Chelsea

Nizaar Kinsella
BBC Sport football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Club captain Reece James organised a social gathering last week for Chelsea's players amid a bad run of form.

The gathering saw the squad have an informal meal out after a period of just two wins in nine matches under Enzo Maresca.

Unfortunately, Chelsea have since lost to Aston Villa but the improved performance since Brighton will vindicate those trying to hammer home the message of 'sticking together'.

Those words were used by both James and the Italian manager after the defeat at Villa Park - as other senior players have made similar statements after recent matches.

There's a feeling that if they do, when players return from injury, mostly after the nearing March international break, the club can charge up the league and claim Champions League qualification.

But many at Chelsea will know that a turbulent last two-and-half years under the ownership of Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital have left an often-destabilised dressing room without a clear club culture.

The loss of senior stars and world record breaking churn of players created divisions in the past as the squad was revamped.

However, this season there have been signs that young players like James can lead and there has been a brotherly spirit fostered among many players behind the scenes.

The main challenge is star forward Cole Palmer now looking a frustrated during matches and displaying poor body language - as he was again seen criticising Christopher Nkunku's movement on Saturday evening - while mistakes are also becoming more prevalent.

Chelsea have been more divided in recent seasons but still have plenty of work to achieve their goals and failure to do so may set the club back on the progress that has been made.

Highlights and analysis from Saturday's seven Premier League fixtures, plus the best of the action from Friday's game between Leicester and Brentford.

If you missed Match of the Day, you can catch up now on BBC iPlayer.

Listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Arsenal 0-1 West Ham

• Aston Villa 2-1 Chelsea

Adam Millington
BBC Sport journalist

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It was far from a poor performance from Chelsea against Aston Villa, but it definitely left much to be desired.

They had ample chances to ensure they had a bigger cushion before the hosts found a way back through Marco Asensio's first goal and should really have got themselves back in front.

Cole Palmer – who remains far from at his best – took too long when one-on-one and did not take advantage of Emiliano Martinez slipping twice, while he also curled a great opportunity wide.

Pedro Neto's work was the main standout positive to come from the game, with him causing continual trouble for Ian Maatsen in the Aston Villa back line.

But his efforts up top mattered for little when it was undone by shakiness at the back, perhaps influenced by Trevoh Chalobah having to be brought off early in the game with a back issue.

They left too much space for Villa to exploit between the midfield and defence and there were other pockets in the box, too.

It took a while for Villa to get going, but after introducing Marcus Rashford they were always in the ascendency; Chelsea could not deal with the shift in momentum.

This was a winnable fixture for Chelsea and three points dropped in a frustrating fashion.

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Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca, speaking to BBC Match of the Day: "It is a tough one because compared to the game against Brighton, the performance and reaction were good. At the moment, we are in a bad run. but we need to stick together and try to win games. I have a feeling we will go again if we win a game. Until that, we need to work hard and try to get the win as soon as possible.

"We created many chances. Last two games, we struggled with that and lacked a threat. Today, Pedro [Neto] played really well and we tried with him during the week. It works well with him. But we did not win and we have to be upset."

On where they lost the game: "If you are not clinical, this league is always open - if you make a mistake, like we did in the second goal unfortunately. When we have the chance, we have to take that."

"Once again today, we showed we can be good for long parts of the game. But that's not enough. The performance has to be complete. We need to score goals when we have the chance and defend well, but I thought we defended well today. It is a moment were we were also a bit unlucky."

On his goalkeeping situation: "I am always concerned, even when we were winning games, I was concerned. Now for sure. The problem with that with goalkeepers, it is a delicate position and when they make a mistake, everyone can see. Unfortunately today, our goalkeeper [Filip Jorgensen] made a mistake. This is a moment we need to support each other and try to stay strong."

On Trevoh Chalobah's injury: "He is back. Hopefully it's nothing serious, but now we will see."

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Chelsea have dropped 15 points from winning positions this season - 13 have come since Boxing Day.

Were you at the game or following from elsewhere?

Have your say on Aston Villa's performance

What did you make of Chelsea's display?

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

Chelsea's form has been pretty rotten recently and their manager, Enzo Maresca, also needs a strong finish to the season.

It doesn't help that Cole Palmer has lost his mojo, on top of their issues at centre-forward and in goal. Maresca really needs to make the Champions League places but nothing is clicking for his side at the moment.

Aston Villa are probably in better shape in terms of their performances, but their results have also not been great with four draws and a defeat in their past five league games.

They were great going forward against Liverpool on Wednesday but just cannot keep clean sheets - although Tyrone Mings' return to the team from injury is big for them at the back.

I had to think a bit about this one but I am going for my old club Villa to beat my old club Chelsea, and Maresca might start to come under a bit of pressure if this poor run carries on much longer.

Sutton's prediction: 2-1

Read the full predictions and have your say here

There are seven Premier League games on Saturday, and we will bring you every moment.

• Everton v Manchester United (12:30)

• Bournemouth v Wolves

• Ipswich v Tottenham

• Southampton v Brighton

• Arsenal v West Ham - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Fulham v Crystal Palace

• Aston Villa v Chelsea (17:30) - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live (coverage will start on 5 Sports Extra)

Kick-off times 15:00 GMT unless stated

Follow all the action and reaction here

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The Conference League draw has been completed, with teams now knowing who they play in the last 16 and their possible route to the final.

• Jagiellonia v Cercle Brugge

• Molde v Legia Warsaw

• Celje v Lugano

• Pafos v Djugarden

• Panathinaikos v Fiorentina

• Borac v Rapid Vienna

• Real Betis v Vitoria

• Copenhagen v Chelsea

The first legs will take place on 6 March, with the return meetings the following week.

Should Chelsea progress, Molde or Legia Warsaw will be the opponents in the quarter-finals.

Read more about the Conference League schedule on our live page

Nat Hayward
BBC Sport journalist

Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca has been speaking to the media before Saturday's trip to face Aston Villa in the Premier League (17:30 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Maresca confirmed Noni Madueke "will be out until the international break, probably" after being substituted early in Friday's defeat at Brighton, while Chelsea "don't have additional injuries".

• On his squad's fitness, he added: "Probably after the international break, we can have most of the players back, maybe all of them and for us it can be a big boost."

• Asked if there is any update on Mykhailo Mudryk after he was preliminarily suspended after testing positive for a banned substance in December, Maresca said: "No, I don't think so."

• On potential first team opportunities for youngster Tyrique George: "He's a young one. But with the amount of injuries, we must use the ones we have. He's doing well. In some moments we don't have different options, so we need to give him chances. Hopefully he can help us."

• Champions League qualification is the clear target for the rest of the season, with Maresca stating: "We spent almost all the season in the top four and with 13 games to go, the target, for sure, is top four. We will try our best to achieve that knowing the difficult moment we have now with five or six significant players out."

• Maresca added his "intention" as Blues boss is to bring "this club where it needs to be", adding: "I'm here to win games and bring this club fighting for titles. The problem is when you win games, you look humble and when you don't win games, you look like a lack of ambition."

• The squad are not happy with recent results according the the manager, who said: "The team spirit in this moment has to be upset. We are upset because we are not happy with the results in this moment. We are all aware where we are in a club. We are not here to survive, we are here to win titles and fight for that."

• On backing from Chelsea co-owner Jonathan Goldstein,, external who told Bloomberg TV Maresca's job is "100%" safe: "It's nice. I really appreciate it, the relationship with the club. They always support me. The sporting directors, the owners, all of the club."

Follow all of Friday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

Listen to live commentary of Aston Villa v Chelsea starting on BBC Sports Extra then moving to BBC Radio 5 Live from 17:30 on Saturday

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Juventus have confirmed on-loan Chelsea defender Renato Veiga is set for a spell on the sidelines after suffering a leg injury.

The 21-year-old was substituted early in the first half of Wednesday's 3-1 Champions League play-off loss to PSV Eindhoven which the Old Lady eventually lost 4-3 on aggregate.

A statement released by Juventus on Thursday read: "Renato Veiga, who came off during the first half of the match against PSV Eindhoven, underwent diagnostic tests.

"The examinations revealed an injury to the tendon of the plantaris gracilis in his right leg."

Veiga made the loan move in January and had started all five of Juventus' matches in February.

AC Milan are ready to listen to offers for Rafael Leao, 25, with Chelsea and Barcelona both long-term admirers of the Portugal winger. (La Gazzetta dello Sport in Italian), external

There is no clause in the contract of Blues playmaker Cole Palmer that would allow him to leave if they fail to qualify for the Champions League. (Mail Plus - subscription required), external

Meanwhile, Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca retains the support of his players and the club's hierarchy despite his side winning just three of their past 11 games. (Mail Plus - subscription required), external

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

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

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We asked for your views on the things going on at Chelsea that are being overlooked.

Here are some of your comments:

Stu: Chelsea's strategy under the new ownership is well publicised - buy young, talented potential, develop it and then sell for a profit. After nearly three seasons as owners of the club, we have yet to see any of this come to fruition. In fact, most of the players purchased since the takeover have either underperformed, been loaned out or don't regularly start. The strategy is a disaster.

Mike: I think the elephant in the room is that we don't have a real leader figure in the team. The team have such a young average age that there is no one with enough experience and leadership to take the players under their wing and guide them when things are tough. We need a John Terry-like figure.

Awonsunle: The players are fatigued already and experience is lacking, that's why they are fizzling out when at this time of the season energy and mental strength are required.

Craig: There is no Plan B, other coaches have worked out how to beat us, substitutions are invariably like-for-like instead of tactical changes to improve attack/defence. We need to be able to adapt.

Daniel: I don't know if people are saying it or not, but give Cole Palmer a break - the boy is tired and we don't want to be doing what Arsenal did to Saka... play him to injury.

Paul: We have so many injury-prone players that aren't available for huge chunks of time. Fofana, Badiashile, James and Lavia in particular have been absent for so much of the past two years. Arguably they all get in our best XI and their back-ups just aren't as good.

Chelsea are determined to beat off competition from Premier League rivals to sign Crystal Palace's £70m-rated England defender Marc Guehi. The 24-year-old joined Palace from Chelsea in 2021. (Mirror, external)

Meanwhile, Chelsea remain convinced they can sign Guehi in the summer despite their failed approach in January, while Ipswich Town's English striker striker Liam Delap, 22, is also on their radar. (Sun, external)

Liverpool's Republic of Ireland goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher, 26, remains a top target for Chelsea this summer, with the Blues prepared to pay up to £40m for the Reds' second-choice stopper. (Football Insider, external)

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

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Enzo Maresca under pressure, striker issues, a loss of form... the list of hot topics generating much debate goes on.

But you know your club best - so we want you to tell us the one thing - good or bad - that nobody is talking about at Chelsea but really should be.

Let us know here

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Since the start of the 2022-23 campaign, only Wolves' Nelson Semedo (29) has received more Premier League yellow cards than Moises Caicedo (28), with the Chelsea midfielder receiving a booking in three of his last four appearances.

Chelsea and Arsenal are interested in 22-year-old Eintracht Frankfurt striker Hugo Ekitike, as an alternative to Newcastle United's £100m-plus rated forward Alexander Isak. (CaughtOffside), external

Manchester United are weighing up a move for Ipswich Town's £40m-rated striker Liam Delap. The 22-year-old, who came through Manchester City's academy, has 10 Premier League goals this season and is also interesting Chelsea. (i Paper), external

Brighton might reluctantly sell 27-year-old forward Kaoru Mitoma for about £66m this summer, as he enters the final two years of his contract, with Chelsea one of the clubs interested. (CaughtOffside), external

Want more transfer news? Read Wednesday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

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We asked for your views on Chelsea's current form and whether head coach Enzo Maresca is still the right man for the job.

Here are some of your thoughts:

Chris: I think Maresca is increasingly proving week by week that he is not up to this job. He never seems to have an alternative if his 'Plan A' approach doesn't work out. He doesn't seem to be able to adapt to the circumstances in front of him and the players don't seem to know what they should be doing. Unfortunately, I think it may be time for him to go before he does irreparable damage!

Lee: I think Maresca does suit the club and I believe the team is good enough. We just need an out-and-out striker plus a decent goalkeeper.

Stephen: Chelsea Football Club reminds me of the old saying: 'Lights are on but nobody is home'. It was clear at the start of season that Chelsea needed a quality striker most urgently and maybe a central defender. The management talk a good game but they do nothing.

Peter: Stop whinging. It's football. Show patience! You are all too short-term. Stop throwing your toys out of the pram and grow up. This time last season we were in 16th place.

Ben: Maresca has similarities to Ruben Amorim and Ange Postecoglou in how he presents to the fans and the media. If the results on the pitch are clearly not there, why does he insist that everything is going fine?

Lex: Listening to Enzo Maresca speak in comparison to Thomas Tuchel, when he was at Chelsea, is incredible. It's two different clubs they are talking about. The state of the club is down to the owners, but hiring a manager who barely won the Championship with a Premier League squad was never going to end well.

Former Premier League striker Chris Sutton has highlighted some issues that he believes need sorting out at Chelsea, such as their need for "a recognised striker" and a resolution to their "goalkeeping situation".

Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live's Monday Night Club, Sutton said: "They have tried Christopher Nkunku and Cole Palmer in forward areas, but their recent form has dipped and the manager looks unhappy.

"They also have a goalkeeping situation with Filip Jorgensen, who played against Brighton, and Robert Sanchez. Jorgensen is better with his feet and Sanchez is better with his hands, so you sort of want a mixture of both.

"I did get sucked into thinking they are pushing and being consistent, but recently they have just dipped."

Sutton added that Cole Palmer has "cut a frustrated figure in recent games", after scoring just three goals in Chelsea's past 10 Premier League fixtures.

Watch the full episode on BBC iPlayer or listen on BBC Sounds