Despite Chelsea’s dip in form during the second half of the season, Enzo Maresca has clearly improved the defensive level of his side, implementing a more control-based system with a man-to-man pressing approach.
The Blues were involved in plenty of high-scoring games last campaign, including a 4-4 draw against Manchester City, a 4-3 win against Manchester United and five 2-2 draws.
Whilst they were scoring lots of goals, it was also coming back the other way, giving them their worst defensive record in the last ten years.
Goals Conceded
1.58
1.22
xG Against
1.53
1.33
Shots Against
14.6
10.8
Shots on Target Against
4.79
4.19
Average Shot Distance Against
16.9 (yards)
17.5 (yards)
Under Maresca, these defensive metrics have begun to improve, conceding fewer goals per 90, conceding fewer shots against per 90 and forcing opposition teams into longer-distance shots.
However, we can still expect defensive reinforcement in the summer, as the Blues will likely want to take another step to further improving their defensive record next season.
Chelsea's centre-back conundrum
After Wesley Fofana has continued to struggle with injuries in the 2024/25 campaign, Chelsea are now looking to add a central defender in the summer transfer window, with one of the names highly linked being Bournemouth defender Dean Huijsen.
Huijsen only signed for Bournemouth in the 2024/25 summer transfer window, joining from Juventus for a fee of around £12m.
That said, his excellent performances at just 20-years-old is already attracting interest from Europe’s elite, with the Spaniard’s £50m release clause now likely to be activated after just one season in England. The Blues are one of the interested parties with it reported that they and Arne Slot’s Liverpool are at the front of the queue for his signature.
The 20-year-old has made 30 appearances for the Cherries this season, scoring two goals, providing one assist, contributing to seven clean sheets and totalling 2,350 minutes played.
But, as talented as Huijsen is, could Chelsea already have their own young talented defender in the pipeline?
Chelsea's homegrown Huijsen
A certain Josh Acheampong has fully broken into the senior set-up at Chelsea this season, having made his debut under Mauricio Pochettino last term, coming from the bench against Tottenham.
The 18-year-old has made nine senior appearances throughout 2024/25 in what has been a real breakthrough year, contributing to five clean sheets in 511 minutes played.
One of his best traits is the ability to drive the ball out from the back, striding forwards and kick-starting attacks through progressive carries.
Especially against man-to-man pressing schemes (which are becoming far more common in the Premier League), this attribute can become a real game-changer.
In The Pipeline
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Acheampong has already been labelled as a “dominant” defender by scout Jacek Kulig, who referred to the 18-year-old as the “definition of a modern defender”.
The England U19 star is versatile, able play as both a right-back and centre-back, even recently showing his ability to step into midfield, having the composure and elegance beyond his years.
Having been integrated slowly this season under Maresca, who has already stated Acheampong is “the one he fell in love with” after his performance against Legia Warsaw in the UEFA Conference League, next year could be a big season for the young defender, becoming more than just a bit-part piece for the Italian head coach.
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ByDan EmeryApr 14, 2025