EPL: Chelsea’s current team can’t win league title, says Carragher

Ex-Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher has declared that Chelsea’s current squad is incapable of winning the Premier League title.

Speaking to Sky Sports on Tuesday, Carragher praised Chelsea coach Enzo Maresca’s performance so far but strongly criticised the club’s overall direction in recent years, particularly regarding recruitment and squad construction.

Carragher expressed frustration that despite substantial spending, Chelsea still lacks an elite goalkeeper, top-class centre-backs, and a balanced, coherent squad.

“I actually think Enzo Maresca has done a brilliant job since he took charge. In his first year, he secured Champions League football, and the title was never realistically in contention. Achieving Champions League qualification through the league and winning the competitions he entered is impressive. It’s brilliant not just to beat Paris Saint-Germain but to utterly dominate them in the Club World Cup,” he said.

“My criticism is aimed at Chelsea as a club over the past three and a half years. How can you still have the team you have? And we say there’s no chance of winning the league. Chelsea fans know this. Reflect on teams that have won the league—who were their goalkeepers? Petr Čech and Thibaut Courtois. That says everything a Chelsea fan needs to know,” he added.

“My big problem with Chelsea is not Maresca himself but how, after three and a half years and significant expenditure, the team still features the goalkeeper and centre-backs currently starting. That cannot win you the league.

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“There hasn’t been a league-winning side in 100 years with players of that standard in those key positions for Chelsea. It’s simply impossible.”
Responding to the criticism, Maresca commented, “Anyone can say what they want.”

Chelsea plays Lincoln City tonight in the EFL Cup, aiming to recover from their 2-1 defeat at Old Trafford.