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The least productive approach for the London club to answer to their thrashing of Barça would be to buy into the excitement. The challenge is that feelings in the sport swing from one end to another, as the people running things at Stamford Bridge have rapidly come to realize.

They have endured plenty of mockery for their different method since buying the side from the previous owner three years ago, so maybe they are entitled to be a little wary now that the Blues are being commended for their transfer policy and talked up as potential league competitors before hosting their London rivals on Sunday.

Opposite to public view, this is not a board that grows swept up readily. The starting turmoil has settled – Chelsea have had four full-time managers since their takeover by the new leadership and the investment group – and the objective of developing a sustainable long‑term plan is at odds with panicking to one poor outcome, one decent run of performances or even one convincing triumph over the Catalan club in the Europe.

The message has not changed since the start of the term: stay grounded. It is important recalling that there was plenty of negative talk from outside when the Blues were defeated to Manchester United and Brighton at the conclusion of September. Was any pundit talking about a championship bid then? Or, in fact, after Chelsea blew a single-goal advantage and were beaten at Stamford Bridge to the Black Cats last month? The mood was contrasting. Calm thinking were required; the instruction from on high was that Enzo Maresca and his squad had to have faith in themselves after the setback by the Seagulls.

Now, with demanding travel games against Leeds United and AFC Bournemouth to arrive next week, the focus is on guaranteeing the team are not lulled into satisfaction after that remarkable beating of Barcelona.

Maybe that calm feel will help the most youthful squad in the English football remain level. the coach, composed to a extreme in his public engagements, fits the approach. The team were in a comparable situation this time last year but the head coach consistently stated they were not in the title contest. He believed it was too premature in their evolution. The coach received backlash when the side dropped off and ended up in a fight for European placement – had he given the squad an out? – but he was in his maiden season as a Premier League manager. He and his players had to make mistakes and develop.

It is a conscious tactic. Maresca is not prone to making brave pronouncements, often remarking he is planning no further than the upcoming match. His attitude has not been shifted by the Blues rising to runner-up after several victories from their last multiple games. It will probably not even shift radically if they defeat their rivals and reduce their opponents’ lead to three points.

“Whether we win, whether we do not win, I believe it’s too soon,” the coach said on Friday. “We are still in the eleventh month. It’s incredibly important in winter, spring, where we are. From there we’ll determine if we can achieve something important.”

That was about as close as it arrives to an concession that, indeed, it is possible for the Blues to challenge their opponents. Yet there is no expectation on the manager to win the league this season. The 45-year-old has goals to achieve but Chelsea will not assess his performance until next summer. They have no intention to be pushed into sacking a boss during a campaign again. Chelsea want continuity and are only just beginning their journey.

They have arrangements in order to recruit more youngsters in the summers of the coming years and 2027. They were criticised for selling Noni Madueke to Arsenal last summer but did so because moving an experienced Premier League talent had to be completed to create room for the arriving the prodigy.

The winger is developing. The 18-year-old attacker was brilliant against Barça, scoring a breathtaking finish, but the young prodigy is not expected to start against the Gunners. His minutes is being cautiously handled by Maresca. Chelsea had a interrupted summer preparation after making it all the way in last season’s global tournament. The coach’s frequent squad rotation is proof of a manager thinking about the future as well as short-term.

Notwithstanding the caution, though, it is also true that the team are completely equipped of defeating Arsenal. the playmaker is back after two months absence and set to start. the forward is in superb form in attack, and the enforcer and Enzo Fernández will rival Arsenal’s centre quality.

Maresca said overcoming PSG in that global tournament decider had benefited his team’s mentality. He likes that they are sharing the scoring around to a greater extent than the prior campaign, when there was too much reliance on the star. A deep reserves will also give him a range of ways to challenge the Gunners’ defence strength.

Can it be adequate? Perhaps not yet. The Blues at times do not have a clinical edge and the centre-back’s absence with a long-term {