Overview
- Chelsea are ninth with 14 points from nine league games, eight behind leaders Arsenal after winning only two of their last six in the Premier League.
- A 2-1 home defeat to Sunderland on October 25, decided by Chemsdine Talbi in stoppage time, highlighted the inconsistency, before a Carabao Cup win over Wolves on Wednesday offered a brief lift.
- Enzo Maresca tempered title talk post-Sunderland, saying Chelsea must find consistent performance levels to contend.
- Matt Le Tissier backed that assessment, and Paul Merson said the youthful squad needs an experienced defender and better attacking options after Nicolas Jackson’s departure, noting issues for Marc Guiu and the injury-managed workload of Joao Pedro.
- Speculative reports suggest some officials are eyeing Bournemouth’s Andoni Iraola as a potential successor, though this is unconfirmed and follows earlier indications of board support despite a poor September run.