Talents such as Nicolas Jackson are making waves in Enzo Maresca’s squad but plenty of others are going nowhere

Thirteen points from their past six games, 15 goals scored, and Chelsea went into the weekend fourth in the Premier League table. The mood suddenly has changed. What crisis? Maybe the great disruptors had it right all along. Or at least maybe now that they seem set on disrupting each other and the focus has shifted to potential buyouts and leadership squabbles, Enzo Maresca has been able to get on with building a team.

Decisions that seemed baffling at the time can now be cast in a more favourable light. When Raheem Sterling released a statement seconds after the official announcement that he had been left out of Chelsea’s opening game of the season, it seemed indicative of the chaos at the club. If they had no need for him, why had he played such a prominent role in pre-season? And why, given their much-vaunted policy of buying young players on long contracts with a relatively low base wage but lucrative bonuses, was he on a reported £350,000 a week?