Enzo Maresca enters year two with urgency.
Chelsea return as Europa Conference League winners and Champions League qualifiers, but Stamford Bridge still demands more.
The schedule plays a sly hand: four London clashes to open—Crystal Palace at home, then West Ham, Fulham, Brentford. Short hops, quick rhythms. Start fast or chase shadows.
History nudges. Chelsea haven’t opened with consecutive league wins since 2021–22. Momentum is oxygen; the derby run offers it. Then the first big six check: a trip to Manchester United, where early mettle meets noise.
Travel light now, pay later. From late February the road steepens—seven of last season’s top eight await. Circle May 9 at Anfield.
Liverpool, the reigning champions, will test nerve, lungs, and belief in Chelsea’s penultimate away day. Tottenham arrive for the final home game, a derby delayed to the brink.
Calendar beats matter. Community Shield sits August 8; the league lifts off August 15–17. The summer window runs to September 1; winter returns January 1 to February 2.
Europe threads through everything: Champions League draw August 28; matchdays from mid-September to late January, then the cut and thrust of spring.
Maresca’s puzzle: rotate for Tuesdays, sprint on Sundays. Club World Cup echoes mean a curtailed pre-season; sharpness must be earned on the fly.
But purpose is clear—close the gap on Liverpool and Arsenal, not just with pretty patterns, but results. Keep it compact. Strike early. Suffer together.
And when the season tightens, be the team that breathes slower. Small margins decide big nights.