After an indifferent start to their 2023/24 Premier League campaign, a late season surge saw Chelsea claim a European place with sixth place.
Sadly for the Blues and then manager Mauricio Pochettino, Manchester United’s FA Cup triumph saw the west Londoners demoted from the Europa League into the Conference League. Pochettino’s sudden exit at the end of May meant the Chelsea project yet again was reset.
Former Leicester City manager Enzo Maresca was appointed in June, becoming the fifth manager in three years under the new regime. The Italian’s reign has already seen the signings of Tosin Adarabioyo, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Marc Guiu, Omari Kellyman and Renato Veiga, with plenty more to come.
Here are four things the Blues need to better last season’s finishing position:
Senior defender to replace Thiago Silva
The departure of legendary defender Thiago Silva at the end of the season sees the age of Chelsea’s already youthful squad decrease even further. The Brazilian’s experience will be a huge miss for Maresca, with his leadership and excellent defensive craft vital for the younger players in the side. The oldest outfield player at the Blues is now Raheem Sterling, who is only 29-years-old. There were signs of fragility in Chelsea’s defence without Silva’s presence, so a new elder statesman will be needed to assist on all fronts.
Getting the best out of all attacking players
Cole Palmer’s emergence as one of the Premier League’s best attacking talents was a needed boost for a Chelsea frontline that, despite boosting one of the more impressive attacking outlets, struggled to click as a unit. Nicholas Jackson ended the season with 14 league goals, but underachieved his expected outlet by almost five, whilst Raheem and Noni Madueke failed to reach double figures for goals. Maresca’s attacking line at Leicester was fast flowing and fluent, so getting the best the expected front four clicking together will be of vital.
Ironing out a bloated squad
For the past two seasons, Chelsea’s squad has been over populated, and this summer is the best chance for the Blues to trim it down. Fringe players such as Romelu Lukaku and Kepa will be moved on, with young academy players expected to be loaned out for valuable first team experience. Further signings are expected to be made, but Maresca’s main objective should be ironing out any dead rubber from his squad.
Goalkeeping conundrum
Kepa is expected to leave and bringing his mixed time at Chelsea to an end, but the prize as starting goalkeeper is still up for grabs. Djordje Petrovic was superb once he was brought into the fold, whilst Robert Sanchez showed signs of potential but ultimately disappointed. Youngster Gabriel Slonina is expected to return from his loan spell, but reports suggest Sanchez will be given the starting role by Maresca.
