However, after five rounds, Maresca had every reason to be disappointed with the signing team. His coaching results in the past year are remarkable. He has achieved his set goals in the Premier League, won the Europa League, and won the Club World Cup.
But the past 10 days have been extremely difficult: they draw with Brentford, lost to Bayern and Manchester United in a row, and fell behind in the first half against Lincoln City. Next, Mourinho will revisit his old place in the middle of the week and will face Liverpool head-on next weekend. This feels like a key node that determines the direction of the season. Chelsea will either return to the right track or sink in, and the problem of insufficient lineup depth will be completely exposed.
The only goal of Chelsea in the Abu era, which we are familiar with, is to compete for top honors. The management style at that time was known for its iron fist and even cruelty, but the results themselves are the best proof.
Even after Manchester City became the new gold and dollar overlord in the Premier League, Chelsea can continue to win important trophys in Europe and China, which is especially admirable for me. They have built a winning culture similar to Manchester United and Liverpool - no matter the team's roster, any season without a major trophy is equivalent to failure.
Now, the club has signed a large number of young people aged 17 to 22 and given seven-year long appointments, everything seems so comfortable. It feels like a clever trick that can both win praise for smart operations in financial reports and provide a perfect excuse for the argument that “the team needs time to grow, please stay patient.”
In the past 21 years, Chelsea has become the fourth-ranked club on the England honor list with trophies.
The reason why they can be among the top giants in the world is not only because they spend money like money, but also because they are brave enough to bear the huge pressure and expectations brought by their top position.
If they cannot regain their former spirit, they will probably be satisfied with getting tickets to the Champions League every season in the future, rather than believing that they can win the cup in the end.