The latest match of round 22 of the Premier League will be the match at Stamford Bridge between home team Chelsea and visitors Wolves. After a period of sublimation, The Blues could be kicked out of the Champions League group if they do not win against Wolves.
After a period of good performance, Chelsea have now failed to win in their last 5 Premier League matches. In contrast to the beginning of the season and the recent period of continuous winning, the home form of Enzo Maresca and his team is very bad. The goal of Top 4 seemed very easy but now it is extremely difficult. Maresca once said that Chelsea could not be put on par with Liverpool, Arsenal or Man City and that has been proven completely right.
If we use the home ground criteria to rank the Premier League teams before round 22, Chelsea is in the middle position with 17 points after 10 matches. On the contrary, if we consider the away matches criteria, The Blues is in 3rd place with 24 points after 11 matches, just behind Liverpool and Nottingham Forest.
Enzo Maresca is aware of this. In his press conference before the match with Wolves, the Italian captain said that Chelsea must win at home at all costs. Maresca shared that if Chelsea won all away games from now until the end of the season, then a few draws at home would be fine. However, the proposition of winning all away games until the end of the season is almost impossible, so there needs to be a balance in performance between playing at home and away.
The final result at the end of the season is the most important thing but to get more enthusiastic support from the fans, Maresca need to win more at Stamford Bridge. Wolves are a team fighting to avoid relegation so the upcoming match is the best opportunity for The Blues to quench their thirst for 3 points at Stamford Bridge.
Understanding the importance of each home appearance, Maresca has found many ways to rekindle the pride of the True Blues at Stamford Bridge. After each match, the 44-year-old coach always goes around to thank the fans in a very sincere way. A few weeks ago, the Stamford Bridge stands could still hear the sounds of "Our Chelsea is back".
Right now, that chant is temporarily gone and it's up to Maresca and his team to figure out how to make it reappear.
For Enzo Maresca, everything is not just about slogans, everything must be materialized through tactics and achievements on the field. Also in the press conference before the match against Wolves, he somewhat recognized the difference so that he could adjust.
"When playing away, against teams that play proactive defense, we are calmer because we are not in a hurry. Meanwhile, at home, sometimes the whole team wants to play fast because we want to show the fans positivity. This is probably a mistake when facing teams that play deep defense, it only works if the opponent plays pressing.
"In the match against Bournemouth, they pressed high. Chelsea attacked quite recklessly with the trio of Nicolas Jackson, Cole Palmer and Enzo Fernandez. If they played like that away from home, the result would have been better" - Maresca shared about the 2-2 draw against Bournemouth at home in the context that The Blues escaped in injury time after opening the score.
If Chelsea can overcome Wolves in their next game, their home form from now until the end of the season could improve. In eight of their next nine games at Stamford Bridge from now until the end of the season, Enzo Maresca's side will only face teams currently 12th in the table or lower. That's a good chance to improve their form at Stamford Bridge, but Chelsea should not forget that they must maintain a good run of form when away from West London.
