Chelsea’s Conference League Dominance Prompts Questions About Their Participation

Chelsea achieved a Conference League record-breaking win by decisively defeating Noah, a performance that led many to question their presence in the competition. This victory also marked the joint second-largest in the club’s history. Under Enzo Maresca’s management, the Blues have shown considerable improvement compared to the team that narrowly secured a spot in UEFA’s third-tier tournament at the close of the previous season. Despite fielding a secondary squad for the tournament, notably without star player Cole Palmer being registered, Chelsea is overwhelmingly outperforming their opponents. The 8-0 win on Thursday surpassed the prior Conference League record for the largest victory, which was jointly held by three other clubs, by a margin of two goals. Following three matches, they have accumulated 16 goals, which is double the tally of the second-highest scoring team. Former Blues midfielder Joe Cole commented on TNT Sport, stating, “Chelsea shouldn’t be in this competition, but this is where they are.” He added, “This tournament doesn’t start for Chelsea until the quarter-finals or semi-finals. They are massive favourites to win it and they should be.” Former England striker Peter Crouch expressed a similar strong opinion, remarking, “Looking at some of the names, I just don’t see how they can lose this tournament.” The Blues, positioned eighth in UEFA’s club rankings, stand to become the first team to secure victories in the Champions League, Europa League, and Conference League if they proceed to win the latter. Armenian club FC Noah, established only seven years ago, holds the 311th position in the same list. According to Transfermarkt, the total valuation of Noah’s squad is £6.5m, in stark contrast to Chelsea’s squad, which is valued at £800m. Chelsea’s presence in European competition this season is considered fortunate. They secured a Conference League play-off position by winning their last five Premier League matches under Mauricio Pochettino, ultimately finishing sixth. For a significant portion of the season, a mid-table finish seemed likely for the club. Their qualification for the current phase was narrowly achieved through a play-off, where they defeated Servette 3-2 on aggregate, with the Swiss team missing late opportunities that could have led to extra time. Having been designated as tournament favorites prior to its commencement, they began their campaign with a 4-2 home victory against Gent, followed by a 4-1 win away at Panathinaikos. Bookmakers now consider Chelsea overwhelming favorites to win the entire tournament, which is a notable situation given the early stage of the competition. They currently lead the table with nine points, holding a three-point advantage in the automatic qualification positions and already six points clear of the elimination spots with three matches remaining. Opta assigns Chelsea a 40% probability of winning the competition and a 99.97% probability of advancing directly to the last 16. German club Heidenheim and Irish club Shamrock Rovers are also among the top eight teams, and they, along with Astana, are Chelsea’s three remaining opponents. While Chelsea is not the inaugural major team to participate in the tournament, it is noteworthy that none of the three prior winners have also claimed the European Cup. Roma triumphed over Feyenoord in the final of the competition’s first season, while Fiorentina was defeated in the subsequent two finals, first by West Ham in 2023 and then by Olympiakos last season. England has been represented by Tottenham, West Ham, and Aston Villa. Among UEFA’s current top-10 ranked clubs, only Roma and Villarreal, in addition to Chelsea, have participated in this tournament. Maresca’s team is also not the first dominant force in the Conference League. Fiorentina, for instance, netted 37 goals in the 2022-23 season before their defeat to West Ham in Prague. Although the format has been altered to a single large league table in place of multiple four-team groups, each team is still scheduled to play six matches. Chelsea is currently just two goals shy of matching the group stage scoring record of 18 goals, set by Jose Mourinho’s Roma, who went on to win the tournament in 2021. Club Brugge’s record group stage goal difference of 12 also appears likely to be surpassed, as Chelsea has already achieved a goal difference one goal superior to it. Enzo Maresca appears to be effectively managing his extensive squad thus far. While Chelsea secured a Conference League record score, they did not reach their own club record in European competition, which is a 13-0 Cup Winners’ Cup triumph against Luxembourg team Jeunesse Hautcharage in 1971. This 8-0 result stands as their joint second-largest victory, matching three other games in their history. As Chelsea held a 6-0 lead against Noah at half-time, and the Armenian side seemed vulnerable to conceding with every attack, the only unexpected outcome was that they managed to score only two additional goals. When asked post-match if he was disappointed about not breaking their club record, Maresca responded, “You have to be serious. It is never easy. It is most important we are serious and professional. We needed to show that.” Rui Mota, Noah’s Portuguese manager, commented, “It’s hard to take, 8-0. We know that Chelsea are on another level as a team, but still, we wanted to do better. If we didn’t concede so early in the game or maybe after two minutes when we had a very good chance, if we had scored a goal, things would be different. Congratulations to Chelsea, they were very strong.” Chelsea defender Tosin Adarabioyo, who scored his inaugural goal for the club to open the scoring, stated, “We’re in the competition to win it. Any competition we’re in, we strive for the best and this competition we definitely want to win.” Chelsea’s extensive squad depth allows them to rotate their entire team while still fielding a high-quality starting lineup. For all three of Chelsea’s Conference League fixtures and their two Carabao Cup matches, Maresca has completely altered his starting XI from the preceding game. Among the players introduced was £52m Christopher Nkunku, who netted two goals against Noah, bringing his season total to 10. He stands as Chelsea’s leading scorer despite having started only one Premier League match. Joao Felix, who also scored twice, shares the top scorer position in the Conference League with four goals, alongside Nkunku and Jagiellonia’s Afimico Pululu. However, to secure a place in the Premier League squad, these players would need to outperform individuals such as Palmer, England winger Noni Madueke, and Nicolas Jackson, who has scored six goals. Captain Enzo Fernandez, who began the season as a Premier League starter but has been a substitute for the last three matches, started this game and assisted three goals. He was substituted at half-time, with Maresca explaining it as solely a “technical decision.” Chelsea, currently fourth in the Premier League standings, is scheduled to play London rivals Arsenal on Sunday. It remains to be seen if Fernandez will be one of the few players to retain his spot.