Chelsea are being talked about as if they are in some sort of crisis at the minute, as is often the case when a side goes a couple of games without a win.
Victory against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League, the first time an English team has done so away from home, prompted many to tip Conte’s side as potential winners of the competition. But this high did not last long, with two league defeats and a draw in their most recent Champions League fixture following.
Manchester City scraped past the Blues 1-0 before the international break, and Crystal Palace shockingly overcame Conte’s side 2-1 in what was their first points of the season. Of course, the defeat to Palace should not have happened and there is embarrassment all around where that is concerned. But the Eagles were certainly due a good performance, and perhaps they have been discredited about how much of a good side they actually are because of the poor start to the season they have made.
Nevertheless, Chelsea had the chance to put that all behind them when they played Roma in the Champions League on Wednesday night. The game ended in a 3-3 draw, and it has brought with it plenty of criticism, the question is why?
The Blues top their Champions League group regardless of the result, and despite Roma not exactly being your typical blockbuster European side such as Real Madrid, they do have a wealth of talent amongst their ranks and it is easy to forget just how good they are. Sure, 3 points is better than 1 – but with the current injury crisis the Blues face in midfield, perhaps 1 point is a good result.
Chelsea continued their improved form after their 3-3 tie with Roma as they stormed to a late comeback win vs Watford where Michy Batshuayi came on as a substitute. The Batman turned superhero as he scored a fine double to dispel reports of him not being trusted by Antonio Conte.
Accumulating a Stockpile
Chelsea have star man N’Golo Kante sidelined through injury, alongside new signing Danny Drinkwater who is still yet to make an impact at the club since his move from Leicester. Bakayoko is also injured, and makeshift midfielder David Luiz is out as well to add insult to injury. That leaves just Cesc Fabregas available as an out-and-out central midfielder for Chelsea – making us all wonder what on earth is going on with the club’s loan policy.
Transfers to Rival Clubs
The powers that be at Chelsea allowed both Nemanja Matic and Nathaniel Chalobah to leave the club during the summer to Manchester United and Watford respectively. They also sent four central midfielders out on loan, with Loftus-Cheek joining Palace, Van Ginkel heading to PSV, Pasalic going over to Spartak Moscow and finally sending Lewis Baker to Middlesbrough. These are all players who could slot into this current Blues side with the injury crisis they face, and maybe the club will think twice in the future before tempting such a situation to happen again.
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Limited Chances for the Pensioners
It seems that despite winning the league so comfortably last season, the chances of Chelsea doing so again the following year have dipped. Perhaps Abramovich and co will look back on the summer transfer window and wish they didn’t allow so many talented midfielders to leave the club, but equally, maybe it is far too early to assume the Blues are down and out – after all, we’re just 9 games into the Premier League season.