'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Chelsea currently find themselves in dire straits, as a season which started with so much promise is threatening to descend into utter chaos.
The club started the current campaign unbeaten for 16 matches across all competitions, with Eden Hazard being the man at the forefront leading the charge, with many tipping them to be among the forerunners for the Premier League title.
However, their run came to an end against Tottenham in November of last year and since then it has all gone downhill for the Londoners.
There have been scandalous defeats since then, with the 4-0 and 6-0 losses to Bournemouth and Manchester City respectively in the space of two weeks being the nadir.
This has led to improved calls for the termination of Maurizio Sarri's contract, as the Italian faces furor over his tactics, with his decision to constantly play Kante out of position among others drawing particular ire.
The Blues currently find themselves in the sixth position in the league and out of the Champions League spots, with their only hopes of silverware being in the Europa League and the League Cup final where they come up against Manchester City (who trashed them less than a fortnight ago).
Nevertheless, for all of the stick being thrown Sarri's way, there are also some players who are not without blame, as they have failed to step up to the plate and contribute to the Chelsea cause. In this piece, we shall be taking a look at four players who have not lived up to expectations this season.
#4 Willian
In what was one of the more controversial transfers in the summer of 2013, Willian joined Chelsea after having completed his medicals at Tottenham pending a transfer to White Hart Lane and since then, he has gone on to cement his place as one of Chelsea's most consistent performers.
The Brazilian has played his part in all the successes enjoyed by The Blues in the intervening period and was one of the players who had his reputation intact during Mourinho's disastrous 2015/2016 season.
Willian's performances have drawn considerable praise from all and sundry, while he has also been the subject of reported bids from Manchester United and Barcelona.
However, so far this season, the 30-year-old has been beneath his usual high standards. In 24 Premier League matches this season, he has scored just three goals while assisting only four times for his teammates.
These numbers fall some way off those associated with the afro-haired winger and with Chelsea entering the home run of their season, the onus if on Willian to step up his performances.
#3 Olivier Giroud
Olivier Giroud was an emergency signing to cover for the misfiring Alvaro Morata in January 2018, but over one year on from his arrival, he has failed to cover himself in glory.
It says a lot about his underperformance that he has failed to fully earn the trust of two consecutive coaches at Chelsea.
So far, Olivier Giroud has scored just 4 goals from 32 Premier League matches across two seasons (which is rather poor for a striker at a club the stature of Chelsea), with Maurizio Sarri preferring to play Eden Hazard in a false nine role earlier in the season rather than start Giroud or Alvaro Morata.
The arrival of Gonzalo Higuain has further pushed Giroud down the pecking order and his rather shambolic return of just one goal from 19 PL matches has done little to boost his stock.
#2 Gary Cahill
It is rather difficult to believe that Gary Cahill is still the Chelsea captain, as he has been out of the first team picture at the club for so long that you would be forgiven for thinking he has been sold off.
The last two seasons have not gone particularly well for Cahill, as he lost his starting spot to Andreas Christensen in Conte's second season in charge, while Maurizio Sarri has preferred a defensive pairing of David Luiz and Anthony Rudiger.
So far this campaign, Cahill has made just one Premier League appearance, as it looks increasingly clear that he has no place in the plans of Maurizio Sarri.
With Cahill's contract set to expire at the end of the season, it is highly unlikely that it would be renewed and the time might be right for the Englishman to call it quits on his seven-year trophy-laden Chelsea career.
#1 Danny Drinkwater
Danny Drinkwater was signed by Chelsea in the summer of 2017 for the sum of £35m and despite his arrival not garnering many headlines, there was the little undertone that it would signal the reunion with N'golo Kante of Leicester's midfield in their title-winning campaign of 2016.
A thigh injury meant his debut was delayed, but since then, Drinkwater has not done anything for the Chelsea cause and is bound to go down as one of the least impactful signings in Chelsea's history.
The 28-year-old made just 12 Premier League appearances in his debut season, but this season, that figure has dropped to zero, with his only appearance in all competitions this season coming over eight months ago in the Community Shield loss to Manchester City.
Sarri has made it explicitly clear that he has no space for Danny Drinkwater, with many clubs having been interested in his services during the winter window (which all failed to go through). However, with the transfer window opening up in a few months, there would be no prizes for guessing that Drinkwater would no longer be a Chelsea player come August (despite the transfer ban).
