The Premier League often throws up a number of surprises and despite Manchester City winning the competition for the last four seasons, it hasn’t always been as straightforward. A couple of seasons ago, Arsenal looked nailed on to win it, especially at Christmas when they had a commanding lead.
This season, Liverpool have surprised everyone – after Jurgen Klopp’s departure at the end of the last campaign, I really didn’t expect them to challenge for the title again for at least a couple of years. However, with just one defeat they have taken a surprising lead at the summit.
Over the last few weeks though, there has been one club that has been quietly going about their business and it seems that things are gradually falling into place. I am of course, talking about Chelsea, who after a turbulent last few years finally seem to have got their act together.
What Have Been The Difference Makers For Chelsea?
Many were intrigued, including me, when the club opted to hire Enzo Maresca as their new manager at the end of last season. Despite being unproven in the Premier League, the talented, young Italian manager won the Championship with Leicester City last season, playing just the type of football, Chelsea’s owners crave.
Coming in with a limited transfer budget, Maresca has, more or less, had to work with what was already there, with Chelsea spending over £1 billion since Todd Boehly took over the club. The biggest emphasis was on trimming the squad and wage budget and it now seems a lot more balanced.
Towards the end of last season, there were some promising signs though. One of these was the emergence of Cole Palmer who is swiftly developing into one of the league’s standout players.
The 22-year-old took a big risk when asking to leave Manchester City in search of regular football, though his decision to back himself is paying dividends. Arguably, England’s next big hope, Palmer has turned into a goal machine. Already this season he has 11 goals in 15 Premier League appearances and has earned a reputation as a serial match winner.
Cole Palmer breaks Chelsea’s record for most Premier League goal involvements in a calendar year with 37.
Incredible pic.twitter.com/q5cNhF8M5v
— B/R Football (@brfootball) December 8, 2024
Chelsea also look a lot more solid this season and, although they do still concede they have complemented this with a prolific goal-scoring record. The rest of the club’s exciting attacking talent – many of them new signings – are also starting to gel. In particular, Nicolas Jackson is one that is gradually beginning to realise his potential and is forming a great relationship with Palmer in attack, while he has eight goals in 14 league matches this term so far.
Despite a slow start (which included a long-term injury), even this season, Christopher Nkunku is beginning to show his class. The Frenchman has a lot of potential and I think he could be a key contributor to the second half of the season.
Fernandez Flourishing Under His Namesake
Argentine (Enzo) Fernandez has had somewhat of an interesting start to his Chelsea career. Joining the club following his country’s World Cup win, in which he played a key part, he took a while to settle, while he was embroiled in scandal last summer, after he was filmed being involved in controversial chants about the France squad, that included some of his Blues’ teammates. Following an apology to his teammates and under the guidance of Maresca, in addition to the split from his partner, Fernandez is now starting to show his class and is making a case for him being the first name on the team sheet.
On paper, Chelsea have one of the best midfields in the league, especially with the combative Moises Caicedo and the precocious talent of Romeo Lavia. With strengthe in depth out wide and an increasingly solid defensive platform, these are just a few of the reasons why I am backing Chelsea to win the Premier League. Liverpool will no doubt go through a bad patch as most clubs do and, they have the distraction of the Champions League as well.