After a disappointing 2015-16 season, Chelsea usher in a new era under the proverbial sergeant major, Antonio Conte. The Italian joined the club after the Euros and is making wholesome changes at the club which were much needed after a disastrous outing last campaign. Chelsea finished 10th in the league and it is unfathomable that a club which has attained so much success under the Russian oligarch, Roman Abrahimovic, can afford to spend another season out of Europe.
The latest rendition of the Premier League guarantees to be a blockbuster one as the arrival of top-notch managers like Pep Guardiola and Antonio Conte along with the existing lot of Jurgen Klopp, Arsene Wenger and Jose Mourinho makes the league competitive than ever before.
Chelsea have done well this transfer window to offload underperforming players. Loic Remy will soon leave the club whereas Alexander Pato and Falcao have returned to their parent clubs. Nemanja Matic is a target for many clubs but Conte has expressed his desire to keep hold of the defensive midfielder. Diego Costa's future at the club is uncertain which leaves the club in a bit of a dilemma.
Michy Batshuayi arrived from Marseille in a deal worth £33.2 million whereas the deal to take N'golo Kante from the Champions, Leicester, is a brilliant acquisition for the blues. One more striker will be bought as the Italian has preferred a 4-4-2 formation in pre-season and Chelsea are short in numbers on the striker's front. Romelu Lukaku is the prime target but Chelsea have to spend big to bring the Belgian back at Stamford Bridge.
No European competitions in Conte's first season in England can work out perfectly for the blues as he will get plenty of time to instill his methods into his players and drill them well.
A bright future is expected under the Italian, so let's take a look at the round of fixtures Chelsea will play next season, month by month :
August
Chelsea have a favourable start to the 2016-17 campaign starting with a London Derby against West Ham who were on a roll last season under Slaven Bilic. Next up is a trip to face Watford who under a new manger, Walter Mazzari, are going to find it tough to stay in the first division for long.
Chelsea then welcome newly promoted Burnley who have done incredibly well under Sean Dyche to bounce back into the Premier League after getting relegated the season before. These are just the kind of fixtures that Conte must have hoped for and the Blues will be expected to go unbeaten in August.
September
The Blues visit Swansea next, which has always been a happy hunting ground for Chelsea. It will be Chelsea vs Liverpool next at the Bridge which, as always, will be a tough fixture with Conte's men looking for revenge for their 3-1 loss last season against the Reds.
Chelsea will then face another tough away fixture against Arsenal, who although have a miserable record against the Blues in recent times, cannot be considered as an easy opponent. If Chelsea want to finish as high as possible next season, these first two months will set the tone for the remainder of the campaign. If Conte can guide them through till September without dropping points, Chelsea then can challenge for the title.
October
Premier League new boys, Hull City welcome Chelsea next who are in complete turmoil at the moment and will probably in the relegation battle throughout the season. The champions, Leicester, visit Stamford Bridge next and are going to find it tough with the increased number of matches and pressure that comes with it.
Jose Mourinho will return to Stamford Bridge after his sacking last year and now has a multi-million ensemble at his disposal at Manchester United, who too are going to challenge for the title. After United, Chelsea visit Southampton who have been significantly weakened after losing Sadio Mane to Liverpool and manager Ronald Koeman to Everton. 7-9 points will be enough in October for Chelsea who by this time would have become a resolute unit under the Italian.
November
Chelsea welcome Everton next which will be another good game between these two sides. After the Toffees, Conte's men travel to face the new boys, Middlesborough, who have recruited well this summer and will provide another test for Chelsea.
The fans have been given a Thanksgiving treat in the form of Chelsea vs Spurs which will be an interesting encounter after the 2-2 draw last season which ended Spurs' title hopes.
December
December features the highest number of games on account of the festive period with as many as six league matches in this month. Many title challenges have faltered in this month and many have gone on to to achieve big things when the team has done well in this period. With no European distractions, Chelsea can put pressure on other teams and also put a stranglehold on the league table.
The Blues have been given an easy run this festive period with only one tough game, at least on paper. They face Guardiola's Man City first at the Etihad which is going to be an interesting battle between the two managers. This game can have huge impact on the league standing and can be said as a ‘six-pointer’ game. Chelsea welcome West Brom next to Stamford Bridge, and victory for Chelsea is the likeliest result.
Chelsea visit their bogey team, Sunderland next, who have done well against the Blues in recent years. Chelsea will need to stop dropping points against lower table teams if they want to challenge for the title. Crystal Palace away while Bournemouth and Stoke at home are the remaining fixtures of the month, which appear to be easy pickings for Chelsea. The Blues must accumulate at least 15 points from these six games.
January
The first game of the New Year is against the old rivals Spurs, and Chelsea don't have a good record at White Hart Lane which Conte will look to change. They visit Leicester next where Chelsea lost last season handsomely and the upcoming campaign presents a great chance to change that record. Hull City are the next visitors, who will be embroiled in a relegation battle by then and cannot be taken lightly at any cost.
February
Liverpool and Arsenal are the next two games, which will be very important as both these teams will be eyeing for the top four berths. Chelsea cannot afford to lose against teams who will be having the same league aspirations as them. Wenger has struggled at Stamford Bridge and Conte will look to take note of that.
Burnley and Swansea, the other opponents in February look rather easy on paper but these teams have shown they can be superior on their day. Chelsea must not be complacent in these fixtures as the team may have an off day against these mid-table teams and can hurt them in the long run.
March
March brings the first visit to West Ham's new home ground, the Olympic Stadium, which as always is the case against the Hammers, will be a feisty affair. The Blues welcome Watford next which looks like definite three points for the home team.
Chelsea visit Stoke City next who are dangerous at home and have done well this summer to keep hold of Marko Arnautovic. 6-9 points are a must in this month and it is achievable considering the less workload the players will go through this season.
April
Another hectic month which brings another opportunity to maintain the pressure on other teams by constantly accumulating points. Alan Pardew's Crystal Palace will be the first visitors in April. Man City come calling next and this game will most certainly be a title decider and will have huge impact on the title race. The Blues visit Bournemouth next which appears to be a sure shot three points in these all important final games.
Old Trafford is the next venue as Chelsea visit Man Utd, who are getting stronger with millions spent each summer and now have added ammunition with the arrival of Jose Mourinho. Southampton travel to London next to take on Chelsea and this could be a tricky affair for the Blues.
Chelsea against Everton at Goodison Park does not evoke happy memories for the Blues, as last season produced a cliff hanger which went the way of the Toffees. Chelsea must avoid more than one defeat in these tricky set of fixtures. A good April will surely result in a better league standing come the end of May.
May
The Blues have an easy set of last games and victories in these last matches means Chelsea can run away with the league. They face Middlesborough at home which may not be a tough test for the players. They face an away fixture against West Brom before concluding the 2016-17 season against Sunderland at home, which is always a favourable way to end the league at the home ground. The games in the last month are must win games and Chelsea should gather all nine points from the three matches.
Predicted finish: Top 2
Antonio Conte is a proven winner and will bring his winning mentality at Chelsea which is needed after a disappointing last campaign. The Blues have acquired quality players and if they sign one more talented striker, they can surely challenge for the title with the Manchester clubs and Arsenal.
No European competitions will prove to be a blessing as it did for Leicester and with favourable fixtures at the end and of December, Chelsea can get back to the place where they aspire to be in the long term under Antonio Conte.
