Chelsea are enduring a difficult time at the moment with Enzo Maresca facing as much scrutiny as ever in his role as head coach.

The Italian has come under fire for recent results but the blame from the supporters seems to be with the sporting directors. The Blues made just one signing over the course of the January transfer window with 19-year-old midfielder Mathis Amougou arriving for £12million, but the Frenchman, who signed an eight-year contract at Stamford Bridge, seems to be one for the future rather than the present.

Out of the Carabao Cup and more recently the FA Cup, Chelsea's only realistic chance of winning silverware in Maresca's debut season is the UEFA Conference League. The Blues are through to the Round of 16 of the European competition but will not find out their opponents until later this month once the playoff matches are completed.

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Ironically, to try and bounce back from their disappointing FA Cup exit against Brighton on Saturday evening, Chelsea will have to overcome the Seagulls on Friday night in the Premier League. Back-to-back trips down to the Amex Stadium is never easy and there is added significance on the upcoming game due to recent results.

Since beating Brentford in the Premier League on December 15, Maresca's side have picked up nine points from 24 possible. Two wins, three draws and three defeats in their last eight top-flight matches see the Blues battling for a top four place.

If you would have asked a commonsensical Chelsea fan at the beginning of the season, that is where they would expect their team to be at this point of the campaign. However, at one point, there was talk of a title challenge; something no supporter really had the chance to embrace and one that seemed highly unlikely given the current situation.

Injuries to Nicolas Jackson and Marc Guiu could not have come at a worse time for Maresca - who is hopeful the former's is not too serious and he will return to action soon. It happened on deadline day - in the most ironic of circumstances - when Chelsea supporters were crying out for the club to add another centre-forward to their ranks to see through the season.

An overreliance on Jackson, whose form had massively slumped pre-injury, and an out-of-position Christopher Nkunku led to an innumerable amount of calls for a new striker. Chelsea, however, did not believe there was good enough value in the January market and are prepared to wait until the summer to act on the striker-front, football.london understands.

Regardless of the lack of movement in the transfer market, Maresca's group of players - who were receiving plaudits from up and down the division for their start to the season - look a shadow of the side that we once knew. Even Cole Palmer, the brilliant Cole Palmer, while he continues to score, has looked below his usual standard in recent matches.

The defeat to Brighton on Saturday saw Palmer force an own goal within four minutes - with some actually arguing it should count as his goal. Chelsea's No.20's shot - or cross, who knows? - looked to be on target as Bart Verbruggen made a howler and spilled the ball into his own net. After that, though, Palmer struggled to get into the match.

Brighton did a decent job on restricting how much of the match went through Palmer with Fabian Hurzeler looking to cut off the passing lanes to Chelsea's star attacker. And when that does happen, the Blues, who were already struggling, floundered even more to do anything on the attacking front.

That should not be the case; it should not be Palmer or bust for Chelsea. There is, however, such a lack of confidence from the attacking players at the moment. Pedro Neto celebrated emphatically after scoring the equalising goal against West Ham United last week but the winger, signed for £54million last summer, was poor at the Amex.

Jadon Sancho, too, whose form has dipped enormously from what we were seeing up until December. The 24-year-old winger signed from Manchester United on loan last summer and after starting life at Stamford Bridge dazzlingly, Chelsea fans could hardly believe their luck considering there is a £25million obligation to buy Sancho at the end of the season.

Sancho looks extremely short in confidence at the moment. The winger, whose clever footwork and intelligence in the attacking third sets him apart from the average player, has looked hesitant in key areas in recent games. We need to see him shoot more - that is the simple, but truthful verdict.

Noni Madueke, while at least scoring two goals in his last four outings, is starting to frustrate supporters with some of his decision-making in the final third. Simply put, Chelsea's attackers are in a bad moment. Not one of them is playing anywhere near their best. Not even Palmer.