So much for inverted full-backs and carefully crafted coordinated positional play. In an echo of Ange Postecoglou turning to direct football to lead Tottenham to glory in the Europa League, Enzo Maresca’s reward for putting pragmatism over his principles was a chance to bask in the schadenfreude of telling his critics to “eff off” after a performance so no-nonsense there were times when it felt as if we had been transported back to when nobody ever questioned Chelsea’s mentality or quality when the heat was on.
This is progress. There were plenty of raised eyebrows when Chelsea parted company with Mauricio Pochettino at the end of last season, just when it seemed the Argentinian had them on the right path, and brought in an inexperienced dogmatist from Leicester. Just when were these detached American owners going to get out of their own way? The accusations came thick and fast: the contracts being handed out were too long, vast quantities of money was being wasted on potential and now, with the appointment of a manager whose biggest achievement was winning the Championship with Leicester, it seemed Chelsea were in danger of joining Manchester United in the nether zone.
It has not been easy. Maresca made a blistering start to the season but cracks appeared at the midway point. Chants of “We’ve got our Chelsea back” quickly turned into “We want our Chelsea back”, exposing tensions in the stands, and there was a point when it seemed the campaign was going to be swallowed up by the debate over Maresca’s obsession with possession.
Yet while there is room for this young team to improve, there is no point finding fault after they turned up at the City Ground, found an atmosphere fuelled by Gary Neville’s new status as pantomime villain in Nottingham and responded by grinding out the win that earned Chelsea qualification for the Champions League for the first time since they were bought by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital three years ago.
They were all pouring out of the away dugout when Anthony Taylor blew for full time. The sporting directors, Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart, looked gleeful. Behdad Eghbali, Clearlake’s co-founder and the club’s most powerful figure, was on the pitch with Boehly, who smiled as he hugged Reece James, one of the final remnants from the Roman Abramovich era. Hang on a minute. Where’s the chaos? Is this thing, put together at a cost of more than £1bn, going to work? One civil war at ownership level later, have Chelsea managed to build a band of brothers?
They had done a job on a Nottingham Forest side running on fumes after a heroic campaign. Maresca is a manager who craves the ball. He wants patient buildup, midfielders as full-backs, the game to be mannered and orderly. To deal with Forest, though, he adjusted. Chelsea were reactive rather than proactive. They dropped back, embraced the physicality and neutralised Forest’s counterattacking threat by allowing them to dominate possession.
Maresca’s tactics and selections paid off. Tosin Adarabioyo used his height to combat Chris Wood’s aerial threat. There was no repeat of Moisés Caicedo as an auxiliary right-back. Caicedo started next to Enzo Fernández in midfield and was vital in combating Forest’s early intensity. Marc Cucurella and James were restrained and reliable in the full-back positions.
There was discipline to Chelsea, Cole Palmer rolling his sleeves up and tracking back to stop a dangerous dart from Anthony Elanga just before half-time. Forest, forced to settle for a place in the Conference League, grew anxious and snatched their passes. Wood had one opportunity, volleying over from close range, but Chelsea were comfortable.
The tension got to Forest. Their defensive foundations weakened during the run-in and there was a sense that Chelsea were waiting for the mistake. So it proved when the only goal arrived in the 50th minute, Neco Williams’ failure to deal with Cucurella’s hopeful pass allowing Pedro Neto to dart through and set up Levi Colwill for a tap-in.
That was pretty much that. Maresca made defensive substitutions, Malo Gusto and Roméo Lavia coming on to lock the door. Forest huffed and puffed but created little until Wood blazed over in added time. Chelsea, who had won only once on the road in the league since December, stood firm. They wilted at Newcastle two weeks ago, folding under physical pressure, but this was a tougher display. As for Maresca, he has answered some of the concerns about his approach. Some at Chelsea had wondered whether he was too unflinching when they hired the Italian. Could he adapt? One candidate was overlooked for similar reasons.
Maresca got his shot. Chelsea have worked with him, helping him through some difficult moments. Chelsea want a flowing style but sometimes the result is all that counts. Now they are rubbing shoulders with Europe’s elite again. They can win the first trophy under this ownership when they face Real Betis in the Conference League final on Wednesday and they know that access to Champions League money gives them a chance to compete for the best in the transfer market this summer. Maybe Chelsea have grown up.
