Chelsea fans here in the Tavern are becoming increasingly wary of the spirit and ambition of their team as results continue to prove inconsistent. 

From the cheers of joy in the Premier League title-winning season of last, as Halloween is upon us it’s all starting to look as if the dark skies now hanging over Stamford Bridge as a trophy-winning hangover seems to haunt them. Having been set up to retain the title, we’re sure there’s soon since been some cash outs and changes of heart as their title hopes slowly start to diminish.

However, with their Champions League and cup dreams still alive, they look on in hope as a much-needed trophy could resurrect what is an already underperforming season. Having gathered their first Premier League win in 3 games after 2 previous defeats, it looks as if Conte and his side are starting to build up ahead of steam after a promising 4-2 win at home to the impressive Watford.

So with the season now almost a quarter of the way through, they look to string together a run of games as they face strugglers Everton tonight, in what will be a must win if they are to have a trophy-winning season. But with the recent bad run of results and inconsistency fresh in the mind, it looks as if Conte has some changes to make if he is to gain back the trust and promise of the Stamford Bridge faithful.

So here’s a look at 2 possible changes that Conte needs to make in order to fix the current problems…

Physical Demands

Chelsea seem to be tasked with the ongoing struggle that is meeting the physical demands on the pitch. In a recent Premier League tie against Crystal Palace, the opposition managed to offer more sprints and ran further as a whole as the Blues looked to struggle with the strain of the 90 minutes.

Managers in the Premier League are always going on about how tough the top flight is, as many describe it as the toughest league in the world. But for Conte, this could be down to lack of confidence as this seems to be at the forefront for his excuses in disappointing performances, as his claims are driven to become reality.

The repeating factor occurred in what was thought would be a comfortable victory for Chelsea against Watford, but they were outplayed as the opposition gained a higher percentage in the final third, more shots and crosses as Watford dealt well with the physical demand to create more chances.

For a side who aim to be challenging at the top, something is going to have to change as the physical demand is something that should be dealt with in preseason, as some of the Chelsea players look to run out of steam.

Midfield imbalance

Chelsea have endured one of the most unfortunate starts to the season as far as injuries are concerned, as a number of players have been sidelined already. Having seen the departure of the reliable Nemanja Matic during the summer months, they turned to Danny Drinkwater and Tiemoue Bakayoko to sure up the midfield and provide backup for the others.

However, we are 9 games into the Premier League season and Chelsea have already had their midfield scuppered, as both N’Golo Kante and Danny Drinkwater are both sidelined with injury. Meaning that they are forced to utilize Bakayoko and Fabregas in the middle with no form of backup.

But in having 2 forward thinking central midfielders, this provides no balance going backwards as at times there has been an excessive amount of space left in behind as it exposes the defenders. So for the desperate need of change, it looks as if his only option may be to call upon the defensive duties of David Luiz,  as he utilized the services of the Brazilian in a defensive midfield role which he endured with some success during last season.

So Chelsea fans, can Conte solve these problems prior to Everton?