There’s no escaping the fact that Chelsea’s start to the season has been less than stellar. So far, a win, a draw and a loss have left the team in twelfth place in the Premier League. The question is, what will happen the rest of the season?
We spoke with a journalist from players only who said,
“It hasn’t been a great start for Chelsea, but it’s still early days and a lot of big-name clubs are struggling. You only have to look at Liverpool as an example of this. The truth is that there is plenty of time to secure a place in the top four. But, for this to happen, the team needs to start scoring more goals. Chelsea struggled in this area last season, but Stirling could make a big difference if he plays the right way.”
It remains to be seen if the addition of Stirling to the team will solve the scoring problems that seem to continue from last season.
Punctuation problems continue
If the claims are true, Chelsea wanted get the services of Robert Lewandowski to help address the problems of lack of firepower. They failed to do it. While it is disappointing not to sign such a high-profile guaranteed goalscorer, the club managed to secure the services of Raheem Stirling following his move from Manchester City.
He is expected to help the club improve on last season’s goalscoring record, when only three players managed to score more than three goals.
Whether this happens may depend on whether Stirling is played as a traditional winger or a wide attacking goal poacher. It may also depend on how consistently he performs. His tendency to be spendthrift at times was one of the reasons the the fans were never fully on his side at Man City. That said, he was always a dangerous player during his time at the Etihad Stadium. Hopefully he will bring his skills to the Chelsea team and put his inconsistency behind him.
Has there been enough action in the transfer window?
The signings of Stirling and central defender Koulibaly are an excellent deal for Chelsea. But there may be a need for more transfer action to strengthen the team, especially with Marcos Alonso and Cesar Azpilicueta reportedly keen to move to Barcelona.
An interesting development that has come to light recently is the possible signing of 21-year-old defender Wesley Fofana from Leicester. Although, the Foxes have already turned down an offer of around £70m from Chelsea and time is running out for the signing to happen.
Assuming no further action is taken during this transfer window, Chelsea will need to make an impact in the Premier League with the players already in the squad. So what is likely to happen if this is the case?
What remains of the season in the short and long term
Chelsea’s short-term success or failure will tell us a lot about the strength of the team and the club and whether they have a chance of securing a top-four spot.
Chelsea’s next game is against Leicester at home on August 27, 2022. The Foxes are in the bottom three and are struggling, so it’s a good chance for The Blues to pick up three valuable points.
The three games that follow are away against Southampton on August 30, 2022, at home against West Ham on September 4, 2022 and away against Fulham on September 7. Based on current form, a win against last-place West Ham looks likely. If Chelsea manage to pick up at least four points from the six on offer in the other two, much harder games, it suggests they may have the strength to contend for a top four position.
However, it is early days and we will probably have to wait until after Christmas to see how realistic it really is to finish that high in the Premier League.
