Chelsea Host Bournemouth. Defeat is not an Option | OneFootball

It was around this time last season that Chelsea’s dreams of winning the Premier League title started to fade away. Five straight Premier League wins had seen the Blues go two points behind league leaders Liverpool, following a 2-1 win over Brentford on December 15. Head coach Enzo Maresca had played down his side’s title hopes, insisting they were not ready to win the Premier League much to the bemusement of some supporters. He would eventually turn out to be correct, of course.

He has had to issue no such denial this season, however, due to his side failing to establish themselves in the title picture by the halfway stage of the campaign. The Blues are 13 points behind league leaders Arsenal, 11 points below second-placed Manchester City and ten off Aston Villa in third, the side they were beaten by in their last outing. 

But while there have scarcely been any title hopes at Stamford Bridge this season, the similarity with which they have dipped in form approaching the middle of the campaign has been hugely concerning. 

High Hopes Dashed

Hopes were high after Chelsea’s gutsy 1-1 draw with Arsenal on November 30, having played much of the game with ten men due to Moises Caicedo’s red card. That had followed an outstanding 3-0 win over Barcelona in the Champions League earlier that week. 

But any optimism of a step forward in the Premier League this season have quickly been dashed by their recent form. Much like last season when Chelsea went five league games without a win across December and January, they have won just one of the last six in the league which has seen them drop down to fifth in the table. 

Maresca could argue that another season of Champions League qualification in a campaign in which they have returned to Europe’s elite tournament still represents progress. They are also in the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup and are on course to progress to the knockout stages in Europe.

But this is a club which has become accustomed to winning, and Conference League and Club World Cup titles have not satisfied a fanbase which expects to be competing for the Premier League every season. 

Same Old Troubles

The familiarity of their problems is a huge source of frustration. Despite spending more than $1.35B on players under the BlueCo ownership, they are still lacking quality in central defense, and do not have enough in the final third. Nicolas Jackson and Noni Madueke were not faultless, but their replacements have failed to convince.  

Failure to beat a Bournemouth side in freefall, who have not won in their last nine Premier League games, would represent something of a crisis for Maresca and place serious doubt on his future. There have already been questions on the long-term status of the Italian at the club, following his comments this season that he had been disappointed with a lack of support, without specifying where that lack of support was coming from. 

The Blues drew 0-0 with the Cherries earlier this month. Another failure to win will only serve to heighten the pressure on the Maresca, and perhaps more so on the owners and directors above him.