Liverpool’s title defence looks over but Arsenal’s biggest rival is now crystal clear

Even after their Club World Cup triumph over the summer, few had pencilled in this Chelsea side as serious Premier League contenders this season.

A sluggish start to the campaign, which featured just two wins in their first six league games, seemed to confirm that Enzo Maresca’s youthful squad were too early in their journey to be competing for silverware.

And yet, just two months later, how the tables have turned.

In sweeping to a comprehensive 3-0 win over Barcelona at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday, Chelsea laid down a marker that suggested they are more can capable of going head-to-head with the best teams in Europe.

The Blues have now lost just one of their last eleven games in all competitions and have kept four clean sheets in their last five matches.

Mikel Arteta will have been keeping a close eye on Wednesday’s match, given his Arsenal side, the overwhelming title favourites, face a visit to Stamford Bridge on the weekend.

And having seen defending champions Liverpool seemingly fall by the wayside already this campaign, the Spaniard may also be wising up to the fact that it is now Chelsea that could pose the biggest threat to his side’s quest to end their long-running league drought.

Variety of options in the attacking third

Much of Chelsea’s summer spending seemed to focus on the need to provide Maresca’s side with better options in the attacking third.

Joao Pedro, Jamie Gittens, Alejandro Garnacho, Liam Delap and Estevao Willian all came through the door and have significantly bolstered Chelsea’s attacking threat.

Pedro and Delap may have been benched against Barcelona, but Neto carried an abundance of energy and threat when asked to lead the line instead.

Shifting the Portugal international more centrally also allowed Estevao to start on the right wing, a decision greeted by roars from the home fans in midweek.

Maresca has been careful not to put too much pressure on the teenager, but a sublime goal and all-round performance against Barca will do nothing to derail the hype around Chelsea’s latest Brazilian.

And all this without Cole Palmer, who his missed his side’s last 13 games, but is slowly closing in on a return to first-team action.

Much like Arsenal, who have been boosted by the return of Noni Madueke and Martin Odegaard in recent matches, Chelsea will be a significantly stronger outfit with Palmer back in the team and back to his best.

Growing defensive solidity

Few clubs can compete with Arsenal’s strength and depth in defensive areas, and Chelsea are no different.

However, despite losing Levi Colwill to a serious knee injury at the start of the season, Maresca’s side are beginning to show a growing resilience and aptitude in their work without the ball.

Wesley Fofana, while still having his minutes managed, is starting to put together the kind of performances that can at least go some way to justifying the £70million fee that Chelsea forked out to sign him from Leicester City in 2022.

And in Marc Cucurella, Chelsea can perhaps boast the league’s most consistent full-back. The Spaniard has achieved cult-hero status around Stamford Bridge for his performances over the last two seasons, and was superb up against Lamine Yamal on Wednesday.

A disappointing home defeat to Sunderland last month is proof that Chelsea are far from the finished article defensively, but having conceded only 0.72 xG (expected goals) in their subsequent three league games, the signs are certainly positive.

Big-game record

Chelsea’s age and relative inexperience has often been thrown at them when title-contender talk has bubbled to the surface.

The Blues may have the youngest squad in the division, but Maresca’s side have consistently produced impressive displays up against the biggest sides.

Last summer’s Club World Cup final triumph against Paris-Saint Germain, the dramatic late win against Liverpool, and their most recent thumping of Barcelona all spring to mind from the past few months alone.

‘Winning the Club World Cup gives the players the confidence that they need,’ Maresca noted on Wednesday.

‘Last year, we were playing in the Conference League, and I said many times that for me personally, if you want to build a winning mentality, there is only one way. Winning games.’

Maresca’s game-planning and tactical nous are key reasons for those victories as well. The Italian has not got everything right in his tenure, but more often than not, he has set his side up superbly and reaped the benefits.

And if the Blues can produce another similar display on Sunday against Arsenal and cut the Gunners’ lead at the top of the table, it may be time to take Chelsea that bit more seriously this season.

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