the other a player the ownership tried to force out of the club.
Chalobah would be the first to admit he is going through a rough patch in terms of form, but his red card was perhaps the lowest of his mistakes of late, and an injury to Tosin saw the Blues using a duo of 19-year-olds against Brighton, Josh Acheampong and Jorrel Hato.
It could be argued that Chelsea have been unfortunate… injuries and mistakes have racked up and ravaged their defence, but this is more a matter of lacking quality recruitment.
It was plain to see that the club needed a centre-back in the summer, with Maresca himself even requesting one after Colwill got injured, before back-tracking on what he said to the media.
London rivals Arsenal were criticised by some when they signed Piero Hincapie on top of William Saliba, Gabriel, Ricciardo Calafiori, and Jurrien Timber – but this is the level of qualitative depth needed if you want to compete for the title – Chelsea have depth in terms of numbers, but not quality.
Goalkeeper Robert Sanchez had question marks surrounding his ability over the summer, but quietly looked good in the Club World Cup and at the start of the season – earning himself at least this season as the Blues’ number one – though his red card at Man Utd brought those question marks back.
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In the middle of the pitch, Chelsea perhaps have their best depth, but an injury or red card to the seemingly indestructible Moises Caicedo may well unravel them there too, and the Ecuadorian was lucky not to leave Chelsea with nine men against his former club after an attack on Jan Paul Van Hecke.
The £100million midfielder appeared to lash out at the Brighton star in shock footage that emerged post-match.
Caicedo confronted Yakuba Minteh late on, who was swiftly pulled away by Robert Sanchez, before turning his attention to Van Hecke.
He appeared to strike the Seagulls defender in a furious fit of rage, resulting in him falling to the floor and rolling around in pain.
Sun Sport understands Caicedo’s actions, and the brawl that ensued, could now land Chelsea in hot water with the FA.
Moises Caicedo confronts Yakuba Minteh[/caption]
Van Hecke can be seen on the floor following the altercation with Caicedo[/caption]
Chelsea’s midfield engine now risks retrospective action from the FA[/caption]
Speaking exclusively to Sun Sport, ex-Premier League referee Mark Halsey said: “It appears there was an act of violent conduct on Caicedo’s part but, looking at the video, it does seem inconclusive.
“And VAR looked at the footage and felt the same that it was inconclusive.
“Now, the FA will investigate, they will look at it again.
“Both clubs will be charged with failing to control their players. there’s no doubt about that, but the FA will look at this and there may be retrospective action taken against Caicedo.
“But, as I say, looking at it, it does look as though it’s inconclusive.”
Caicedo’s possible absence would be just one of a number of issues facing Enzo Maresca, however.
In attack, there is more to be worried about.
Under Mauricio Pochettino, the Argentine boss challenged his players to prove they were not ‘Cole Palmer FC’ before getting hammered at The Emirates 5-0.
And after signing Liam Delap, Estevao, Alejandro Garnacho, Jamie Gittens, Pedro Neto and Joao Pedro among others, the Blues’ over-reliance on their ice-cold centrepiece is still glaringly obvious this season.
His groin injury, and a long-term injury to Liam Delap, have left Chelsea in a spot of bother similar to what they’re in at the opposite end of the pitch.
It’s hard to argue against the signing of Estevao, a starlet who gets the fans at Stamford Bridge on their feet with moments of brilliance and a smile on his face, but the amount of pressure being put on a teenage talent in search of his first Premier League goal, essentially asking him to directly replace one of the best in the world, is questionable.
Joao Pedro has too been a good move, and he enjoyed an electric start to the season, but ever since a gruelling international break with a trip to high altitude in Bolivia, he looks tired and leggy.
The club’s handling of Nicolas Jackson, their second best attacker in terms of stats under Maresca, and re-calling Marc Guiu, who is yet to be given a Premier League minute under Maresca this season, is just another case of Chelsea having ‘numbers’ over quality.
Joao Pedro is already looking exhausted amid all the pressure on his shoulders[/caption]
Alejandro Garnacho failed to get off the bench in Chelsea’s defeat to Brighton[/caption]
Questions remain over Pedro Neto’s end product[/caption]
On the left side of attack is where the biggest questions of Chelsea’s attacking recruitment are being asked though.
Jamie Gittens and Alejandro Garnacho were signed for a combined fee of over £90m, and Pedro Neto, who is the starter of choice in that position, is far from proven in terms of goals and assists.
None of those three are bad players, by any means, but at the same time none of them are the level of winger that moves the needle in attack in terms of quality, YET, the kind of player PSG got in Khvicha Kvaratshkelia from Napoli.
Fortunate VAR calls against Crystal Palace and Fulham, as well as a win against woeful West Ham have papered over the cracks of what has been a shoddy start to the season for the ‘World Champions’, who face top-of-the-pile Liverpool at home next after a Champions League visit from Jose Mourinho’s Benfica.
In terms of spending, it’s impossible to say yet whether Todd Boehly’s strategy will pay off in the long run – but it’s undeniable that after spending almost £2 BILLION, a team should be able to compete now, and later.
This season was supposed to signify one in which Chelsea could build on being champions of the world, returning to the Champions League with the potential to really compete for the title for the first time under the new ownership.
Instead, it now seems like another year of looking forward to the next, when *insert wonderkid here* will finally take them to the promised land.
