Defensive frailties, constant tinkering and a worrying run: Why the visit of in-form Everton is must-win for Chelsea

After wobbling alarmingly in defeat at Atalanta in the Champions League on Tuesday, Chelsea are under huge pressure heading into Saturday’s home game with Everton.

Enzo Maresca’s side are without a win in four games and nothing less than three points against the Toffees will do.

Here,   DAZN News reporter Ross Heppenstall assesses the importance of a must-win fixture as Chelsea bid to end their slump.

Blues stuck in a rut

Winning had become a habit for Chelsea this season until they embarked on their current miserable run.

The Blues had tasted victory in nine of their previous 11 games before hosting Arsenal on November 30.

A 1-1 draw against the Gunners was followed by a 3-1 defeat at Leeds United, a drab goalless draw at Bournemouth and a 2-1 loss at Atalanta in midweek.

The winless run has seen Chelsea go from potential Premier League title contenders to fifth in the table – eight points adrift of leaders Arsenal.

Losing in Bergamo on Tuesday saw Maresca’s team slip to 13th in the Champions League standings, damaging their hopes of a top-eight finish.

They are now likely to face a two-legged play-off in order to reach the round of 16.

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Where has it all gone wrong?

Chelsea have the youngest side in England and Europe – and in the past fortnight it has showed.

Their vulnerabilities were badly exposed during last week’s loss at Elland Road and again in the Atalanta defeat.

Defensively they have looked all sea at times and that is certainly an area for improvement.

Worryingly, Chelsea can appear in control of games but then lose it with costly consequences.

With Chelsea leading 1-0 in Bergamo on Tuesday night, ex-West Ham striker Gianluca Scamacca was left completely free to head in a cross to level from Charles de Ketelaere.

The provider then turned scorer as de Ketelaere capitalised on some poor defending as Chelsea allowed the impressive winger to stride forward and rifle a low shot into the net from 20 yards.

Maresca has also been accused to making too many changes to his starting line-up – he made five against Atalanta and the Blues came off second-best.

Pedro yet to truly fire this season

Joao Pedro arrived from Brighton for £60million in the summer and immediately hit the ground running by helping his new club to win the FIFA Club World Cup.

The Brazil striker bagged a stunning brace in the 2-0 semi-final win over Fluminense and was on target again in the 3-0 victory over Paris Saint-Germain.

A sign of things to come? Not quite.

He scored Chelsea’s goal against Atalanta but it was just his fifth in 22 appearances for club and country this season.

Conjecture has surrounded whether Pedro is best suited to playing as a No 10 or a traditional number nine.

With Liam Delap out injured, the wisdom of Chelsea allowing Nicolas Jackson to join Bayern Munich on a season-long loan has also been questioned.

As Delap sits on the sidelines for the next month, Pedro is being asked to burden the responsibility of leading the line for the Blues.

Toffees clash takes on added importance

Despite the current doom and gloom surrounding Maresca’s squad, a win against Everton at Stamford Bridge on Saturday could change the mood completely.

The omens are certainly in Chelsea’s favour as the Toffees have not won there since November 1994, when Paul Rideout scored the only goal for Joe Royle’s team.

Could Everton win at the Bridge for the first time in 31 years?

David Moyes’ men are in decent form, having won four of their last five Premier League games.

For Chelsea, who look set to be bolstered by the return of master craftsman Cole Palmer, anything but a home win is simply unthinkable.

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