Is Chelsea In Serious Trouble?
London, England - At 3-2-3 and currently in 11th place in the English Premier League, Chelsea has certainly not had the start that Blues fans would’ve wanted. Perhaps the most concerning thing about Chelsea’s current situation is that the squad has yet to play its toughest games of the season.
Chelsea’s date with Arsenal is just a taste of what’s to come for the Blues. Six of CFC’s next seven league opponents are in the top half of the table, including matches against Newcastle, Manchester City, Tottenham, and Brighton. With a daunting next couple of weeks, it begs the question; Is Chelsea in trouble?
The London side has struggled this season with finding a consistent source of goals. The Blues have scored multiple times in a match just three times this season, with those games coming against the likes of Burnley, Luton, and Fulham. While EPL veteran Raheem Sterling has caught fire as of late, he is one of just two Blues players with more than one score. Chelsea’s offensive woes stretch back to last campaign, when the team finished with just 38 goals, the lowest mark in the club’s Premier League history.
Another issue facing CFC is the poor performance of key signings. Under Chairman Todd Boehly, Chelsea dropped £434.5 million on transfers over the summer, the most amount ever shelled out during a single transfer window in league history. Despite this, new acquisitions like Nicolas Jackson, Robert Sanchez, and most notably Moises Caicedo have failed to find their footing since arriving in London. Not to mention the disappointing displays from players picked up last season like Mykhaylo Mudryk, Marc Cucurella, and the since departed Kalidou Koulibaly.
A major factor in Chelsea’s recent shortcomings has also been health. The Blues have been bitten by quite the injury bug as of late. High-profile signings Romeo Lavia and Christopher Nkunku have yet to touch the pitch because of injuries. Other key players like Ben Chillwell, Wesley Fofafana, Reece James, Carney Chukwuemeka, and Benoit Badiashile have also suffered major injuries.
With an overflowing roster of talent and plenty of financial backing, it’s an understatement to say that Chelsea has not lived up to the hype. However, the Blues are one of the most storied and successful clubs in the world. Even with the uphill battle ahead, it seems like a mistake to completely rule out the success of CFC. With a laundry list of players sidelined by injuries, the side still has plenty of world class game changers that haven’t even seen the inside of Stamford Bridge. Chelsea is sure to struggle in their coming EPL matches, however it’s hard to bet against a team loaded with so many quality players. Inevitably only time will tell for the Blues, this season could prove to be the launchpad for an entertaining core of young players or could go down as one of the biggest failures in sports history.
Must be a fun time to be a Chelsea fan.