AFTER starting the season as everyone’s favourite joke, it may be time to take Chelsea seriously.
With their warring owners having splurged £1.2billion on under-performing ‘talent’, the Blues were ripe for a kicking.
But there now appears to be at least some sort of plan and they are just one point behind Arsenal after nine games.
Cole Palmer has developed into one of the best players in the Premier League.
And Nicolas Jackson has been transformed from a misfiring, yellow-card collecting figure of fun into a clinical striker.
Moises Caicedo, all £115million of him, appears to be a capable footballer after all — having looked out of his depth following his huge switch from Brighton last year.
Boss Enzo Maresca has turned Chelsea from a clown car into — if not quite a Ferrari — something far more sensible.
When he was plotting his next move in the summer, many would have forgiven him for snubbing the Blues.
There was interest from his native Italy, across Europe and also other Prem clubs.
Chelsea was far from the easy option — especially as he had never previously managed in the top flight.
CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERS
But against a lot of noise and fury he has taken a firm hold on the club.
Maresca — who won the Championship for Leicester in his first full season as a manager last term — has taken to the job with an authority few with such little experience can command.
He arrived weighed down by comparisons to former mentor Pep Guardiola. He was labelled Pep 2.0 or Diet Pep.
But through a combination of charm, resilience and — most importantly — results, Maresca has made his own way.
As early as the club’s pre-season tour of America — already a challenge with a ludicrous five games in five different cities — the new manager was up against the Chelsea circus.
Star midfielder Enzo Fernandez publicly divided the squad after being accused of singing a racist song, while fans’ favourite Conor Gallagher was forced out.
Meanwhile, Raheem Sterling’s exit was frantic and mishandled.
But Maresca emerged unscathed.
While from the outside the tour looked a nightmare, travelling with the squad a sense of calm came from the manager.
Rarely did he say anything to inflame situations that were largely out of his control and ordered from on-high.
Those around Maresca have tried to ensure he can set a firm tone when speaking to supporters via the media and get his ideas across with clarity and authority.
Having seen his former West Brom team-mate Graham Potter suffer under the Stamford Bridge spotlight, he had to be ready.
Maresca’s agency Wasserman — who also represent Potter — enlisted the help of Adrian Phillips, a former Chelsea senior communications manager, to prepare the coach for his step into the unknown.
That support has helped guide Maresca not only through the controversial sales of players but also to shut out the noise as co-owners Behdad Eghbali and Todd Boehly fell out.
Everyone knew the job was never going to be straightforward but Maresca was still privately surprised early on by just how much chaos surrounded him.
Whether it was the boardroom rows or transfer acrobatics.
A near 40-man squad was cut down and added to — sometimes in places where it did not need it.
Maresca wanted another centre-back but ended up being given Joao Felix.
However, the young, bloated group has been brought together through tough love and some lighter touches.
Noni Madueke and Mykhailo Mudryk were criticised for a lack of focus and consistency while only last week the boss scolded Reece James’ leadership ability.
Risky steps but ones which appear to be paying dividends.
Madueke has four goals in eight Premier League games while Mudryk — though left out of some squads — is showing signs of promise in Europe.
While he has been hard on some, the players seem to generally be on-side.
The squad enjoyed his training sessions from the off, seeing far more of the ball than under previous coaches — while Maresca himself has also joined in sessions.
The former Manchester City and West Ham coach has introduced moments to celebrate individual achievements — such as first goals or international call-ups — when players receive a guard of honour from team-mates as they emerge for training.
A level of competition has also been added ahead of those sessions, activation in the gym designed to pit players against one another and keep levels high.
It is all bringing the best out of players who looked to have the weight of the world on their shoulders last season.
Jackson has gone from an erratic forward to a clinical finisher while Caicedo is now back to his best in midfield.
Six strikes in nine games have taken Jackson to 20 goals in a Chelsea shirt, while Caicedo has made more tackles and interceptions than any other top-flight player.
All of that is underpinned by Palmer’s genius. Concerns that he would not have the freedom to impact games under Maresca are a thing of the past.
Predecessor Mauricio Pochettino began the upturn last season — but a summer of turbulence threatened to undo all of that.
Now, Maresca seems to be turning Chelsea back into a serious football club.
COLE PALMER was once again the star of the show.
His perfect pass for Neto set up Nicolas Jackson's opening goal and then he scored the second in a 2-1 win over Newcastle.
He was class - but not all the Chelsea players were.
Here's how SunSport's Lloyd Canfield rated the players at Stamford Bridge...
Robert Sanchez – 3/10
Pretty poor in all honesty.
A liability in terms of distribution, and while a decent shot-stopper, he consistently seems to be a big question mark in this Chelsea eleven.
Malo Gusto – 3
It looks as though Chelsea may have to choose between Gusto and Reece James to start on the right with them
Failed to impact the game much attacking-wise, and was bettered by Lewis Hall who crossed for Alexander Isak's equaliser.
Wesley Fofana – 6
Picked up a knock early on and played the rest of the game with a strapped-up knee.
Nonetheless, gave as good as he got against the powerful Alexander Isak for large parts of the game, and made some crucial blocks and tackles throughout.
Levi Colwill – 6
Was fortunate to get away with a clumsy tackle on Bruno Guimaraes early in the first half, but was still fairly solid.
For a man with such an impressive passing range, it felt like he couldn't quite put it to use today.
Seemingly prevented Alexander Isak from levelling with his aura alone…
Reece James – 2
Playing as a left-centre back it's hard to see how Chelsea will get the best out of what could be one of the finest attacking wing backs in the world.
He didn't look comfortable in that position, and let Alexander Isak run away from him for Newcastle's equaliser.
He came up with two crucial blocks in the second half to deny Isak from making it two or three, before giving him a golden chance to do so which was not taken.
Romeo Lavia – 7
Followed up a brilliant performance in the loss to Liverpool with another good showing in the middle of the park here.
Starting to look like a bargain with performances like these if he can stay fit, as he claimed the assist for Cole Palmer's fine finish.
Moises Caicedo – 7
Effective in breaking up play for the Blues, and it was a solid showing from a midfield player who has been so good this season.
Steps into challenges nicely at just the right time, and is becoming a dependable figure in the same mould in which N'golo Kante and Claude Makelele were in their time here.
Noni Madueke – 5
Quiet in the first half, but better in the second as he looked to trouble Lewis Hall more.
Was outshone by Pedro Neto on the opposite flank this time out, before being swapped out for Mykhailo Mudryk.
Pedro Neto – 8
So much pace down the left-hand side which was utilised perfectly to leave Livramento in the dust to set up Nicolas Jackson's opening goal.
Could have had a goal early in the second half as he rattled the post with a header after leaping like a salmon.
Cole Palmer – 9
Started the game well with a cracking finish which VAR ruled out, only to cook the Newcastle defence a matter of moments later with an incisive pass for Neto to set up the opener.
Newcastle simply could not handle the midfield man, who lit up Stamford Bridge early in the second half to claim his sixth goal of the season.
Nonchalance personified, cool Cole showed why he will attend the Ballon d'Or ceremony tomorrow night, and why he can win it in coming years.
Nicolas Jackson – 8
A superb first-time finish opened the scoring for the Blues, and the Senegalese forward did well with the little service he had in the first half - often needing to drop deep to pick up the ball and link up the play.
14 goals in his last 14 Premier League games - leave the Didier Drogba comparisons at home, this is a superstar in his own right.
SUBS:
MYKHAILO MUDRYK (NONI MADUEKE, 67) – 5
Had a big chance to add a third to Chelsea's tally after replacing Madueke, but his left-footed strike was saved by Nick Pope, who didn't have to move.
ENZO FERNANDEZ (ROMEO LAVIA, 72) – 5
Didn't add anything which Lavia wasn't already giving, but ultimately wasn't given much time to really impact the game.
MARC CUCURELLA (MALO GUSTO , 78) – 5
Individually, didn't have a lot of time to show what he's made of, but Chelsea look like a better team with him in the side.
He plays the inverted left-back role well, allowing Chelsea to get the most out of their right-side.
CHRISTOPHER NKUNKU ( NICOLAS JACKSON, 78) – 6
Had a half-chance late on, which wasn't taken as he dilly-dallied on the ball on the edge of the box.
Thought he had won a penalty on the stroke of the 90th minute after going down under pressure from Dan Burn, but it was ruled out by VAR.
Click here to read more on Chelsea.
