Chelsea

Nat Hayward
BBC Sport journalist

The cliche of a player returning from injury being like a new signing is particularly applicable to Romeo Lavia.

Of course, Chelsea don't need anyone to feel like a new signing - they have enough who actually are - but Lavia played just 32 minutes for the Blues last season because of ankle and hamstring issues following his move from Southampton for an initial £53m.

After a full pre-season in which he was the only Chelsea player to start all six games, the 20-year-old midfielder started against former club Manchester City on Sunday and put in a performance described as "outstanding" by former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy on Match of the Day 2.

To play with such confidence, positional maturity, composure on the ball and defensive awareness in the Premier League would be impressive for anyone, let alone for a young man whose last competitive start came 15 months ago and who was making his first start for a club indisputably in transition.

Lavia looked far more comfortable within new manager Enzo Maresca's system than Enzo Fernandez did - a man who cost more than double his fee - and was fearless against a City midfield containing experienced, world-class talents Kevin de Bruyne, Mateo Kovacic and Bernado Silva.

The difficulty will come in Maresca's challenge of finding his most effective midfield, both in terms of structure and personnel.

Much has been made of Chelsea's bloated squad and the prices paid for Moises Caicedo and Fernandez, as well as new addition Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall's history with Maresca at Leicester City, make them challenging candidates to not start regularly.

What elevates the Belgium international is his potential to be truly elite both creatively and defensively. Some of his passing against City was exemplary and he shares Caicedo's athleticism and tenacity in the tackle.

In his analysis, Murphy said Lavia was the Blues' "biggest positive" and that "Chelsea fans will enjoy watching him evolve in the middle of the park".

If he continues in this vein, keeps himself fit and proves himself a worthy starter amid Maresca's bounty of options, this could well be a breakthrough campaign for him in west London.

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Raheem Sterling's statement before Chelsea's defeat by Manchester City on Sunday will cause "tension", says BBC Sport football news reporter Nizaar Kinsella.

Representatives of the midfielder called for "clarity" on his role after he was left out of the matchday squad.

Sterling had featured during pre-season but was among a host of high-profile players to miss out at the weekend as head coach Enzo Maresca battles with a bloated squad.

"There is going to be huge tension now until 30 August when the transfer window closes," said Kinsella. "Until then, I can see [Sterling] being frozen out entirely based on what we saw and heard the manger say by calling it a 'technical decision' to leave him out.

"There is then the other question about where he goes. Does he leave? Are clubs going to bid for him? Are clubs going to pay his huge wages? I see the answer being no.

"Chelsea might try to push him out but they're likely to fail because there is a lack of interest in paying £300,000 a week wages and a transfer fee on top. I can see him being there after the transfer window closes and then it will be down to Maresca to say: 'Do I reintegrate this guy or do I keep him out on the fringes?'

"There is a plan [inside Chelsea] but the plan is a little bit lacking in the human touch and we are seeing issues like this.

"They are putting together a good squad - a young squad - and they believe they can finish in the top four and maybe win a trophy this season."

We asked for your thoughts after Sunday's Premier League game between Chelsea and Manchester City.

Here are some of your comments:

Chelsea fans

Glenn: We played nowhere near the standard needed to beat an average performance from City. Too slow and pedestrian with Fernadez showing he should not play as a 10. Maresca takes off the best player in Lavia and it was the same problem up front. Going to be a struggle again this season.

Richard: I thought there was much that was good, other than the midfield. Gallagher needs to be kept and Fernandez sold. He has not impressed me in all the time he has been at the club - likewise Jackson. I really didn't understand why Jackson was not taken off and Nkunku played through the middle. Our keeper made good saves but his distribution was poor.

Nicholas: About what I expected, I'm sad to say. We played quite well in patches and again missed some good chances. We have a lot a players but too many are average at best. The owners have a lot to answer for. City just buy the players they need and if it becomes silly money they don't pay. We have spent a billion for what?

Man City fans

Chris: Really solid start to the season with many first-team players yet to feature, and finally another win without Rodri! Kovacic was excellent and Savinho looked exciting on the right during the first half. Looks good for a chance of five on a row.

Scott: I wasn't expecting too much from the game given the injuries, late returns, and Chelsea's unpredictable starting line-up. Doku struggled in his starting position before switching flanks and coming alive in the game. Haaland used his strength taking his goal magnificently. Lewis and Silva once again showed just how important they are for City.

Alan: Phew. Relieved. Unusually sloppy but got away with it. A great result in the circumstances. Roll on Ipswich!

Image source, Getty Images

Supporter Alex Churchill from the Chelsea FanCast speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live Breakfast after the 2-0 defeat to Manchester City: "It was far less embarrassing than we thought. Our philosophy this summer has basically doomed us to drama and nonsense until the end of the transfer window."

On Raheem Sterling's statement prior to kick-off: "It's idiocy and it's unprofessional. I think there's probably 10 or 11 players that were very disappointed to have been left out the squad yesterday. None of them released a statement doing their teammates over an hour before kick off."

On Sterling potentially being sold, Churchill said: "I don't think he's done himself any favours whatsoever. I think he shot himself in the foot massively,"

Speaking about Chelsea's possible targets and what would be a good season: "I'm worried the top half would probably be considered by fans as not ridiculous.

"I don't think any of us were expecting much. I think we have to acknowledge that by our own design, our own idiot design, we are back at the beginning again and starting from scratch. So there's suddenly unknown factors."

Image source, Getty Images

There are 43 players - and counting - at Chelsea this season.

And Raheem Sterling is included in that number, despite his representatives releasing a statement saying they wanted "clarity" about his role at the club after his omission from Sunday's matchday squad.

So what happens now?

Former Blues goalkeeper Asmir Begovic says the club "have got themselves into a mess" which "is really not sustainable" and has to change.

"You normally get into this at the end of the transfer window when you have got one or two players to sort out and it can create a little bit of unrest within the squad," Begovic told the BBC Radio 5 Live Football Daily Podcast.

"Players will ask questions. Who else is coming in? What is the squad looking like? Are we going to have confidence in the team or not? And I think when you look at Chelsea, the problem is it is not just about one player.

"And then when a player is also doing this during the time of the game, you can see there is obviously dislike between each other. Everything is hanging on this and it's going to be so difficult for them to manage it.

"And as a player, you are not going to move anywhere now that you do not want to. But you are also not going to want to stay anywhere you do not want to be. So the players have all the cards. Either they have to eat a chunk of their salary or ask for a lower transfer fee.

"All of these things now in the next two to three weeks are going to get sorted but it does not help the squad one bit. The fans are unhappy and unfortunately Chelsea have got themselves into a mess because this never used to happen."

Listen to the full discussion on BBC Sounds

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Former Chelsea goalkeeper Asmir Begovic says you cannot "properly analyse" Enzo Maresca's team until January because it takes time for a manager to implement ideas and get them working.

But in a debate on BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily, the Telegraph’s Luke Edwards believes that in itself is laughable because Chelsea have demonstrated they do not give managers time.

"I do not think with Chelsea we can even analyse them properly until January because it is another new manager with new ideas," said Begovic. "It is so difficult to get ideas across and that showed as the main difference between them and Manchester City.

"One is a well-oiled machine that has been going for years, so has continuity, and then Chelsea are a team that are put together differently every single year."

Edwards added: "I thought Chelsea did OK and they did look like a team. You could see patterns of play and the work he has done with the players in the squad. But to click with another manager in January is not good enough.

"They have said exactly the same things about Maresca as they did for Graham Potter and Mauricio Pochettino, in that it is a long-term plan. But can you believe them? Not off their track record you can not."

Listen to the Football Daily podcast on BBC Sounds

Highlights and analysis from Sunday's two Premier League fixtures, plus the best of the action from the rest of the weekend.

If you missed Match of the Day 2, catch up now on BBC iPlayer.

And you can watch Saturday's Match of the Day here.

Listen back to the weekend's full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Arsenal 2-0 Wolves

• West Ham 1-2 Aston Villa

• Brentford 2-1 Crystal Palace

• Chelsea 0-2 Man City

Atletico Madrid have not ruled out a move for Valencia's 21-year-old Spanish midfielder Javi Guerra as their deal for Chelsea's England midfielder Conor Gallagher, 24, stalls. (Athletic - subscription required, external)

Crystal Palace are leading the race to sign Chelsea midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka, 20. (Sun, external)

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

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Chelsea’s starting XI – which didn’t feature a single player over the age of 26 – had an average age of 23 years and 180 days, the second youngest by a team on matchday one of a Premier League season, behind only Manchester City’s team in 2008-09 against Aston Villa (22 years, 360 days).

Tom Mallows
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

Another busy summer transfer window means new Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca has an embarrassment of riches at his disposal, but he has been given an early indication of how tough it will be to keep all of his players happy.

The build-up to Sunday's defeat against Manchester City was overshadowed by a statement from Raheem Sterling's representatives calling for "clarity" on his position after being left out of the matchday squad.

As well as the players who are not playing, Maresca also has to try and form a coherent side with those that do.

The Italian did not start any of his new 11 summer signings but brought four on - only the second time a Premier League side has given out as many as four debuts in one match.

Of those four Pedro Neto had the greatest impact, but it is going to take time for all the new faces to settle in.

Chelsea fans may have to be patient and wait a while before they see a return on the club's significant investment.

Image source, Getty Images

Enzo Maresca spoke to BBC Match of the Day after Chelsea's defeat to Manchester City: "The performance was good and we competed against the best team in the world. We played well and created chances. The biggest difference was inside the box and how they managed the ball at the end, they are a master. We don't like to lose games but the performance was good.

"We can for sure improve many things, we've been together for just six weeks. At the same moment, we liked to analyse the game and we tried to play football and create chances. It's not easy but we did well.

"It's always tough because many of them deserve to play from the start. We have another game soon so they have chances to play for sure.

On Sterling's omission, Maresca said: "I didn't see anything because I was focused on the game. It was a tactical decision and nothing more than that.

On Manchester City: "You can see since day one that they continue in the same way. They are a master in everything and they'll continue in this same way."

Were you at the game or following from elsewhere?

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

Follow reaction and read the match report

There are two games on the opening Sunday of the 2024-25 Premier League season and BBC Sport will bring you all the action and reaction.

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A new season, and a new challenge for BBC Sport's prediction expert Chris Sutton.

Sutton faced off against a guest for each of the 38 game weeks in 2023-24 and triumphed 21-10 (with seven draws) to secure his second predictions title in a row.

In the first week of the new season, his opponent is The Courteeners frontman Liam Fray.

The pair have both given their prediction for Chelsea v Manchester City on Sunday.

Sutton's prediction: 1-2

Several of Manchester City's stars won't play at all, because they only returned to training this week, but the likes of Kevin de Bruyne and Bernardo Silva will be able to play more minutes after featuring as late substitutes in the Community Shield.

I have no idea what to expect from Chelsea, and I don't even know what the club is trying to do any more.

Is their priority to build a team to win trophies, or is there some other business strategy going on?

Chelsea have got some talented players and Cole Palmer will have a say again against his former club, but I still think City will find a way to win it.

Liam's prediction: 0-2

It pains me to say it, but I can't see anything other than another City victory. They are just so strong.

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Nizaar Kinsella
BBC Sport football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca came across very relaxed and happy despite facing some awkward questions from the media on Friday.

The Italian has been a good communicator since coming in, with a complete mastery of the English language after his playing days at West Bromwich Albion and spells at West Ham, Manchester City and Leicester.

There is also an authenticity and an unwillingness to avoid difficult questions.

But as Chelsea's project continues to face criticism for stockpiling players and their disruptive approach to transfer activity - he is clearly willing to toe the party line.

That is Maresca as he starts the season, in the honeymoon period and without a body of work to be scrutinised.

Let's see how this season develops as he either thrives on the challenging role - that has seen Chelsea have five managers since this new ownership took over - or struggles in an often chaotic environment.