Where it’s all gone wrong for Chelsea from Cole Palmer’s slump in form to club legends lashing out at Enzo Maresca

CHELSEA’S title credentials were the talk of the town two months ago. A strong run from late October to mid-December saw Enzo Maresca’s men go unbeaten in eight league matches, picking up six wins along the way. But since then, Chelsea have won just two of their last nine. It’s seen them go from joining Liverpool at the top of the table to being 17 points off first place. But what exactly has gone wrong at Stamford Bridge?.

Here, SunSport’s Anthony Chapman looks at the main issues bugging the Blues…. LAST season’s Young Player of the Year should arguably have won the top prize. He helped himself to an incredible 22 goals and 11 assists in 34 league outings. And Palmer’s freedom to drift from the right as team-mates ran their legs off played a huge part in his numbers. His form this season has still been good, with 14 goals and six assists so far.

But Palmer has trailed off big time in the last 11 games, coinciding with Chelsea’s barren run. He has just three goals in that time, along with ZERO assists. And Palmer’s role as the Blues’ central No10 looks to be stifling his creativity rather than exposing it. As Chelsea’s star man and playmaker, he now finds himself being closed down by opponents from all angles of the field. Lining up through the centre is making things easier for defenders and midfielders, who are not afraid to double up as other teammates cover gaps, to limit space in and around channels.

Chelsea may now have to think about setting him up on the right again, which would give Palmer more time to act while also having to deal with less opponents. But that would require some flexibility on Maresca’s part, which will be explored later on. FORGET Chelsea not signing a striker in January – this problem dates back to last summer’s transfer window. The Blues were crying out for a focal point despite a decent debut season from Nicolas Jackson.

He bagged 14 goals and five assists leading the line under Pochettino. Yet his preference to drift wide and cut in showed that Jackson was equally capable of playing on the wing. That opened the door for Chelsea to sign a proper scorer like Victor Osimhen and Viktor Gyokeres. Instead, the hierarchy decided to continue with Jackson as striker – while making him the undisputed No1 to boot. That saw just kid Marc Guiu join, while two new wingers in Jadon Sancho and Pedro Neto were also added.

Fast forward six months and Jackson has just nine league goals. There has been nobody to challenge him all season. And now that he and Guiu are both injured, Chelsea do not have a single 'recognised' striker in their squad. January marked the opportunity for the owners to right the wrongs of last summer, even with just a loan signing. Any attempt or effort would have been welcomed by fans, even if that player turned out to be another Gonzalo Higuain or Alexandre Pato.

But more negligence in the attacking departments means Chelsea look even less likely to hit the target in each passing match. SOME Chelsea fans still have sleepless nights remembering the days of Maurizio Sarri. But for all his faults, the stubborn, chain-smoking Italian managed a third-place finish while also winning the Europa League. Maresca is just like his compatriot in that he refuses to shake things up from his chosen system and style of play.

Yet he will need a miracle if he is to achieve a similar league finish while also bagging a European trophy in the process. Maresca has shown he has no intention of moving away from his 4-2-3-1 shape, which most often sees a full-back drift into midfield. At first the system worked quite well as it helped Chelsea build up with efficiency. But just like Sarri’s 4-3-3 was eventually found out, it feels like teams have finally figured exactly how to stop Maresca’s men from playing.

Now it’s Palmer, and not Jorginho, who is the focal point for dictating the tempo. And, as explained earlier, he is now being shunted out of the game and needs to be moved if he is to revitalise his season. Maresca also clearly likes to stick with his preferred group of players, with under-performers like Enzo Fernandez and Noni Madueke regularly commanding starting spots. Joao Felix was one of Chelsea’s most impressive forwards despite being limited mainly to the Conference League.

But a lack of chances saw him shipped off to AC Milan on loan, where Felix has already cemented a place in their starting XI. Renato Veiga was another newly-signed talent who pushed for a winter exit after being left on the bench. He is now starring in his preferred position of centre-back for Juventus, with manager Thiago Motta hailing the Portugal international as a signing who has immediately revolutionised their style of play.