For the first time in three years, Chelsea is about to end the season without a trophy. The Blues have been knocked out of the EFL Cup after a close contest against Manchester City.
Despite the fact that they are still in search of glory in the other tournaments, almost no one puts them as favorites to win a title. They may have their best chance in the FA cup, despite not having entered the tournament yet, as you can check out here.
Season 2022/23 – Current Situation
Their recent performance in the Premier League has been devastating, as Newcastle utterly outclassed them in a direct battle for the top 4. They are currently on a 5 game winless streak in the most competitive national tournament in the world. To make matters worse, Chelsea lost consecutively to Brighton (A), Arsenal (H) and Newcastle (A).
On top of everything else, their Champions League campaign took off on shaky ground after losing points to Dinamo Zagreb and Salzburg. However, the Blues closed out the Group Phase with four wins that put them back in 1st place. Finally, they faced Borussia Dortmund in the round of 16, which will undoubtedly be a close battle despite the fact that the bookies favor the English team.
The team have been struggling with their momentum all season, causing them to drop 16 points behind Arsenal in the Premier League. The internal change in the management of the squad and especially the dismissal of its head coach, Thomas Tuchel, right at the beginning of the season, has taken its toll on the overall performance of the team. Also, the Blues have yet to face Manchester City and Liverpool in the Premier League this season.
It looks like the World Cup comes at the right time for the west London team. However, the situation could get even worse for Chelsea if they don’t take the right measures during the break.
N’Golo Kante – The missing piece of the puzzle
One of Chelsea’s biggest losses this season has been the absence of their playmaker and world champion with France, N’Golo Kante. The 31-year-old central midfielder has enjoyed an incredible career over the past 7 years, having been a part of Leicester City’s glorious success, going on to win it all with Chelsea and snatching the FIFA World Cup Trophy. FIFA 2018.
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Kante is arguably the Blues’ most important piece in their well-organized puzzle. However, with him off the pitch since August, Chelsea have been struggling to dominate the midfield area. Without their work rate up the pitch, the Blues are forced to change their tactics, leading to even more trouble in front of the opposing goal.
Kante suffered a nasty hamstring injury against Tottenham and is currently in his third month of recovery. Additional complications required another surgery in October that will keep him sidelined until at least February.
No chemistry on the offensive line
Chelsea management spent a lot of money on their defensive line during the summer transfer window when they acquired both Wesley Fofana from Leicester and Marc Cucurella from Brighton. Despite the logic behind these selections, this can seem like a wrong move by Thomas Tuchel, as it is almost inevitable that the team will suffer a major setback on the other side of the pitch.
They parted ways with Timo Werner and Romelu Lukaku only to acquire Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who joined the team at 33 years old. Raheem Sterling was also included in Tuchel’s squad for the summer but is still struggling to live up to his potential at Stamford Bridge.
Jorginho loses the midfield battle due to problems with the squad
Without the help of N’Golo Kante in midfield, Jorginho has been given one more responsibility during the game. However, the Brazilian seems unable to handle all the pressure as he doesn’t always relate perfectly to Mateo Kovacic. The team is also giving more playing time and freedom to Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who is fighting to appear on the scoreboard for the second consecutive season.
Furthermore, Hakim Ziyech has also had a difficult spell at Chelsea this season, which undoubtedly had a negative impact on Jorginho. The Moroccan played just one full game for the Blues as he could be one of the outings during the upcoming transfer window.
Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images
rebuilding takes time
Unfortunately, it is increasingly likely that we will see a blank season for one of the best teams in European football. However, due to the ongoing internal issues with both the players and the management, it seems that everyone will have to come back to reality and lower their expectations of the team. A top 4 place in the Premier League would be a top priority, while any further success should be seen as a sweet and much-needed bonus.
