Chelsea

Nizaar Kinsella
Chelsea reporter in Baku

Image source, Getty Images

Chelsea forward Joao Pedro has said inconsistency is the result of players dropping their concentration and also played down his own fitness concerns.

The 24-year-old was the match-winner at Tottenham on Saturday but also started the disappointing 2-2 draw at Champions League minnows Qarabag.

When asked about the difficulties faced in Azerbaijan, Joao Pedro said: "We started well, then we complicated the game. We came here to win and got a draw. We dropped our level of concentration in the game and if you drop, the other team is going to score.

"[We can learn] a lot. We're playing in the Champions League. If we want to win games, we have to be 100% focused for the whole game.

"We need to learn how to concentrate for the full game because if we start to drop points in the Premier League, it will be tough to be in the Champions League again next year."

Joao Pedro is known to be struggling for fitness and his manager Enzo Maresca has said the forward is one of the players in his squad who is being managed "game by game".

The Brazil international added: "They are trying to manage it. I'm OK, I feel good and I want to play every game. I try to always be available. It's tough but I want to play every game."

Image source, Getty Images

With the countdown to the Celebrity Traitors final under way, we asked you which Chelsea player or manager - past or present - would make the best traitor and faithful.

Here are some of your comments:

Stuart: Gianfranco Zola would be a great traitor. Nobody would believe it was possible.

George: Traitor - Jose Mourniho! Who else? Clever, charming, good with people and an out-and-out winner. Faithful - Zola.. the little magician, and a player who got clapped at away games by home crowds. Just a true, gentle Chelsea legend.

Johnny: Faithful - Trevoh Chalobah. Cast aside by the club he has served since boyhood until injuries necessitated a recall from Crystal Palace. Never once did he grumble to the media, instead doing his talking in the pitch. Surely the definition of faithful? Traitor - William Gallas. Alleged by the club to have threatened to score an own goal or get sent off in his desperation to engineer a move to Arsenal. All that was missing was the traitors' hood!

Aaron: Mason Mount - biggest traitor in Chelsea history! John Terry will always be the most faithful.

You can watch the final of The Celebrity Traitors live from 21:00 GMT on BBC iPlayer

Nina Hristova
Fan contributor

Giving goals away cheaply has become an unwelcome habit for Chelsea recently, and that frailness was once again exposed by Qarabag in the Champions League.

Defensive lapses and a lack of concentration have made the Blues increasingly vulnerable, particularly when defending one-on-one or under sustained pressure from opponents.

It hasn't helped that Enzo Maresca has been forced to heavily rotate his defensive set-up due to injuries and managing player fitness, but the constant changes have bred instability and disrupted chemistry, reflected in Chelsea's growing struggles to keep clean sheets.

Maresca has fielded a different centre-back pairing in each of Chelsea's last 10 games, a worrying trend for a side seeking rhythm and consistency across all competitions.

Trevoh Chalobah and Wesley Fofana impressed against rivals Tottenham earlier in the week, but it's difficult to build any momentum when the pairing changes so drastically the following game.

Against Qarabag, Tosin Adarabioyo and Jorell Hato looked disjointed and hesitant - with Hato playing out of his natural left-back position and largely at fault for both goals conceded in the first half.

Nineteen-year-old Josh Acheampong has arguably been the Blues' most impressive centre-half this season - and a clear favourite among supporters - but it's a big ask to expect the youngster to anchor the defence for the entire campaign, even if he has shown more promise than his senior team-mates.

In moments like these, Chelsea can't help but miss the leadership and presence of Thiago Silva - a figure capable of steadying the back line and guiding his teammates in difficult situations.

It is no secret that Levi Colwill's summer injury left a clear void, and the decision not to recruit another centre-back is certainly one to rue. Reinforcements in defence will surely be high on Maresca's January wish list.

Find more from Nina Hristova at Nina's Chelsea Corner, external

Nizaar Kinsella
Chelsea reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Chelsea have offered premium members a chance to host a dinner party in the home dressing room at Stamford Bridge for £16,000.

The club will offer champagne, a fine-dining three-course meal, a private night tour of the stadium, and a photographer.

There is also an optional appearance by a Chelsea legend - with former Champions League winner Gary Cahill pictured - for an extra charge.

The experience costs a minimum of £15,995 plus VAT for up to 30 guests.

It highlights the innovative premium experiences being offered by Chelsea, with "dugout club" seats believed to be the most expensive in the Premier League, costing £5,000 last season for matches against Manchester United and Liverpool to sit behind the home bench.

Chelsea are also offering fans a £7,500 travel package for away trips to Atalanta and Napoli in the Champions League, featuring dinner with former goalkeeper Carlo Cudicini, who also works as a loan coach at the club.

They also unsuccessfully tried to sell a live screening experience at Stamford Bridge for Chelsea's away match with Manchester United, with tickets priced between £85 and £250, as former forward Eidur Gudjohnsen hosted the evening. However, tickets did not sell out and were later offered in a ballot for free.

Image source, Getty Images

We asked for your thoughts after Chelsea faced Qarabag in the Champions League on Wednesday.

Here are some of your comments:

Jarvis: Maresca has really got to pick his strongest team and stick with it. If well ahead then yes, make one or two changes. Talented individuals trying their best, not a 'team' performance. No wonder we go from game to game in the most disjointed manner.

Mike: Time for Maresca to go. Naïve to play the second team tonight and he cannot react to make changes when it's not working. He has the players but he's not motivating them. Tactically weak.

Nick: This one's on Maresca. Totally down to team selection. Could easily have lost. With several tough Champions League games to come it's the playoffs at best.

Edward: Absolutely horrific! What more needs to be said. MARESCA OUT!

Scott: What is Maresca doing playing a weakened side in the Champions League with a full back in the centre with two centre-backs on the bench? Why not play a 'weaker' team against Wolves? The credit he gained for the Spurs performance has gone out the window.

Nizaar Kinsella
Football reporter

Chelsea have made multiple line-up changes in all their recent matches and have tweaked the starting XI more than any other Premier League side this season.

But, after they narrowly avoided an embarrassing defeat at Champions League minnows Qarabag, there were those questioning whether they might be overdoing the changes.

It was the fifth consecutive match across all competitions where manager Enzo Maresca has made at least seven changes to his starting 11. No Premier League club has made more than Chelsea's 85 changes in 16 matches across all competitions this season.

The constant changing has left Maresca open to criticisms of being too much of a 'tinkerman', an unwanted nickname once given to his compatriot Claudio Ranieri at Chelsea.

Read the full article here

Image source, Getty Images

Former Everton midfielder Leon Osman hopes 19-year-old Jorrel Hato will "learn a lot" from the two errors he made during Chelsea's 2-2 draw with Qarabag, as Enzo Maresca's side narrowly avoided becoming the first English team to lose to the Azerbaijani side.

The result left the two sides level on seven points in the 36-team league phase of the Champions League after four matches.

"Jorrel Hato was at fault for Qarabag's first goal and even before that there was a moment where he got himself into a bit of trouble," Osman said on BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily podcast. "It was when Camilo Duran nearly took the ball of him and nearly got a penalty-kick.

"I thought that would've been a warning sign for him to make sure he sharpened up for the rest of the match, so to not get caught on the ball again or get into more situations where he would be to blame if anything happened, but unfortunately that trait continued.

"Chelsea will feel a bit unfortunate that the ball dropped to Patrick Andrade, who finished it brilliantly, because it all came from a mistake against the run of play.

"In that one moment, everything changed and Qarabag had the equaliser to bring them on the front foot.

"Chelsea will have wanted to work their way back into the game and not do anything silly, but unfortunately Hato followed it up with another mistake a few minutes later.

"It was a really tough spell for the young man, who I hope will learn a lot from that first half to take into the rest of his career."

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Juventus plan to open contract negotiations with Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal target Kenan Yildiz, 20, and expect the Turkey forward to stay in Turin. (Teamtalk), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Thursday's full gossip column

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Nizaar Kinsella at Tofiq Bahramov Stadium
Chelsea reporter

Chelsea have made seven changes or more for the past five matches in a row across all competitions.

They have now made 85 changes to their starting XIs this season – the most of any Premier League side – across their 16 games.

Of course, Chelsea are competing on four fronts, having endured the unique experience of winning the Club World Cup, extending last season to 13 months, with only two weeks of pre-season to prepare for this campaign.

Rotation also shows trust in youngsters like Tyrique George, Jamie Gittens, Jorrel Hato, Estevao Willian, and Andrey Santos.

Yet only in Estevao's case does such trust feel truly warranted at this level and on this latest performance.

Maresca accepts that his rotation policy will be questioned "whenever we don't win" but seems entirely at ease with it despite a major dip from the last match, a dominant display away at fierce rivals Tottenham.

Two starters from that match were key to saving the day, with Alejandro Garnacho and Enzo Fernandez key to equalising and creating later chances to win.

There was also disappointment to see Romeo Lavia suffer an injury, Maresca suggesting it could be to his quadriceps, adding to the midfielder's chronic problems since joining for £55m from Southampton.

This result was no disaster, given there is plenty of opportunity to qualify with matches against Barcelona, Atalanta, Pafos and Napoli remaining, but slows momentum and could have been a real embarrassment had Chelsea lost.

Image source, Getty Images

Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca, speaking to TNT Sports: "I think the big difference was inside the box. Again, we conceded silly goals that we could avoid and we could probably finish better with most of the actions that we created.

"It's one point and now we need to recover for Saturday.

"When we conceded the first goal, they were with ten players. I think it is quite silly to concede this kind of goal. Then we conceded the penalty, so second half is more difficult because you are 2-1 behind and you need to score. I think the big difference today was inside the boxes.

"Second half we were all good. We conceded some transitions, which is normal because we were behind and needed to score. But again, we need to defend better inside the box and probably need to attack better in the other box."

On the handball decision against Jorrel Hato: "I think it is quite clear. It is handball. It looks like handball."

On subs making an impact: "Some of the changes were planned. Some of the changes were to change the game a little bit. I think Garna [Alejandro Garnacho] was good, Enzo [Fernandez] was good, Liam [Delap] was good."

On if there's an update on Romeo Lavia's injury: "Not yet no. We'll see in the next hours."

Captain Reece James, also speaking to TNT Sports: "Disappointing to sum up. Coming here we wanted to win. We felt that we set up strong but we made two errors that led to a penalty and a goal that we gifted them, and then to get back into the game is difficult.

"Their fans were quite good tonight, The pitch was difficult to play but this is something we expected and didn't quite adapt to."

On letting Qarabag back into the game: "Two mistakes led to two goals and it's difficult when the momentum in the game changes and we simply didn't do enough. We had a few chances we didn't take and we only have ourselves to blame."

On whether defending should have been better: "If you look at the goals that we have conceded [this season], they haven't been from amazing play, more our mistakes, and that is something we need to cut out."

On Estevao Willian: "He is an amazing player. He has the world at his feet. Obviously he is still so young, so we need to protect him and keep him healthy. He has a lot of development still to come but we are super happy with him here."

Did you know?

• Chelsea's Estevao (18y 195d) became the third-youngest player in Champions League history to score in both of his first two starts in the competition, behind Ethan Nwaneri (17y 348d) and Kylian Mbappe (18y 85d).

• The Blues have conceded two or more goals in three of their past four games in all competitions, as many times as in their prior eight matches.

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

Get in touch with your views here

Come back to this page on Thursday to find a selection of your replies

Qarabag XI: Kochalski, Silva, Medina, Mustafazade, Jafarguliyev, Jankovic, Kady, Pedro Bicalho, Zoubir, Leandro Andrade, Duran.

Chelsea have rotated heavily for this Champions League game in Kazakhstan, drafting in exciting teenagers Estevao Willian, Tyrique George and Jorrel Hato.

Only captain Reece James, Marc Cucurella, Joao Pedro and Robert Sanchez keep their place from the 1-0 win at Tottenham on Saturday.

Chelsea XI: Sanchez, James, Tosin, Hato, Cucurella, Andrey Santos, Lavia, Estevao, Joao Pedro, Gittens, George.

There are eight games in the Champions League on Wednesday and BBC Sport will be bringing you every moment.

• Pafos v Villarreal (17:45)

• Qarabag v Chelsea (17:45) - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Ajax v Galatasaray

• Benfica v Bayer Leverkusen

• Club Brugge v Barcelona

• Inter Milan v Kairat Almaty

• Manchester City v Borussia Dortmund - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Marseille v Atalanta

• Newcastle v Athletic Club

All kick-off times 20:00 GMT unless stated

Follow all of the action and reaction here

You can also listen to today's 5 Live commentaries on most smart speakers. Just say "ask BBC Sounds to play Qarabag v Chelsea" or "ask BBC Sounds to play Man City v Dortmund".

Find out more about how to listen to football on BBC Sounds

Watch highlights of every Champions League game from 22:00 on Wednesday on BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website and app.

There will also be a Champions League Match of the Day on BBC One on Wednesday, from 22:40 to 00:00.

Image source, BBC Sport

Chelsea have condemned alleged racist abuse from at least one Qarabag supporter in an academy match in Azerbaijan.

Striker Sol Gordon, 17, opened the scoring in the 57th minute at the Azersun Stadium in Baku and celebrated the goal in proximity to a section of fans, who ran down to confront the players in the sparsely attended match.

Eyewitnesses told BBC Sport that they saw and heard monkey gestures.

The match was stopped for a few minutes as players complained to Ukrainian referee Dmytro Kubriak, with coaching staff, including head coach Calum McFarlane, involved in the discussions.

It appeared as if Chelsea might stop playing the match, but they continued after the stoppage and won 5-0.

Winger Jesse Derry, who was booked for celebrating in front of the home supporters in a provocative manner, scored twice, as substitutes Shim Mheuka and Frankie Runham sealed victory.

In a statement, Chelsea said: "We are aware of an incident during today's Uefa Youth League match in Azerbaijan in which, after scoring, a number of our players were subjected to racist abuse from an individual in the crowd.

"Racism and all forms of discriminatory behaviour are completely unacceptable and have no place in football or indeed in society. We strongly condemn the actions of the individual responsible.

"Our players have the full support of everyone at the club, and we have raised the incident immediately with the Uefa match delegate and home club: We expect this matter to be investigated fully under Uefa's disciplinary procedures.

"We are proud of the way our players and staff responded to the incident on the pitch, swiftly reporting it to the referee, and commend those for dealing with the matter professionally and appropriately in line with Uefa protocols."

A Qarabag spokesperson quickly moved to apologise, expressing their surprise at the incident, saying it "doesn't represent the values of the club", and promising to investigate it "thoroughly" in due course.

Uefa's disciplinary body will respond to the referee's report before making any decisions.

Chelsea are now top of the Youth League table with four wins from four matches.

English sides are excelling in the Champions League.

Three wins out of three last night - all with clean sheets - maintained the early Champions League dominance by English sides as the league phase nears the halfway point.

Arsenal, Liverpool and Tottenham occupy one of the top-eight spots that guarantee automatic qualification for the last 16, with Chelsea, Manchester City and Newcastle all seeking to join – or replace – them by winning tonight.

English teams have averaged 2.3 points per game in the Champions League this season, far exceeding any of the other four nations that have three or more sides in the competition.

Success breeds success and England is currently well clear at the top of Uefa's co-efficient rankings. These are based on results across the three European competitions and determine which two leagues will earn an additional Champions League spot for next season.

It granted the Premier League a fifth spot last season - and currently England is in prime position to secure the same prize again this time around.

Nizaar Kinsella
Chelsea reporter in Baku

Image source, PA Media

Chelsea midfielder Andrey Santos has praised the club's close links with Strasbourg in aiding his early career.

The 21-year-old was the first player to cross the divide in a sensational 18-month loan spell at the Ligue 1 club, since they were bought by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital in 2023, a year after the Americans bought Chelsea.

When asked about the link, Santos said: "I'm so happy to be the first one. This season there is a lot of quality players in Strasbourg, like Mamadou Sarr, Mike Penders and Emanuel Emegha.

"I think it's so important for us, for both clubs. When I was there in Strasbourg, the people from Chelsea always send messages to you. They say you are so good here. I think it's important this relationship with Chelsea and Strasbourg."

English manager Liam Rosenior has excelled in Alsace since replacing Patrick Vieira in 2024.

Santos added: "I love my ex-coach. He's amazing. It's hard to say (enough positive things) about Liam. He helped me a lot and I improved a lot with him. In the last two weeks I sent messages to him.

"I always watch the games of Strasbourg and I said to him that my new baby is coming and he said to me 'congratulations'. I'm so happy for him. I think our relationship is perfect."

Strasbourg currently have defender Sarr, goalkeeper Penders and midfielder Kendry Paez on loan from Chelsea, with Emegha set to move to Stamford Bridge in the summer from the Ligue 1 club.

Image source, BBC/Studio Lambert

Challenges. Leaders and followers. Tactics. Second guessing and wondering where to turn next.

This could be any game of football in the Premier League this weekend.

It is also the plot to any episode of BBC's hit show - The Traitors.

The countdown to the end game of the Celebrity series is on, but, while we wait for that, we want to know which Chelsea player (or manager) - past or present - you think would make the best traitor, and who would be more suited to the role of a faithful.

Was it the way they could appear at the back post without anyone noticing? Or could they stop anybody getting past them?

Get in touch with your choices and the reasons why here

The Celebrity Traitors final will air on Thursday, 6 November on BBC One and iPlayer

Image source, Getty Images

Chelsea midfielder Andrey Santos says he is "more ready" to make an impact on the first team after maturing during a number of loan spells away.

The 21-year-old joined the Blues in January 2023 but returned straight away to Vasco da Gama on loan for the remainder of the season.

He then spent the first half of 2023-24 with Nottingham Forest before being recalled after a lack of playing time and spent the rest of that campaign with Chelsea's sister club Strasbourg.

He returned to the Ligue 1 side, a club under the same ownership as the Blues, on loan last season, before making his long-awaited Chelsea debut in the Club World Cup over the summer.

Santos has now made 11 appearances under boss Enzo Maresca across all competitions this term, providing one assist in the Champions League and scoring his first goal for the club against Wolves in the Carabao Cup last Wednesday.

Discussing his time on loan and getting his Chelsea career back on track, the Brazil international said: "I was there with Forest at 18 or19, so young. Now I feel more ready to play Premier League.

"This is a process. Personally, I think it is my process. Estevao [Willian] come from Brazil and is perfect how he plays. For me it was different going [on loan] and then coming back, so it is a process."

When asked what his advice would be for other young players coming into the club in a similar situation, he responded: "You have to keep fighting because it is our journey. You have to give fight, always."

Nicola Pearson
BBC Sport journalist

Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca has been speaking to the media before Wednesday's Champions League game against Qarabag (kick-off 17:45 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Pedro Neto has "just a small issue" that Chelsea need to protect so he will not be involved in Wednesday's game. Maresca added that there would not be any other players left at home.

• On if there is a need to rotate the squad for this match, with the logistics of it taking place in Azerbaijan: "It is an important game. It can give us three wins in a row in Champions League, nine points, so very important. We will probably need to rotate some of the players, also because I think we come back to London on Thursday morning at 06:00, then have game on Saturday. A demanding schedule but we will try our best."

• He added the reason they were leaving it late to travel is because of wanting to use facilities at home for recovery after beating Tottenham, so finding the "balance is important", and they would also remain on UK time.

• Maresca said it is "unbelievable" to have a manager in charge for 17 years like Qarabag have and that they will be a "tough" opponent as they are a "very good and intense team" with a similar record in this season's competition to Chelsea.

• On where Reece James is physically after his injury issues in recent seasons: "He is good, doing well. Fit, 100%. The way he behaves every game is top, even when not playing, in the changing room with team-mates. I think he is ready to play three games in a week. It depends also on how we use Reece, too. Not always up and down [the wing]. It is a big job for anyone so we need to protect him like others in that way."

• Asked about Romeo Lavia's fitness, with him still to play 90 minutes for the Blues, Maresca responded: "The main target [for Lavia] is to be fit. Don't get any injury. In this moment, for me, he is where Reece was more or less one year ago, in terms of back after a long time, managing minutes."

• On whether Cole Palmer could be ready for their next Champions League game against Barcelona after the international break: "We hope so. With Cole we try to schedule at the beginning, but we needed to review so we go day by day with Cole. He's still apart, not training with the team."

• He added: "I would like Cole every game. I have said before we are a better team with him. Unfortunately he is out injured, but we hope he will be back soon."

Follow all of Tuesday's Champions League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

Will Faulks
Fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

There was a lot of interesting stuff going on in Chelsea's win over Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday, both on and off the pitch.

But it's impossible to write anything about that game and not mention Moises Caicedo. It doesn't matter that every pundit, player and both managers have already done so. It still won't be enough to explain just how good and just how important he was.

It was fitting that in a game where Chelsea repeatedly failed to turn their dominance into goals, the midfielder ended up being the one to decide the match. Already his team's main ball-winner and progressor, Caicedo realised he was going to have to be their creator too. He stormed forward, won three challenges in a row and battered his way into the box, where he put the ball on a plate for Joao Pedro to finish.

If the Brazilian had hesitated, we have no doubt that Caicedo would have been on hand to force the ball into the net, too. Comparisons to N'Golo Kante are often made but rarely appropriate. In this case, you could get away with them.

As with Kante, however, Chelsea need to make sure they don't end up becoming dependent on a midfielder's superhuman abilities. In a strange way, having such an exceptional player can end up hurting the team as a whole - every time Kante was removed from the lineup, the rest of the squad would realise they had forgotten how to win games without the help from a force of nature. They must avoid the same issues with their new edition.

Find more from Will Faulks at Chelsea News, external