Premier League leaders, Chelsea, have had a superb season under Italian manager, Antonio Conte, with a comfortable lead over second-placed Tottenham Hotspur. The Blues, after their initial blip in the early part of the season, have dominated the league and brushed aside the competition effortlessly and are odds-on favourites to win the Premier League this season.
Conte has breathed new life into an under-performing and unconfident side which he took over at the start of the season, after their dismal 2015-16 season where they finished in a lowly 10th position.
But, can the Italian weave his magic once again next season and mount another challenge on the Premier League crown? Here are five important reasons why the Blues may not be title challengers next season:
#1 Champions League football
Unlike their title rivals – Tottenham, Manchester City, Arsenal and Manchester United, Chelsea have not played European football this season which has helped their current league position massively. The taxing schedule that comes with playing in Europe can take a hit on the performance of even the best squads in the world, and Chelsea have benefitted from not travelling mid-week to far-flung places in Europe.
The Blues have played 38 games in all competitions so far, while nearest title rivals, Tottenham, have played 45 matches this season. Manchester United, thanks to their progression to the final of the League Cup, Round 6 of the FA Cup, and the quarter-finals of the Europa League, have played a whopping 51 games so far.
Fewer games means that the Chelsea players have longer recovery time and more work on the training ground to fine tune their tactics.
Chelsea have qualified for Europe for next season and will have to endure the rigours of two games a week, which will take a toll on the players physically and mentally, and may also expose Conte’s tactics.
#2 Squad strength
There’s no doubt that Chelsea have one of the weakest squads among the top four, which even Conte admitted to recently. The Blues do not have able replacements for their star players, if they were to leave in the summer or suffer a long term injury, and are also short on options to change things around if they face a stubborn side.
Chelsea’s defensive trio of Gary Cahill, David Luiz and Cesar Azpilicueta have been a revelation in Conte’s much-talked about and very successful 3-4-3 system, while Victor Moses – the winger who was converted to a wing-back – and summer signing, Marcus Alonso, have provided ample support to Chelsea’s star forwards.
An injury to one of the above players could make the Blues’ backline vulnerable.
Kurt Zouma had a promising start to his Chelsea career, but last season’s injury has hampered his growth, while club legend John Terry is most likely to retire at the end of the season. Nathan Ake, the 22-year-old versatile defender-cum-midfielder, can slot in at defensive midfield, left wing-back or at the heart of the defence, but he hasn’t featured enough to inspire confidence.
In midfield, Chelsea’s three most-used central midfielders have been the energetic and lively, N’Golo Kante, Spaniard Cesc Fabregas, and Nemanja Matic; look further than the trio and Nathaniel Chalobah is the only able replacement, but, again, he hasn’t been tested in high-pressure situations or big games.
Chelsea will strengthen in the summer, surely, but they will have to sign 3-4 top-class players to have a balanced and competitive squad - not an easy task in the current transfer market where average players have inflated prices.
#3 Second season syndrome
Enough paeans have been written about Antonio Conte’s genius and how he transformed an underperforming side into champions, and the Italian manager rightly deserves all the credit. Conte has come up trumps against his fellow star managers in what was termed as the ‘Battle of Managers’, and his 3-4-3 system has outfoxed and outwitted the likes of Mourinho, Klopp, Pochettino, Guardiola and Wenger.
But, the former Italy and Juventus manager will know that he will have a tougher task at hand next season. Most teams will have figured out a way to counter the system and may have already started devising ways to defeat Chelsea.
No team has also successfully defended their Premier League title since Manchester United’s three back-to-back titles from 2006-09; Conte and Co. will have their work cut out with the other top clubs gunning to get one over the Blues.
A hugely successful campaign like the current one can cause complacency to set in, in even the best teams in the world – the Chelsea team of 2015-16 is the perfect example of such a mindset plaguing a team.
Conte’s fellow managers will also have a transfer war chest to strengthen their squads and pose a serious challenge to Chelsea.
And with Mourinho and Guardiola managing in the league – two iconic managers that the best players in the world may want to work with – as well as the charisma of Klopp, the Italian manager may also miss out on transfer targets to rival teams.
#4 Consistency
Chelsea’s current success can be attributed to their incredible teamwork and work ethic, and also to the consistent performances put in, week in, week out by the entire squad. Moses has adapted brilliantly to his new role in the team and has shown verve and determination in attack and defence; Azpilicueta has added calmness to the backline, while Luiz has finally come good in a Chelsea shirt, albeit on the second attempt.
Hazard has driven the team and won games by taking it by the scruff of the neck and landing killer blows, and Diego Costa has matured as a footballer and has toned down on the petulance, while still holding the aggressiveness on the pitch and the goals.
But, can the team as a whole, and each of the players individually, sustain this level of consistency in the second season with the addition of Champions League football and the opposition finding out the chinks in the Chelsea armour? The recent defeat against Crystal Palace showed that Chelsea could find it difficult to breach stubborn defences and managers who ‘park the bus’, which will be the norm next season.
Time will only tell, but there is a huge possibility that the performances of a few Chelsea players will drop next season when the pressure will be on them to retain the title.
#5 Key players to leave
One of the fears that Chelsea fans will have at the start of the summer transfer window will be the future of their star players, Eden Hazard and Diego Costa. The Blues’ two attacking linchpins are linked with moves away from Chelsea, with Hazard rumoured to have the caught the eye of Real Madrid, and Costa harping for a move back to Atletico Madrid in Spain.
Also Read: Courtois warns Chelsea against Hazard sale: We need him to win Champions League
Chelsea rely heavily on the duo in their attacking forays this season in the league. The Blues have scored 65 goals in the league this season, with 17 of those coming from the boot of the Spanish striker, and 14 from the Belgian winger; that’s almost half of the total goals scored by Chelsea in the league this season.
Both players have also made five assists each in the league, while also featuring in 29 of the 31 games in the league, showing how important they are to the Chelsea team. Finding able replacements for the champion-elect’s two world-class players, if they do leave, will be a difficult task for Conte and the Chelsea board.
Also Read: 5 replacements for Eden Hazard at Chelsea
There have also been reports doing the rounds that N’Golo Kante is a shock target for Real Madrid, which will be a huge disaster for Chelsea if the move does go through, as Kante has been at the heart of all things good in the Chelsea XI. If the Blues win the league, it’ll be back-to-back titles for the diminutive Frenchman, which goes to show the influence that he has on any team.
