Chelsea are firmly positioned as Liverpool’s main competitor for the Premier League title, trailing by just four points, though they have played one more match. Their most recent defeat came on October 20, a 2-1 loss to the current leaders. Under Enzo Maresca, the Blues have been revitalized after a difficult season, breathing new ideas into their campaign.
The manager, however, admitted that he doesn’t see his Chelsea as a strong candidate to win the Premier League: “Arsenal, Liverpool, Man City, they don’t slide like Cucurella did. But on all serious note, we are far from ready, far from this team, we are focused on the day by day to improve the team and play the game.”
These statements were not well received by some Chelsea fans who consider these words inappropriate since the team has a winning mentality and are in good shape competing with the best teams in England. However, the purpose of Enzo’s words was to take unnecessary weight off a young team that is still under construction and has spent two years in mid-table.
Cole Palmer leads Chelsea’s new rising stars
Cole Palmer has emerged as a leader of this new generation of talented players at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea acquired him last summer for approximately $49.5 million, when he was a substitute player of Manchester City. His price tag went viral since some Premier League experts thought he was overpaid because he had previously played only six games as a professional player.
Chelsea’s Cole Palmer
His outstanding performance has surprised all soccer experts around the world. The English sensation boasts 36 goals in 62 games, with Palmer even scoring four goals in a game.
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“Cole belongs to that kind of player, they are not normal players, they are top players. And top players, they do things that normal players or us say ‘how can he do that?’, it’s because he’s Cole, because he’s top. We can expect this from Cole,” Maresca said. The English young talent is the new cornerstone of Chelsea’s project, drawing comparisons with club legend Eden Hazard.
Enzo Maresca boosted Chelsea’s youngsters
Chelsea’s young talent also took a step forward after last season’s disaster in which they failed to shine. Even many players who are now seen as crucial to the team were judged as “failures” after failing to adapt to the team the previous season. Maresca’s arrival in London led many players to improve their performance. One of them is Nico Jackson, who has eight goals to his name this term. He went from being the mockery of the league to being one of the top scorers of the team.
The midfielders’ performance is also outstanding. Enzo Fernández, Romeo Lavia and Moisés Caicedo are among the best of the Premier League season. Their cohesion in field is evident giving the team the solidity needed. Their performance enhance players such as Levi Colwill, Marc Cucurella, Axel Disasi and Fofana, who are finally performing at a top level since the defensive structure is being organised now by the midfielders.
