It’s been a disappointing season for Chelsea, who entered the season full of optimism after storming to the Premier League title last term. This year, however, has been nothing short of a disaster as the Blues spent most of the season floundering in the bottom half.
Although Chelsea have improved since mid-December, when the hapless Jose Mourinho was replaced by Guus Hiddink, but a lot of the problems have transferred over to their new manager and, unless fixed, Antonio Conte will inherit the same issues.
With Pep Guardiola taking charge at Manchester City, Manchester United also looking set for a new manager and Liverpool, Arsenal and Tottenham all ready to invest, the competition is set to fiercely increase and Chelsea could be left behind, if they’re not careful.
Sat in 10th position, and ten points off the top four, it’s far below what Chelsea would have expected and next season the fans will expect a lot more- although that will not be achieved unless they solve these problems!
Hit the image below to see FIVE problems Chelsea must fix immediately!
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Transfers
Let’s face it, Chelsea’s transfer policy is nothing short of disastrous. Nemanja Matic, Cesc Fabregas and Diego Costa have struggled to maintain the levels of their performances, whilst Filipe Luis was sold after just a season at the club.
Baba Rahman was a complete waste of money, Pedro Rodriguez has struggled vastly and let’s not even get started on Radamel Falcao. Loic Remy has never been utilised, whilst Alexandre Pato was the latest poor decision, although he did of course score on his debut- just three months after signing. What a star!
Bolster the midfield
A large portion of Chelsea’s failures this term can be attributed to the struggles of their midfield, with the stars of last term failing to perform. Cesc Fabregas and Nemanja Matic are the biggest culprits of all, with their problems culminating in poor results.
With suggestions that Fabregas, Matic and Oscar could be lured away from the club this summer, Chelsea face a major test to replace those names with capable signings and even if the trio do stay, the Blues still require improvements.
Find a Terry replacement
This summer are set to lose a club legend, with captain John Terry exiting Stamford Bridge upon the expiration of his contract. After spending so many years with the club, and winning everything he possibly could in club football, he leaves behind massive shoes to fill.
Chelsea cannot afford to get sentimental though as their defence is not up to scratch. With Terry leaving, the issues could improve tenfold and the Blues have to move quickly to snatch up a quality replacement, who’s capable of leading the defence in his absence.
Utilise the youth
For years, Chelsea have neglected their youth ranks and instead elected to splash vast amounts of cash in the transfer market. As we identified earlier in this piece, it hasn’t quite panned out how they planned.
Why Chelsea have gone down this route isn’t quite clear, as the Blues do have talented youngsters within their ranks. Rubens Loftus-Cheek is the most utilised young member in the Chelsea set-up and he may not continue to get opportunities, with the tabloids suggesting that the Blues will splash the cash once again.
Give the manager time
This is the big one. Chelsea go through more managers than a baby does diapers and Roman Abramovich is well known for throwing his toys out of the pram. This time though, Chelsea can’t afford to go down that route and Antonio Conte must be given time.
It may not be plain sailing, and there will certainly be bumps in the road, but Chelsea cannot twist again and they simply have to stick. Otherwise, it will allow their rivals to pull further ahead- and the Blues are running out of managers in world football to appoint.
