Ian Wright names weakness holding Chelsea back from immediate trophy charge

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Jamie Carragher is among the pundits who have admitted that Enzo Maresca has sorted things out at Chelsea faster than he expected.

We all expected some progress this season as the chaos of the last few years subsided, but few thought this team would already be towards the top of the table in November. Speaking on the Stick to Football podcast, Ian Wright joined Carragher in praising Chelsea's progress, although he noted one weakness too:

"They are exciting… I like the way the manager has blasted people out. He's gone, "bam", ruthless. This is what I am doing, I'm going with this and you are starting to see it, especially with Caicedo and Lavia in midfield. The front four look like they could go, it's just that defence [that lets them down]," Wrighty said.

Solving defensive weakness could see Chelsea in trophy mix this season

Lots of fans would agree with Wright's thoughts, although there's a little more to it than that. A lack of clean sheets is certainly an issue, and some better defending in key moments would definitely see this team a good few points better off – and right at the very top of the table in fact.

But the issues in defending have come from more than just individual mistakes (as much as we'd like to blame it all on Robert Sanchez). First choice defenders Levi Colwill and Wesley Fofana have had their issues, but there are also structural issues to look at, such as with the offside trap.

That gives us great hope, in fact. Tweak the midfield and attack a little to better protect the defence and we will be so close to a perfect formula for a team that can challenge for trophies right now, let alone next season and beyond.