Chelsea's project has led Enzo Maresca to another winter slump: Immature Blues were never Premier League title contenders - and recruitment negligence has them in a Champions League scramble again

Maresca's Chelsea have prior form when it comes to suffering through the festive period. Though they began December 2024 with six successive wins across all competitions, they embarked on a run of five Premier League matches without a win afterwards, with their only respite in that period coming in an FA Cup tie against Morecambe.

When the Blues beat Brentford 2-1 before that rot set in, they moved to within two points of Liverpool at the top of the table. Yet the message coming out from the club was clear - they didn't want to be considered title contenders. It was the overriding narrative that may as well have been printed above the Stamford Bridge tunnel in the same way Anfield's is adorned with 'You'll Never Walk Alone'.

"I don't even know what that is," then-Chelsea winger Noni Madueke responded when asked about winning the league before his side dropped points at Everton to begin their winless run. They may have become the first team in history to talk themselves out of contention.

That streak without a Premier League victory ended on January 20 with a 3-1 triumph at home to Wolves, but Chelsea then lost three of their next four matches to plummet them back into a top-five fight. They only just about recovered and finished fourth on the final day of the season after beating fellow European contenders Nottingham Forest.

The first half of 2024-25 went swimmingly for Chelsea for a couple of key reasons. Maresca, perhaps most importantly, built on the foundations laid by predecessor Mauricio Pochettino, whose own iteration of the Blues ended up finishing only five points off a Champions League spot despite the mixed reviews of his one-season tenure. The west Londoners lost only twice in the Premier League before Boxing Day - at home to champions Manchester City on the opening weekend, and then away at eventual title-winners Liverpool in October.

But Chelsea were also boosted by playing in the six-match league phase of the Conference League, rather than the eight-match gauntlet of the Champions League this term. While their domestic contemporaries were away battling the continent's best, Maresca was able to rotate en masse to face the likes of FC Noah, Astana and Shamrock Rovers. His first-teamers were fitter and fresher than the others at the top of the Premier League, while Cole Palmer wasn't even registered in Europe until the knockout stages.

This term, Maresca has found it tough juggling with the increased importance of fixtures every three or four days as opposed to splitting his squad into two for different competitions. That's before we even begin to think of the repercussions of their lengthy Club World Cup campaign over the summer, which left them without much of a pre-season to build up fitness and sharpness again.

The Athletichave calculated that Maresca has already made a whopping 119 changes to his starting line-ups in 23 games to date this season, which is a high among Premier League clubs, and the squad is already wilting physically.

"I think tonight, first XI, we had inside the pitch eight, nine players that they play against Tottenham, they play against Barcelona, they play against Wolves, Arsenal," the Italian said after Tuesday's defeat to Atalanta. "So if you see the five changes that we did compared to Bournemouth, it's different. The ones that play tonight are the ones that are playing almost all the games."

Chelsea knew this sort of problem would be awaiting them this season. The club and its decision-makers were aware of how many matches the team would be playing off the back of a gruelling and extended 2024-25 campaign. They brought in eight players over the summer who have gone into Maresca's squad right away (Dario Essugo, Liam Delap, Joao Pedro, Jamie Gittens, Jorrel Hato, Estevao Willian, Alejandro Garnacho and Facundo Buanonotte), but sold off six who played significant minutes last term (Madueke, Joao Felix, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Renato Veiga, Christopher Nkunku and Nicolas Jackson). They didn't add enough bodies ready to compete at the highest level.

Of their most recent acquisitions, you could only make cases for one of Pedro and Delap being in their strongest starting line up. Even then, they aren't players who particularly move the needle when compared to last season's team. Add in that Chelsea have again plundered away millions on prospects who may or may not even play a competitive minute for the club and it leaves you wondering how many more, top-line reinforcements they could have added instead.

For all of the millions and billions that Chelsea have spent in the BlueCo era, only two of their signings are bonafide 'world-class', with Caicedo and Palmer well clear of their peers. The Blues have been up-and-down without their 'cold' superstar, but are winless since the Ecuadorian was sent off against Arsenal (though even his return against Atalanta was marked with a loss).

That is an absurdly low hit rate for a club that has boasted of its 'trading model'. At £105 million ($140m), World Cup winner Enzo Fernandez should be more than a good-not-great stalwart. Options in either box are mostly middling at best. Their rotating cast of wingers are all of a similar standard without a standout option, bar the moments the incredibly raw Estevao decides to go Super Saiyan.

The only saving grace in this regard is Chelsea have managed the return of Reece James well, with the injury-prone captain now regularly fit and able to play in their most important matches. Nevertheless, they still lack the star power which should be requisite for a club of this size and outlay.

Much has been made of Chelsea's ill discipline this season, with Caicedo's red card their sixth of the season in all competitions. Four of those have come in the Premier League, so they are still less than halfway to the competition record of nine, but it's far from inconceivable that they could match that number come May.

The Blues' squad has the youngest average age in the Premier League this season at 23.3. In second place are Tottenham, more than a whole year older at 24.7. Maresca himself is a relative rookie of a manager having taken charge of just over 150 senior matches in any given dugout, 67 of which came before heading to Stamford Bridge.

But the Italian has proven his worth as one of the best up-and-coming coaches in the game, tactically evolving and managing a dressing room of adolescence even despite the noise that follows the club. He should at least be rewarded with more players who are ready to compete in the harshest spotlight - that Chelsea's most senior players are Tosin Adarabioyo and Robert Sanchez is a farce, and the vacuum of accountability is only for the various sporting directors and recruitment leaders to answer.

After their loss at Leeds - a game in which Tosin was at fault for the third goal they conceded - Maresca even declared that he did not have the appropriate quality to cope for certain players' absence.

"Most of the rotation we do is because the other one cannot play," he said. "But I always try to be honest with you. In football, in life, in any job, there is a level. Andrey [Santos], unfortunately, is not Moi [Caicedo]. Tosin is not Wes [Fofana]. They have different skills. They are different. If I say to you that Andrey is like Moi, you can understand for yourself that I am a liar. There is a level at all jobs. Like me. Plenty of managers are better than me. Some not. But there is a level at all jobs. So, for me, [this] is the reality."

Chelsea head into Saturday's clash against Everton only a point ahead of the Toffees in the table. David Moyes' record away at top sides is sketchy, but even he must be optimistic about pulling off an upset given the Blues have failed to win four of their seven home Premier League games this term.

This four-game winless run only adds to the pressure of Chelsea performing in front of their home fans, who can grow mutinous quickly if the football isn't fast or successful. The Blues' shine of their last match at Stamford Bridge a fortnight ago has already worn off.

After Everton, showdowns with Newcastle at St James' Park - a notoriously unhappy hunting ground for Chelsea - and supposed title-contenders Aston Villa back on home soil await. Games against Bournemouth and Manchester City then follow on either side of New Year's Day. At least their Carabao Cup and FA Cup draws have been kind - away at League One side Cardiff City and Championship outfit Charlton Athletic respectively - which could allow Maresca to return to last season's selection policy of wholesale rotation, easing the strain on the most reliable of his troops.

Still, these last couple of weeks have been a wake-up call for everyone at Chelsea. They aren't good or deep enough to be serious contenders for the Premier League or Champions League, and at some point they're going to have to cash in on their promise. There's no point believing in a multi billion-pound project if you don't believe you can challenge a year or two early, preaching a culture of kicking the can down the road.