(Credit: Hasan Karim, Breaking Media/Imago)

Ciaran Morrison

Thu 18 September 2025 9:15, UK

Chelsea’s opening Champions League defeat at Bayern Munich has increased criticism of the club since the Blues last won the competition.

Harry Kane made Champions League history as his double, alongside a Trevoh Chalobah own goal, helped Bayern Munich to a 3-1 win.

Cole Palmer had got Chelsea back in the game at 2-0 down, but the German side were ultimately too strong for Enzo Maresca’s team.

Maresca is looking to build on Chelsea’s Club World Cup success and Europa Conference League triumph last season.

Jamie Carragher hits out at Chelsea ownership after Bayern Munich defeat

Following the match, speaking on CBS [September 17], former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher felt the club had gone backwards under the ownership of Todd Boehly since Chelsea won the Champions League in 2021.

“You can’t pretend this has been a success so far after three and a half years,” Carragher claimed.

“They [Todd Boehly] came into the club and the manager was Thomas Tuchel, he’d won the Champions League at that club at that stage.

“Under Thomas Tuchel, Manchester City and Liverpool were possibly two best teams in World football alongside Real Madrid so it was very difficult for anybody to win the Premier League.

“But Chelsea were the third best team it wasn’t Man United, it wasn’t Arsenal, it was Chelsea. They then change that manager.

“They then take a team who are very close to competing and winning the Champions League and they go and spend £2billion. They are no closer, they are further away from what that manager was doing three and a half years ago in terms of competing with the top teams.

“They’ve had to bend the rules of break the rules if you like around PSR in England in terms of selling the women’s team to themselves so that proved it wasn’t going well. They’ve been fined by UEFA I think twice already.”

Aston Villa have also sold their women’s team as clubs find ways to work around financial rules, with Chelsea looking at building a new stadium to increase revenue.

Enzo Maresca has work to do at Chelsea

Since Tuchel’s reign at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea have arguably gone backwards and defeat at Bayern Munich showed Maresca will not be able to copy the German’s feat of winning the Champions League.

Palmer’s goal was well-worked, but it is defensively were Maresca needs to work with his team as Bayern Munich’s three goals were all avoidable.

Chelsea’s draw at Brentford also showed some defensive fragility, with the Blues unable to deal with a late long throw-in to seal all three points.

Despite their heavy summer of investment on the pitch, Chelsea do look no closer at regaining the Premier League title or the most prestigious European crown.