Chelsea endured a tough start to their Premier League title defence with a shock 3-2 defeat against relegation favourites Burnley on the opening weekend, on a day where the Blues saw both Gary Cahill and Cesc Fabregas sent off.
The Blues have been left with plenty of issues on their plate ahead of this Sunday’s crucial Premier League clash with Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley Stadium, where key-players will be absent due to injury and suspension.
Antonio Conte has made it very clear he wants more signings before the end of the transfer window later this month but is reportedly clashing with the board over the signings he feels are needed, an issue that needs to be resolved if the defending champions are to move forward.
The Blues cannot afford to solely focus on the transfer market though as this weekend’s clash with Tottenham, who finished runners-up to Chelsea in the Premier League last season, will be a stern test- and a bad weekend could see Conte’s men fall six points behind their rivals already.
Ahead of the match, Sky Sports pundit and former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher has urged Chelsea to stay calm ahead of their trip to Wembley- in order to avoid a toxic atmosphere that previously led to Jose Mourinho’s departure.
“Chelsea need to do the exact opposite of panicking. A couple of seasons ago when they drew with Swansea on the opening day and they had the incident with the club doctor, all of sudden it felt like Chelsea were under pressure. I felt like people were fanning the flames. The story was getting bigger and bigger until Jose Mourinho eventually lost his job.”
“They’ve lost one game at home – they should be thinking now ‘relax’. They’ve got two games between now and the transfer window shutting. Antonio Conte needs to get two players in – they need strengthening, especially in the wing-back positions.”
“They need to stop this tidal wave of negativity. The way Conte is speaking to the press you know something isn’t right. That’s got to stop. They’ve got to remember it’s only one defeat and they’ve got to get their heads back on. As Conte has said, they don’t want another Jose season.”