It is official, Chelsea are the worst defending Champions in the history of the Premier League and the Stamford Bridge club cannot finish higher than ninth at the end of this campaign. The Blues have had a torrid time this year and will be looking to end it as quickly as possible.
Chelsea would also be without European football next season and many have blamed the performance of the players, even more than that of Jose Mourinho, which led to the side performing as poorly as they have this time around.
Many stars have been linked with a move away from Stamford Bridge, especially with Antonio Conte coming into the team next year. The worrying part is that many players didn’t really cover themselves with glory when someone as trusted as Jose Mourinho was leading the side and fans would be worried that the same can happen under their new Italian manager as well.
Conte though, is a no nonsense manager and he would ensure that the players are charged up for the upcoming season, especially after the turbulent season the team has had to face. The Italian would also be looking to get back into club management after taking over the Italy’s job post Juventus.
Back the Blues for a top four finish
The one thing that the side has lacked is the consistency to do well, Chelsea for their part have the quality in their team if not the squad depth but they surely do not need a lot of reinforcement. If you put out their strongest side on paper, they would surely do well to finish in the European places at the end of next season.
Eden Hazard, Cesc Fabregas, Cesar Azpilicueta, Nemanja Matic, and Thibaut Courtois are just some of the stars in the team, but none of them have actually done well this season at all. Barring Fabregas, all the other players are relatively young and were brilliant in their title winning season.
The side which dominated the Premier League a couple of seasons ago cannot become so poor this quickly. Some blame does fall on the shoulders of Jose Mourinho, but the players would have to do their bit if they are to get back to the top four.
Conte also has one of the most fearless strikers in the world in Diego Costa and if the Spaniard is set in the right mood, he is unstoppable. The Italian manager would also have the likes of Willian, who has easily been Chelsea’s best player this season to call upon and with Pedro in the side, looking to do better next season, the attack for the Blues is set.
If there is a doubt next season it would be in the defence. John Terry would not be part of the side at the moment and with Gary Cahill and Kurt Zouma not always putting in top performances, it would be a worry for the fans if they can keep many clean sheets. Branislav Ivanovic and Matt Miazga could be the answer in defence for the Blues.
Antonio Conte knows how to get the best of aging players as well and with him being a product from Italy, you can bet Chelsea’s defence will get better next season. You should back the Blues for a top four place, but anything more than that without investment will probably won’t happen.