Chelsea In Crisis

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It is fair to say that Chelsea’s defence of the Premier League title is almost non-existent this season as the most coveted prize in English football is set to go from Stamford Bridge to the Etihad.

Pep Guardiola’s side have stolen a march on all of their domestic rivals and have left the likes of last season’s champions in their wake.

But just why exactly have Antonio Conte and his players failed to put up much of a challenge this season? One school of thought is that they exerted so much effort on their way to winning the title back in May 2017 that they don’t have all that much to give this time around.

There may be an element of truth in that, especially as no team has managed to win back to back English league titles since the 2008/09 season, when Sir Alex Ferguson led Manchester United to the summit of the top flight for a second year in a row.

Compare this current Chelsea team to the 2017 vintage that were making light work of their opposition on the way to success and you do get the feeling that they are perhaps missing that additional spark that is the difference between leading the pack and playing catch up.>

However, another school of thought is that Chelsea lost a step or two in the transfer market over the course of last summer and, where the likes of Manchester City and Manchester United spent big in their pursuit of trophies, the West London outfit were left behind.

Then again, it’s not necessarily a case of Chelsea being outmuscled in the transfer market. It is perhaps more of a case that the purchases that were made were not the ones to help the defending champions go into battle once more.

After winning a title, it is more a case of evolution rather than revolution when looking for additions to your squad. All that is needed is a couple more players to enhance the foundations of what, in theory, is already a successful unit.

Should the right players be drafted in during the off season, the chances of competing at the top end of the table again are vastly increased. However, when looking at Chelsea’s recruitment policy over the past two transfer windows, you get the feeling that their activity has fallen slightly short of the mark.

There is no doubting just how much money Chelsea have spent in the past year or so, but the names that have come through the door since last summer have not quite lived up to the hope and expectations that would have been set by managers and fans alike.

The names that have joined Chelsea this season have been something of a mixed bag. It is fair to say that Alvaro Morata has gone some way to endearing himself to his new fan base, while also doing a good job of filling the big shoes that left Diego Costa left behind after his return to Atletico Madrid.

But the supporting cast of names have perhaps struggled to make the impact that they and everyone else connected to the club would have liked them to make. Of course, there is an obvious transition period required when making a move, so perhaps it is next season when the likes of England internationals Ross Barkley and Danny Drinkwater will truly flourish.

Another interesting dimension to this, though, is just who will be in the charge of the club once many of the players return after international duty in Russia this Summer. With the club set to miss out on the Champions League next season the big question is whether Conte will be given the sack at the end of this one.

Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich is not afraid to show the man in charge of the team the Stamford Bridge exit door and after such an uninspiring season this time around it looks as if Antonio Conte will join the ever-growing list of former managers.