The defending champions will be marked men this time round, will they be able to cope?
After romping home with the Premier League title in May, Chelsea were poised to exert their dominance over English football.
Fast forward two months, and things aren't as rosy as they were for the Blues.
Antonio Conte, despite exceeding expectations in his debut season is perhaps the most disgruntled person at the club. His transfer targets have somehow evaded the club, wantaway striker Diego Costa is still on the books, they have a difficult opening set of fixtures and star winger Eden Hazard is unlikely to feature before September.
Advertisement
However, the defending champions are still a top side and will be contesting for the title, come May. For their already-considerable defence has been strengthened by the acquisition of Antonio Rudiger and in Thibaut Courtois, they have one of the best goalkeepers in the league.
Their midfield isn't bad either and should, in theory at least, be able to cope with the void left by Nemanja Matic. With the 2018 FIFA World Cup on the horizon, motivation will not be an issue for these players and come May, the Blues will be contesting for the title.
Transfer Ins
Alvaro Morata (£60 million from Real Madrid)
Tiemoue Bakayoko (£40 million from AS Monaco)
Willy Caballero (free from Manchester City)
Antonio Rudiger (£30 million from AS Roma)
Transfer Outs
Nemanja Matic (£40 million to Manchester United)
Nathan Ake (£18 million to AFC Bournemouth)
Juan Cuadrado (£16 million to Juventus)
Asmir Begovic (£8 million to AFC Bournemouth)
Bertrand Traore (£7 million to Lyon)
Christian Atsu (£5 million to Newcastle United)
Nathaniel Chalobah (£4 million to Watford)
The fiery Italian has been at loggerheads with the club board all summer long due to their inability to close transfer targets but let’s not forget that Conte overcame a difficult start to life at Chelsea last season in style.
His 3-4-3 system took the Premier League by storm and while there is a possibility of a mid-season sacking, there is no denying that the 47-year-old has left an indelible mark during his brief time in London.
Till the time he is on the touchline, Chelsea will be near-impossible to break down and while they may not play exhilarating football, at least not until Hazard and Morata combine, they will be title contenders.
Usually a team that set numerous records enorute to lifting the league shouldn’t have significant weaknesses, but then again, Chelsea didn't have a regular post-season.
Diego Costa scored close to 60 goals for the Blues in three seasons and while Alvaro Morata is a fine forward, his playing style is distinctly different from his compatriot’s.
Technically, Costa is still on the books and should Chelsea be unable to find a buyer, Conte may be forced to re-integrate the striker into the squad, a situation that the club will be desperate to avoid.
Apart from the bedding-in period for Morata, with him getting used to the pace of the Premier League, doubts remain as to whether he can be the leading man at a club. His showing at the Community Shield final didn't help matters and the burden of being the club’s record signing will begin to weigh him down the longer he takes to get off the mark.
How Chelsea will be missing their wing-wizard at the start of the season. Without him and Costa, the Blues will struggle to win their opening games and fans will be desperate to see him back in the starting XI.
Since his 2012 transfer from Lille, the Belgian has consistently been the club’s best performer (barring an abnormal 2015-16 season) and there is a reason why he is man-marked in amost every game.
Among the best dribblers in the Premier League, Hazard blends style with effectiveness in such a way that is almost impossible to neutralise him and once he is back in action September onwards, expect the Blues’ fortunes to look up.
Likely Starting XI
Formation: 3-4-3
Goalkeeper: Thibaut Courtois
Defence: Cesar Azpilicueta, David Luiz and Gary Cahill
Midfield: Marcos Alonso, Tiemoue Bakayoko (currently injured), N’Golo Kante and Victor Moses
Attack: Eden Hazard (currently injured), Alvaro Morata and Pedro
Advertisement
