“I think we evolved a lot as a team since we started. Probably we are ahead of my expectation in terms of the way we play and also in terms of results.”

Enzo Maresca was bullish about the progress his side have made since his appointment last summer when speaking ahead of Chelsea’s trip to Manchester City last weekend.

But that progress was not on display at the Etihad, where Guardiola engineered a second comfortable victory of the season over his former protege, despite being in the midst of his worst season in Manchester.

Not that Maresca was deterred. “In my opinion, we are a better team than one month ago, two months ago,” he said in the wake of defeat.

Where does Maresca’s optimism come from? A run of one win in seven Premier League games leaves Chelsea sixth ahead of this weekend’s fixtures, 13 points behind Liverpool, who have a game in hand.

Maresca may point to his side’s sudden inefficiency in attack as the reason for this malaise. But six weeks ago, they were two points off top spot after winning their seventh consecutive match in all competitions and having to play down talk of a first realistic title challenge since they last lifted the trophy eight years ago.

Nobody is talking of the title anymore. Chelsea have even slipped out of the qualification places for the Champions League – a competition they have won twice but failed to reach for the past two seasons.

Has Maresca really watched his team take six points from their last seven league games and decided they have improved during that time?

Of course, the head coach may point to the results he was overseeing before this winter slump to justify his assertion that Chelsea are ahead of expectations.

The Blues lost just four of 27 matches across all competitions before Christmas and cruised to the top of the Conference League table.

But it’s also worth looking at who Chelsea earned their points against. They have lost just once against sides currently in the bottom half of the Premier League yet have won only four of 11 fixtures against teams in the top 10.

In four games against Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester City, they have taken a single point.

After 34 matches in charge, what is Maresca’s most impressive result? Perhaps the 4-3 comeback win at Tottenham but Spurs have lost more than half their league games this season. Maybe it’s the home victories against Newcastle and Aston Villa?

Impressive, yes, but none of those results marked a turning point or provided a statement to suggest that Chelsea are back among the elite.

In fact, how much have they really progressed since parting ways with Mauricio Pochettino? After a rocky first half to his only season in charge, Maresca’s predecessor steadied the ship in 2024 and led Chelsea to a sixth-placed finish on the back of a five-game winning run. But just as momentum was building, the relationship ended.

Eight months on, Chelsea remain sixth. They have won fewer points and scored fewer goals in the Premier League under Maresca than they did during the second half of Pochettino’s reign, although the expected goals for and against are more favourable towards the Italian.

Sky Sports’ chief reporter Kaveh Solhekol noted that “Chelsea believe they are a Champions League club” when commenting on Pochettino’s exit. Most supporters would say the same. So whose expectations are Chelsea exceeding?

Perhaps Maresca is choosing to remain upbeat to reassure his players during their first slump under his tutelage. But similarities can be drawn with Chelsea’s current form and the way Leicester’s results declined under him last year.

After winning 25 of their first 32 Championship matches, Leicester’s results nosedived from February onwards, losing six out of 10 before rallying just in time.

Despite their eventual success, there was a sense that not all Foxes fans were disappointed at his exit. Maresca also faced questions over his tactics and team selections during his time at Leicester. “The moment there is some doubt about the idea, the day after, I will leave,” he said last January.

Things are far from that bad for Maresca but his decisions are again coming under scrutiny. The faith shown in Robert Sanchez is not shared by the Stamford Bridge crowd, some of whom have jeered the goalkeeper in recent weeks.

Installing Sanchez as his No 1 after he was dropped by Roberto De Zerbi at Brighton and Pochettino at Chelsea was a bold call by Maresca, especially with £20.5m summer signing Filip Jorgensen on the bench. It has not paid off.

Maresca’s reluctance to use certain members of his squad in the Premier League has also raised eyebrows. Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Joao Felix and Christopher Nkunku – signed for a total of £115m – have just seven league starts combined.

Maresca did cede some ground in the Sanchez debate after his error in the defeat to City, admitting: “Robert is completely aware he has to do better.” No public guarantees have been given to Sanchez about keeping his place for Chelsea’s next game – at home to West Ham on Monday Night Football.

The Hammers’ visit to west London will also mark the first return of one of Chelsea’s many former managers. Like Maresca, Graham Potter – a former team-mate of the current Blues boss at West Brom – was given his first shot at a big club by Chelsea.

Also like Maresca, Potter enjoyed a solid start to life in west London, going unbeaten in his first nine games.

But trouble was just around the corner. A blip in form became a slump, which then became a crisis – and then resulted in a sacking.

The chaos that swallowed up Potter no longer engulfs Chelsea to the same extent. Lessons have been learned.

But on Monday night, Maresca will come face-to-face with a manager who can attest to how quickly fortunes can change at Stamford Bridge.

Watch Chelsea vs West Ham on Monday, live on Sky Sports Main Event and Premier League from 6.30pm; kick-off 8pm. Stream with NOW.