Since the entrance of BlueCo and Todd Boehly in 2022, Chelsea has not been the most stable club; however, with Enzo Maresca at the helm, the ship may finally be moving in the right direction. In his first season with the Blues, the Italian won the Europa Conference League and qualified for the Champions League.
Furthermore, he guided them to even greater success at the 2025 Club World Cup, where they shocked everyone by defeating Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain 3-0 in the championship match. Mikel Arteta can consider himself among those who saw the potential in the Stamford Bridge team all along, even though few would have foreseen such a victory.
In fact, the manager of Arsenal asserted that Chelsea was the Premier League’s “best attacking” club in March. Although he was ridiculed at the time for his remark, it was obvious that he was right.
Arteta saw Chelsea’s attack as having potential.
“They’re the best attacking team in the league”
Arteta was commenting following the Gunners’ 1-0 victory at the Emirates. Chelsea fought hard even though they lost, which was made even more impressive by the fact that they were without their three main injured forwards: Noni Madueke, Cole Palmer, and Nicolas Jackson. The latter is currently nearing a move to north London.
The Arsenal manager lavished Maresca’s players with accolades, saying they were the Premier League’s finest attacking team “by a mile,” as reported by Sky Sports. He stated in full:
“We still play defense so brilliantly that we have the right to attack open areas, but there were a lot of circumstances where we simply gave up significant advantages.
In spite of the fact that we had to run 70 meters, we were among the top teams in the world today because of how well we performed. Other than the odd save from David [Raya], we haven’t given up nearly [anything].
They are the league’s top offensive club, in my opinion. Definitely. Everything I’ve observed in open play supports the statistics.
Any player in the defensive line may pose a threat inside, and they have individual quality. They can also sprint during transitions and open you. They are currently without a few key players, but they can combine on both of their weaker sides.
Paul Merson Was Baffled By the Claim
“I’m flabbergasted by that quote”
At the time, a lot of people doubted the assertion. Paul Merson, a former Arsenal player who is now a commentator, even went so far as to remark that Arteta’s claim “flabbergasted” him. He wrote: “I don’t know what I’m missing.” for Sky Sports.
“I’m flabbergasted by that quote,” he continued. To be honest, I don’t understand. Many Chelsea supporters will read that and say, “Wow!” What is he discussing?
However, Arteta was well aware of what the underlying statistics were suggesting, as Chelsea defeated PSG in the final to win the Club World Cup. Palmer’s brace and Joao Pedro’s third goal clinched a thrilling victory over what many believe to be the world’s top attacking squad.
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