Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta described Chelsea as the world's best attacking team "spectacularly". This attracted the attention of some people in the press conference room, as well as Enzo Maresca when he said that The Blues were "on the right track". However, there is no evidence at the Emirates that Arteta and Maresca are right.
In fact, Chelsea's goal-scoring problem is getting worse. At the Emirates, they have created the fewest expected goals (0.35), shots and touches in the opposition box (both of which are 8) of the season.
Both of Chelsea's shots on target came from Marc Cucurella, who scored the decisive goal last weekend. It can be said that Chelsea's best scorer at the moment is left-back.
The Blues' most recent away win in the Premier League came on December 8, 2024 - a 4-3 win over Spurs in a two-goal lead. After that, an eight-match winless streak away from home was their longest streak since the poor run that led to Graham Potter's sacking. It is clear that Maresca's side are not playing as a team prepared for the Champions League.
The injury list is the first explanation for the Blues' decline in form. Cole Palmer's absence is obvious, even though the England international has gone seven games without scoring. The loss of Noni Madueke and Nicolas Jackson due to long-term injuries means that Chelsea's top three strikers are all out.
"Ch Chelsea are facing many difficulties. The three players who have contributed the most goals for us, Cole Palmer, Nicolas Jackson and Noni Madueke, are all absent today. In particular, Jackson and Madueke even have to sit out for a long time.
Therefore, it is understandable that Chelsea's attacking form has declined recently. But even when struggling with injuries, Chelsea are still in second or third place among the teams with the best attack in the league," the Italian said after the loss to Arsenal.
But remember, Maresca's current squad has a total transfer cost of £1.3 billion, more than both teams spent on Monday and Tuesday combined.
Chelsea hope that all three players can be healthy after the international break, and that is necessary. Maresca spoke about the importance of taking the "next step" and the Champions League could be a key factor for that.
It seems that scoring and winning are very important for the upcoming future of Maresca and Chelsea.
