The Chelsea Paradox

Jamie Gittens was taken off for Estevao Willian to replace him but both were lackluster.

Joao Pedro, a £55m summer signing from Brighton, is up front, flanked by Jamie Gittens, a £52m signing from Borussia Dortmund, making his debut, and Pedro Neto, a £45m signing.

Cole Palmer, a £40m attacking midfielder, played behind them in the No. 10 role. But despite their attacking treasures, Chelsea were dominated by Palace in the opening minutes and nearly conceded.

In the second half, coach Enzo Maresca brought in two new attacking players: Estevao Willian (£29 million from Palmeiras) and Liam Delap (£30 million from Ipswich). Both of them, as well as teammate Andrey Santos, missed great opportunities, forcing "The Blues" to accept a goalless draw at Stamford Bridge.

Although it is only the opening round, and the title has not yet been decided, Chelsea are still under scrutiny, especially after winning the Club World Cup last summer. Some opinions say that "The Blues" can squeeze into the championship race, but if they want to compete with Liverpool, Arsenal and Man City throughout the 38 rounds, they need to improve their creativity and finishing ability significantly. The club's internal goal is still to qualify for next season's Champions League with a place in the top 4.

The post-match stats highlight a worrying detail: Chelsea had just three shots on target – one fewer than Palace. However, they can take some solace in the fact that their expected goals (xG) of 1.81 was significantly higher than Palace’s 1.07, and is also Chelsea’s highest xG in a Premier League game in 2025 without a goal. The last time Chelsea created multiple chances and failed to score was in a 2-0 defeat to Ipswich last December.

According to Opta, 88% of teams with an xG of 1.7-1.9 have scored at least once since the 2022/23 season. That shows that Chelsea were both unlucky and wasted chances - typically Santos' left-footed shot missed the target in injury time.

At this early stage, Chelsea have little reason to be overly concerned. But they know that a club world title cannot immediately translate into Premier League power, especially after a short 13-day preparation period.

Maresca looked on in frustration as the attack was helpless.

Coach Maresca initially refused to use pre-season as an excuse and gave evidence: "At the end of the game we were still competing well. We had chances with Estevao and Santos. That shows the whole team is still fighting."

However, coach Maresca later defended that Chelsea only played two warm-up matches last week, mainly to recover their fitness. The Italian strategist affirmed: "Today is really the first match of the season. Surely step by step, we will improve."

The four new attackers Joao Pedro, Gittens, Estevao and Delap still need time to settle in and find common ground with their teammates. Of these, Joao Pedro seems the most ready: he scored three goals in three official games for Chelsea, after cutting short his vacation in Brazil to attend the Club World Cup.

The biggest concern for Maresca is Levi Colwill’s long-term injury, which has affected his system of building the ball from the back. He has asked the club to add a centre-back, but has not been granted one, forcing him to give his chance to “homegrown” Josh Acheampong, who he praised for his solid performance against Jean-Philippe Mateta.

Striker Nicolas Jackson is suspended after a red card at the end of last season, but even if he could play, he is not in the plans. Chelsea are willing to listen to offers for Jackson and Christopher Nkunku, and are looking for a new striker. Two targets are Alejandro Garnacho (Man United) and Xavi Simons (RB Leipzig). More money to bolster the attack?

Source: https://znews.vn/nghich-ly-chelsea-post1577936.html