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The transfer window is, for now, closed. At last, for Enzo Maresca. He hasn’t had a good last five weeks, and not only because Chelsea won two of their five Premier League games in that period.
After dropping points from winning positions in three of the five, it was a comeback win over West Ham that put a temporary stopper on the rot which has threatened to derail the season. As it happens, Chelsea ended the January transfer window (which actually came to a conclusion in February), still in the top four.
The frantic nature of the window has seen vibes drop off a cliff and toxicity start to return. Supporters are frustrated at the tempo of football, performances from individuals, and perhaps above all, the transfer activity (or lack thereof).
Chelsea entered last summer in need of a clear upgrade in goal, a defensive leader, midfield cover, and a proper striker to dovetail with Nicolas Jackson. The money spent solved none of that, and so it was, entering January, that the same issues persisted and failing to solve those played a role in the drop-off.
Jackson continues to struggle in front of goal and now in general play. Defensive errors remain too high for a team trying to reach the elite. Robert Sanchez is far from a top-level goalkeeper and has cost Chelsea more points than he has saved, no matter what Maresca says. Moises Caicedo is still terribly overburdened with carrying the entire centre of the pitch.
Noise around potential arrivals in positions that did not appear immediately of priority – pursuing Alejandro Garnacho, another young winger, for example – as well as a lack of investment or planning for those areas that are bear, only added to the heightened sense of drift. That feeling crept onto the field as chances went astray and results deserted Maresca.
The pent-up irritation at Trevoh Chalobah’s treatment prior to his return and the steady fall down the table only added to the ill-feeling. It wasn’t quite the verge of eternal turmoil that surrounded Mauricio Pochettino’s run between January and March last year, but it wasn’t far off in terms of general sentiment.
Instead of the wrath being turned towards the manager online it was instead directed at the sporting directors and their model. A loss to Graham Potter, of all people, would have pushed Maresca to a place he didn’t want to be. The 10-minute turnaround at Stamford Bridge on deadline day has, at least temporarily, delayed and withheld too much despair being vented towards the team itself.
Ultimately, with 14 Premier League games left, Chesea are two points ahead of Manchester City in fifth and only four from Nottingham Forest above them. It isn’t the worst spot to be in, even if it could have been so much better.
Had it not been for Bournemouth, Aston Villa, Newcastle United, and City all losing this weekend, it may well have been substantially more problematic. Chelsea have lost their buffer but are not out of the race, even if it has felt close in recent weeks.
This is the thing with a top-four battle, though. Rarely are teams that strong or good. Consistency doesn’t exist in this world. It makes things all the more vexing when the bar really isn’t that high.
So yes, that deflected Cole Palmer shot really was important. This is especially true because it is two trips to Brighton up next in the FA Cup and then the league before a visit to Aston Villa. None of these games are straight forward, although both teams play in an open style that may well suit Chelsea.
For Maresca, he has overcome a tricky period. He is still learning, after all, and is into just his second full season as a head coach. His dislike for transfer windows was clear, and his reaction when told that Chelsea had completed a deadline day move was hilariously non-plussed. He wanted the final hour or so to go quicker than any other.
Now on the other side and Maresca has escaped. There was a moment on Monday night when things really looked like they might get ugly and he would be roped into yet another downbeat press conference. A stagnant first half followed by a mistake to allow Jarrod Bowen in for West Ham’s opener was hardly followed by a big response from his team.
Chelsea had not turned up or showed much fight following a bruising defeat to City last weekend. They didn’t look like a team proving a point. Then Tosin Adarabioyo, nicknamed Uncle Tosin by some of his teammates due to his status as the oldest player in the squad (outside of third-choice and unused goalkeeper Marcus Bettinelli) let fly from outside the box.
He was nearly being booed before shooting, and this is for a player who had twice scored against Morecambe from distance just two weeks earlier and who netted at the same end against Wolves as well. The walking pace football and lack of urgency was too much for Stamford Bridge and as the tempers boiled, Adarabioyo let loose and showed the frazzled mind of a disjointed team under pressure.
Things could have turned sour for Maresca. It was at this stage that stripping things back, Chelsea were losing to a much-maligned former manager after a calamitous mistake and had taken off their only senior striker. With only a 19-year-old midfielder signed to make any difference and glaring holes in the squad, nothing about the club felt particularly nice or rosey.
Fortunately, Maresca got everything right and on these nights seasons can change, teams can be formed. Chelsea showed a scrappy side to fight through to a win. It was the first time since December 2013 that they had come from behind at the break to win a home Premier League game. This young core, which wears its faults so openly, found two big moments and just about clung on.
Tight margins decide matches and decide seasons. In the heat and demands of a European race, it is the sort of thing that needs to now be a sign of growth moving forward.
The substitutions made five minutes into the second half and then 10 minutes later again made an impact. Chelsea’s full-backs moved wide to allow the attackers into more dangerous positions.
An element of fortune exists for both goals but the comeback was eventually complete and Maresca let out a massive roar at full-time. This was needed. Not just the three points but the end of the window.
He is a coach who wants to focus on football. Speaking afterwards he offered an insight into his mindset, pleading for the fans to be more patient when defences sit deep. This is unlikely to come immediately but Maresca will have freed up headspace.
The moves made by Chelsea to sell Cesare Casadei and then loan out Joao Felix and Axel Disasi on deadline day have made his job easier. There is no need to offer meaningless game time to players who are out of the plans. Even in the Conference League he can prioritise a smaller group or academy hopefuls.
It is a move that has cut down his large squad in a way that exposes decisions made last summer and ever since the current sporting structure was put in place but certainly comes at a good time for the coach.
The arrival of Mathis Amougou is less logical. For Chelsea to add another midfielder with a track record in Ligue 1 they might have been better off looking at Lesley Ugochukwu or Andrey Santos instead. Amougou already looks like a player destined for the loan churn and a visit to RC Strasboug next season instead of being true reinforcement.Tap Here for the Full Story
Maresca won’t care too much about that. He has a vital win and a reduced playing squad for the final stages of the season. Even if there are concerns across the pitch in certain areas he will be relieved to have gotten through Monday night and January still within touch.
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