The Chelsea Chronicle

Chelsea will be looking to keep up their strong record against Qarabag in Europe when they meet again in the Champions League on Wednesday.

The Blues have won two games in a row in the competition, and a third victory in succession will see them in a very strong position in the group stage.

Chelsea faced Qarabag in the 2017/18 Champions League, winning 6-0 at Stamford Bridge before Eden Hazard led them to victory in Azerbaijan.

It is expected that Enzo Maresca’s side are able to secure all three points across the continent, and they will take solace in the fact that their upcoming opponents have a terrible record against English opposition.

Chelsea’s Champions League opponents’ only goal vs English side came against Tottenham

Qarabag have lost seven games out of seven in Europe against Premier League sides, and have not scored in their last six meetings.

In fact, their only goal against an English side came against arch-rivals Tottenham, however they fell to a 3-1 defeat on that day.

The Blues gave their London rivals a timely reminder of their dominance over them at the weekend with the victory at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium, where their opponents couldn’t lay a glove on them.

Spurs have somewhat returned to form in the Champions League with a dominant win over Slavia Prague on Tuesday, however the Blues can overtake them again with a win in Azerbaijan.

Rotation expected for Chelsea vs Qarabag

Given the long-distance flight for the game and the quick turnaround for their return to the Premier League on Saturday, Chelsea can be expected to make plenty of changes to their side for the Champions League clash.

Pedro Neto will miss the game due to injury, and there are certainly reasons that Maresca could want to drop another of his wingers too.

Estevao is closing in on a European suspension after picking up a yellow card against Ajax, and with some big games to come it could be advisable to protect the Brazilian for them.

The Blues still have to face Barcelona and Napoli, and will need to avoid defeat if they want to secure a place in the top eight by the end of the groups.

Few were as happy with Chelsea’s win over Tottenham as club legend John Terry, and the former Blue was a huge fan of the post-game celebrations on show.

Terry’s excellent personal record against Spurs always means the fixture holds an importance to him, and his former side did not disappoint with a dominant 1-0 win.

Last season saw Terry aim a dig at Spurs’ James Maddison, and Joao Pedro’s much-needed goal in the first half will only have increased his smugness regarding the opposition.

As a familiar feeling sunk in around the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the Chelsea players enjoyed a prolonged celebration in front of the travelling supporters in the away end.

Terry stated after the game that he was a big fan of how the Blues made sure they enjoyed the victory after the 90 minutes were up, with him knowing better than most how important this fixture is to Chelsea fans.

He said: “Always great beating Spurs away and I just loved the passion from the boys afterwards on the pitch. The performance is the performance, but you come away with the result and that’s the main thing.

“I thought we dealt with the game really well, the fans were on them, that can make things a bit easier, a win is a win and we will take it all day long against them.”

The victory took the Blues level on points with Spurs, and a game against struggling Wolves at the weekend gives them the best possible chance to cement their place in the Champions League places.

Chelsea’s exceptional record vs Tottenham

In the Premier League era, the fixture between the two London rivals has only gone one way.

Of the 67 meetings, Chelsea have been defeated in just eight of those games since 1992, tasting victory 38 times.

Since Spurs have moved to their new stadium, it has been a near-perfect record too. No visiting team has won more at the new ground than Chelsea.

The club’s domination of one of their fiercest rivals is something supporters are very proud of, and given the nature of the win over the weekend is something that looks set to continue.

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has a huge fan in Jamie Carragher following his side’s victory over Tottenham Hotspur last Saturday.

Chelsea beat their London rivals 1-0 thanks to a Joao Pedro goal, which was set up by Moises Caicedo.

Since then, Caicedo has received a lot of praise from teammates and pundits. His overall performance was outstanding.

However, Carragher was also impressed with Maresca and some of the tactics that he saw from the Chelsea manager during the game.

Jamie Carragher impressed with Enzo Maresca’s in-game rotation at Chelsea

What caught Carragher’s attention in Saturday’s London derby is how Chelsea players were rotating positions mid-game.

In at least one phase of play, right-back Malo Gusto was the furthest player forward, while Pedro had practically dropped into a defensive midfield position.

For Carragher, it is a tactic that makes Maresca an elite coach and puts him up there with Pep Guardiola, Arne Slot and Mikel Arteta.

Analysing Chelsea’s win against Tottenham on Sky Sports, Carragher said: “When you talk about rotations, this is what the managers at the top level can really do. Pep Guardiola, Arne Slot, Mikel Arteta, Maresca. They can coach the rotations and the movements.”

While the Blues were able to beat Thomas Frank’s side, they have only moved up to seventh in the Premier League table and are still behind their London rivals.

However, Chelsea will still finish in the top four, according to another former England defender, Gary Neville.

Enzo Maresca easily one of the best managers in the Premier League

In his first season at Chelsea, Maresca was able to guide the team to Champions League qualification and the Club World Cup and Conference League trophies.

Prior to that, he also led Leicester City to Premier League promotion, which helped the Italian earn a move to Chelsea.

Maresca is a modern-day coach, desiring his team to dominate possession, press high and attack in numbers.

Robert Sanchez really believes in this Chelsea team, expressing that following their win against Tottenham Hotspur.

Chelsea beat their London rivals 1-0 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last weekend, with Joao Pedro scoring the all-important goal.

After the match, Sanchez praised Moises Caicedo, who provided the assist for Pedro’s strike and had a good game overall.

However, the goalkeeper also made sure to talk up the whole of Enzo Maresca’s team following the full-time whistle.

Robert Sanchez says Chelsea have ‘everything’

Despite their victory over Tottenham, Chelsea are only seventh in the Premier League table.

Last season, while the Blues were able to qualify for the Champions League, they finished 15 points behind champions Liverpool.

Nevertheless, Sanchez still thinks that this is a Chelsea side that possesses “everything”.

“We started with Enzo [Fernandez], Moi, Reece [James] — Romeo [Lavia] was bright when he came on, Cole [Palmer] hopefully comes back soon as well. What more could you ask?” the 27-year-old was quoted as saying by Chelsea’s official club website after the Tottenham game.

“We’ve got the defending, we’ve got composure on the ball, we’ve got the attack, we’ve got everything.”

The team’s captain is another player who performed exceptionally well in north London last Saturday. Maresca started James in the engine room, and alongside Caicedo, he helped Chelsea to dominate the derby.

All in all, it was a great win for the Club World Cup holders, but if they continue to show more inconsistency and drop points against Wolverhampton Wanderers this weekend, it would have been for nothing.

Chelsea missing experience and 20-goal-a-season striker

Chelsea have a very talented squad that has a lot of potential, but it is hard to agree with Sanchez.

The Blues are lacking experience, especially in central defence. Tosin Adarabioyo is their most seasoned centre-back at the age of 28.

The likes of Levi Colwill and Wesley Fofana have a lot of quality, but they are still developing.

Further up the pitch, Chelsea signed Joao Pedro and Liam Delap, who are good centre-forwards. But are they going to score 20 goals in a single Premier League campaign for Maresca’s side?

At Brighton & Hove Albion, Pedro did net 20 times in one season, but only nine of his goals came in the English top flight.

Simply put, Chelsea are missing experience and a 20-goal-a-season striker, which will likely prevent them from challenging for the Premier League title this term.

Chelsea’s midfield has been a huge talking point for Tony Cascarino and others following the Blues’ 1-0 win against Tottenham Hotspur over the weekend.

Moises Caicedo started in the middle of the park and put in another excellent performance for his side.

It was the 24-year-old who set up Joao Pedro’s decisive goal after winning the ball back on the edge of Tottenham’s box.

Enzo Maresca spoke about Caicedo after the game, claiming that he is one of the two best defensive midfielders in the world. His latest display has brought a lot of attention to Chelsea’s engine room.

Tony Cascarino thinks Chelsea have a better midfield than Liverpool

As well as Caicedo, Chelsea also have the likes of Enzo Fernandez, Reece James and Romeo Lavia as options for their midfield.

According to Cascarino, it is an “unbelievable” midfield that not even Premier League champions Liverpool can match.

Speaking about it on talkSPORT, the former Blues forward said: “There’s quite clearly an unbelievable midfield. I’d say it’s hard to find a better midfield three that have so much. I think other clubs have got more all around like Arsenal.

“I mean, Arsenal have got a great midfield as well and Liverpool had last season, but I don’t think Liverpool’s midfield is quite as good as Chelsea’s.”

Despite being a defender, Maresca used James in midfield during his side’s win at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

It is not the first time that the 25-year-old has played there since the Chelsea manager’s arrival at Stamford Bridge.

And after his performance in north London on Saturday, it is unlikely to be his last.

Chelsea have the best midfield in the Premier League

There is probably not a better ball-winner in English football than Caicedo right now.

Fernandez has also mastered the art of arriving in the box at the perfect time to score a tap-in or header. Frank Lampard would be extremely proud.

The two South Americans complement each other so well. At this moment in time, you will definitely not find a better duo in the Premier League.

Add James, Lavia and Andrey Santos to the mix, and you can quite comfortably say that Chelsea have a better midfield than all of their rivals, not just Liverpool. It is definitely the strongest area of their squad.

Wesley Fofana made what was only his third Premier League start of the season at the weekend in Chelsea’s victory over London rivals Tottenham Hotspur.

The central defender helped his side to keep a clean sheet as Enzo Maresca’s men went on to win the game 1-0.

Joao Pedro and Moises Caicedo combined for Chelsea’s winner and had good games overall.

However, while he did show some signs of rust at times, Fofana can also be pleased with his own display in north London.

Wesley Fofana won all of his aerial duels in Chelsea’s win against Tottenham

Fofana was aerially dominant, bullying compatriot Randal Kolo Muani, who had a very quiet game.

According to Sofascore, the 24-year-old won all six of the aerial duels that he competed in on the afternoon. No player managed to win more.

Last season, it was claimed that Fofana is one of Maresca’s favourite players at Stamford Bridge. After watching him put in such a dominant performance, it is not hard to understand why.

Fofana is quite a physical and aggressive centre-half. The Frenchman is able to really impose himself on centre-forwards.

Chelsea have missed having a dominant central defender like that. Hopefully he can now stay fit, with his display away at Spurs showing what he can bring to the Club World Cup winners.

Wesley Fofana has the potential to save Chelsea millions

Because of Levi Colwill’s and Benoit Badiashile’s injuries, Chelsea may be tempted to sign a new central defender in the January transfer window if a good opportunity presents itself.

But if Fofana can stay fit, there will not be a need to fork out money on another centre-half.

The France international can be that dominant figure in central defence that Chelsea have been lacking. He proved it against Tottenham.

Fofana just needs to stay injury-free, though that is often easier said than done. But if he can, it solves a lot of issues for Maresca and Chelsea.

Reece James started in midfield once again for Chelsea in their 1-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday.

While the 25-year-old is a full-back by trade, Enzo Maresca has used him in the middle of the park on multiple occasions.

Aston Villa star Matty Cash really rates James as a right-back, but his manager clearly feels that he is also a capable midfielder.

The Chelsea boss has now explained why he opted to start him alongside Moises Caicedo in the middle at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Enzo Maresca wanted Reece James’ physicality in midfield

Possessing the likes of Enzo Fernandez, Joao Pedro and Pedro Neto, Chelsea are a very technical team.

However, Maresca felt that he needed more physicality for what proved to be another fiery London derby at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

As a result, the Italian decided to use James in midfield and push Fernandez further forward, where the Argentine was able to cause havoc.

Explaining the importance of James’ midfield role to Chelsea’s official club website, Maresca said: “It depends a little bit on the game plan. I think yesterday we needed a little bit more physicality in the middle.

“We expected them to play with [Pape Matar] Sarr, with [Rodrigo] Bentancur, with [Joao] Palhinha. We didn’t expect them with four midfielders, because then [Lucas] Bergvall also played.”

While the England international did have a good game in the engine room against Thomas Frank’s side, it was his midfield partner who really stood out.

Jason Cundy waxed lyrical about Caicedo during the match, describing his display as “immense”.

How Reece James showed leadership in Tottenham win

Maresca has not always been impressed with James’ leadership, criticising his captain for not showing enough last season.

However, it is something that the Chelsea academy product has really worked on, and that was clear to see at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

For example, there was one moment at half-time where James gathered his Chelsea teammates so that they could head off the pitch together.

It was perhaps to ensure that no one would be left alone to receive abuse from the Tottenham supporters. There is always the possibility that he just wanted to share some words with his teammates.

Whatever the reason, he was literally leading his team as they headed down the tunnel at the break. It is the kind of thing you want to see from your skipper.

Reece James captained Chelsea to a 1-0 win against their London rivals Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday.

It was a pretty quiet afternoon for James and the rest of Chelsea’s defence, with Spurs not creating much.

Thomas Frank was very critical of Tottenham after the game, stating that they did not match their opponents’ energy or intensity during the London derby.

In the end, it was a really good team performance from Chelsea. There was a real togetherness about them, especially at the half-time whistle.

Reece James made sure Chelsea players headed down tunnel together

After the referee blew his whistle to bring the first half of the match to a conclusion, James gathered all of his Chelsea teammates so that they could walk down the tunnel together.

It was “something new”, according to journalist Kieran Gill, who posted a video of the scene on social media.

James’ act was an interesting one. Perhaps the Chelsea captain did not want any of his teammates to face likely abuse from Tottenham supporters alone.

Whatever the case, Enzo Maresca can be happy with the leadership skills that the defender is showing right now.

During the week, Aston Villa star Matty Cash admitted that he watches James in an effort to improve his own game.

Reece James has grown into captain’s armband at Chelsea

The reason why Maresca will be so delighted with James’ recent conduct as a captain is because he has not always been convinced about the right-back in that role.

Last year, Maresca was very critical of James for not showing enough leadership. The Chelsea boss said: “Yes, I spoke with him and I expected from him more in terms of leadership, inside the changing room and for different kind of things.”

It is an area where the England international has really improved, though, with what he did at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium being a fine example.

James is no longer getting silly bookings for lashing out and altercations either, instead acting as the peacemaker when things flare-up on the pitch.

It is what Chelsea need from their captain right now with the team having a bit of a disciplinary issue.

Liam Delap’s red card during the week was Chelsea’s sixth of the season, including Maresca’s against Liverpool.

Xavi Simons could have been lining up for Chelsea in their 1-0 win against Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday.

Chelsea were interested in signing Simons before his move from RB Leipzig to Tottenham during the summer transfer window.

At the time, plenty of Blues supporters were disappointed to see the club miss out on such a talented attacker.

However, Simons is yet to show that talent in the Premier League, and Chelsea fans now believe that not signing him may have been a blessing in disguise.

Chelsea fans claim club ‘dodged a bullet’ after not signing Xavi Simons

Chelsea supporters got to see Simons up close and personal on Saturday as their side took on Tottenham, and it is fair to say that they were not impressed with his performance.

After the attacking midfielder was substituted on and then brought off, many Blues fans claimed that their club “dodged a bullet” by not bringing him to Stamford Bridge.

One Chelsea supporter on the social media platform X posted: “We dodged a bullet with Xavi Simons.”

Another wrote: “Haven’t watched a lot of Spurs games this season but oh my we dodged a bullet with Simons.”

One other Chelsea fan shared: “Yeah, I’ll hold my hands up. We dodged a bullet with Xavi Simons.”

Another user on X went as far as to describe Simons as a “terrible player”. They said: “We actually dodged a bullet with Xavi Simons man. Such a terrible player.”

One Chelsea supporter never wanted Simons to begin with: “We well and truly dodged a bullet not signing Xavi Simons in the summer… I was never excited or keen on the idea of signing him.”

Forget a bullet, another fan believes the Club World Cup winners dodged a nuclear missile! “We dodged a nuke with Xavi Simons. Another “idea” player.”

It is early days. The 22-year-old still has time to adapt and become a success in English football. However, Chelsea fans remain unconvinced and mocked Simons after he was substituted on Saturday.

Alejandro Garnacho a much safer bet than Xavi Simons

In the end, it became a choice between Simons and Alejandro Garnacho for Chelsea.

According to the reliable Fabrizio Romano, Simons felt that Chelsea prioritised Garnacho over him, which probably left the Dutchman little choice but to join Tottenham.

Out of the two, though, Garnacho was the one with Premier League experience. He was always going to be the safer option.

Rob Green was amused by one Chelsea star in his former side’s 1-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday.

Joao Pedro scored the Blues’ decisive goal, but the forward could have easily had a hat-trick.

After the match, former Manchester United midfielder Owen Hargreaves had some advice for Pedro, urging him to be more selfish.

However, the Brazilian was not the only Chelsea player who wasted some good opportunities at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Rob Green thought Jamie Gittens’ miss was comical

Towards the end of the match, Jamie Gittens had a glorious chance to score and put the game to bed. The winger, though, skied his opportunity, leaving Green and others in disbelief. Thankfully for Enzo Maresca’s side, it did not prove costly.

“It’s comical,” Green said while commentating on the London derby for the BBC. “It’s comical from everyone. It’s comical from Tottenham in attack and then the goal’s gaping, asking to be put away and Gittens blazes over.”

Gittens has made a slow start to life in the Premier League. He has made just two appearances from the beginning this season, failing to score a goal or provide an assist.

However, the winger has put in a couple of really good performances in the Carabao Cup and Champions League.

Maresca is happy with how Gittens is adapting, but Garnacho has been the Chelsea manager’s preferred option for the left wing in the Premier League.

Jamie Gittens should have started Tottenham game

Gittens’ miss was a bad one and Chelsea won the match with the 21-year-old having started on the bench. Many will feel that Maresca’s decision to leave him out of the first XI was justified in the end.

After his performance against Wolverhampton Wanderers midweek, though, dropping Gittens felt a bit harsh.

He was excellent at Molineux, scoring a goal that could end up winning Chelsea’s Goal of the Season award. The England Under-21 international also provided two assists as he absolutely terrorised Wolves’ backline.

It was the best individual performance from a Chelsea player this term and should have resulted in Gittens keeping his place in the starting XI.

With all of that being said, the competition between the former Borussia Dortmund man and Garnacho can only be good for the Blues.