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With twelve days to go until the commencement of the new Premier League season, EPL clubs are gearing up for the resumption of league hostilities and putting final touches to their preparations with pre-season friendlies.
Chelsea need no introduction to football fans; they have been one of the most successful sides in Europe over the last 15 years, constantly winning domestic titles and challenging for European honors.
Since Russian Oligarch Roman Abramovich bought the club in 2003, Chelsea saw a drastic change in their fortunes from previous years, winning the league just two seasons later after a 50-year hiatus and adding the Champions League title in 2012. They have constantly paraded the best players in the world and Abramovich's billions meant they also had access to the most tactically astute coaches in the world.
However, due to off-field issues and boardroom upheavals, Chelsea haven't maintained those usual high standards in recent seasons, and have failed to qualify for the Champions League twice in the last three seasons, having appeared 13 times consecutively between 2003/2004 and 2015/2016.
Chelsea woefully underperformed last season, failing to defend the title they won just a year before, and finished in a dismal 5th position.
A lot of factors similar to those alluded to earlier added to new signings such as Morata and Bakayoko failing to live up to expectations. Antonio Conte was relieved of his duties as Chelsea coach with Maurizio Sarri appointed in his stead.
With Sarri's appointment, Chelsea are almost back to square one, and look set for another season of woes in the Premier League. Here are four reasons why The Blues might struggle to find their rhythm in the league this season.
#4 Players might need some time to adapt to Maurizio Sarri's system
It's not a hidden secret that every new coach appointed at a club brings his own system of operation, match tactics and pattern of training with him to the club.
They come along with their own assistant coaches, psychologists, technical crew and sometimes diet regimes in a bid to stamp their authority on the club, and players have to start the process of adjustment to the new coach's methods.
Though there are usually exceptions such as Conte's switch to a back three in his debut season, of players adapting to a new pattern or tactic instantly, those are anomalies and the norm is for players to take some time before assimilating the new pattern, as Guardiola's tenure at Manchester City has shown.
Of all Chelsea's major rivals, only Arsenal have a new coach coming in, the rest have been at the helm for at least two seasons and have inculcated their 'philosophy' into their players, which is a luxury that Sarri does not have.
Maurizio Sarri is one of the most tactically sound coaches in Europe, and his methods come highly recommended from the highest authorities such as Johann Cruyff and soon-to-be adversary Pep Guardiola. His Napoli side were one of the most entertaining to watch in all of Europe last season in their ultimately failed quest to claim a first Serie A title in 28 years.
He is also an enigmatic coach, and has strict training structures which he insists players stick to judiciously.
Though Chelsea have impressed thus far in their pre-season friendlies, playing as a cohesive unit and seemingly having adapted to the new system, the truth is that friendlies are sometimes misleading and it would be unwise to judge a player or club on their pre-season performance.
Maurizio Sarri's aesthetic pattern of play is markedly distinct from that employed by his predecessor and compatriot Antonio Conte, so Chelsea players would likely need some time to blend in from the title-winning system of Conte.
Though the league is a nine-month-long marathon, the demanding nature of the EPL and business-minded quality of their rivals means Chelsea would not be afforded the time to adapt to Sarri's methods and might see them struggle in the league.
#3 Limited impact in the transfer market thus far
In the early years of Abramovich's reign, Chelsea managers had access to a seemingly never-ending source of funds to buy the absolute best players from all over Europe and the rest of the world.
World Class players like Arjen Robben, Andriy Shevchenko, Didier Drogba, Michael Ballack, Fernando Torres, Petr Cech among others came to the club for huge transfer fees and changed the fortunes of the London club, turning them into European behemoths.
However, in recent seasons, that has changed, as Abramovich seeks to run the club on a self-sustenance model where money is spent by a measure of how much the club generates. Plans for a stadium upgrade also means there is a paucity in funds granted to coaches for purchasing players.
Antonio Conte complained about this, and he was justified in his complaints, because in today's increasingly business-oriented world of football, you need money (lots of it) to remain competitive.
Transfer records are being broken almost by the minute, and Chelsea have seen their rivals, particularly Liverpool, strengthen significantly, but the Blues have been quiet in the transfer market thus far.
There were lots of deficiencies in Chelsea's playing personnel last season, Azpilicuetta seems to be the only reliable centre-back in Chelsea at the moment (and he isn't a natural one at that) as Christensen might need some time to garner more experience, Victor Moses for all his brilliance is not a natural wing-back, while Fabregas and Pedro seem to have past their primes.
Maurizio Sarri traditionally plays with a back four, so he might need a new centre-back or right-back (depending on where he chooses to play Azpilicuetta), while there are also other key areas to be addressed.
The transfer market offered an opportunity to rectify those grey areas, but Chelsea don't seem willing to explore that option, and with Jorginho the only major new signing, the problems from last season may persist and The Blues might struggle to meet their season's objectives.
#2 Uncertainty surrounding key players
The new Premier League season begins on August 10th, and clubs are supposed to have had most of their transfer issues ironed out, with players staying already knowing their status and those leaving aware of the same. Most importantly, efforts are made to keep off interest for their important players.
At Chelsea however, that is far from the situation. Jorginho is the only major transfer arrival, while speculations are constantly linking their key players with moves away from the club.
Hazard has always been linked with a move to Real Madrid, and with Ronaldo's departure, those rumors now bear a bit more weight. Barcelona reportedly have Kante high on their list of most wanted players, while Willian's transfer was also negotiated with the Blaugrana before they signed Malcom.
New reports emanating indicate that Chelsea have accepted a £75m bid for Willian's sale from Manchester United and that the Brazilian is close to sealing a transfer.
With 11 days to go until the close of the transfer window in the Premier League, there might not be enough time for Chelsea to seek replacements for these very important players if they leave. Chelsea's lack of Champions League football also means that they would not be an ideal destination for world-class players.
Moreover, football is a psychological sport, needing as much mental fortitude as physical exertion to excel, and the players need to be in the right frame of mind to properly execute their duties as professionals.
These speculations don't do Chelsea's chances of success next season any good, as the players will be in a state of not knowing where they'll play next season, and with just 12 days to the commencement of the league, having your star players in such a state of mind is highly detrimental.
#1 Thursday night football
Chelsea will find themselves playing Europa League football on Thursday nights next season as result of their under-performance last year.
While it might represent a second chance back with Europe's elite as it did for Manchester United in 2016, or a shot at European glory as with Atletico Madrid last season or even The Blues themselves in 2013, the bottom line is that it is a scenario most of the big clubs would rather not find themselves in.
The reason is not far fetched. The Europa League represents the second-tier of European club competition, ditto second-tier European clubs, so while the mainstream European club heavyweights are playing against the Real Madrids and Barcelonas of this world on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, Chelsea would have Vardar Skopje and Botev Plovdiv for company on Thursdays.
No disrespect to any of the seasoned Europa League campaigners or the competition itself, but no big club wants to travel to the far reaches of the European continent to play against little-known players and clubs in a competition which fans have minuscule to no interest in.
The sheer number of clubs participating in the Europa League means it is an arduous competition to navigate in the first place, before adding the extreme distances covered to arrive at match venues.
Europa League matches take place on Thursdays (sometimes in places as far-flung as Kazakhstan and Macedonia) and league fixtures are played on Sundays. The players and coaches rarely have enough time to rest after their European exertions before resuming league duties.
Europa League competition takes a negative toll on league performances (as Manchester United found out), and Chelsea might find it difficult to successfully balance Europa League duties with their domestic targets.
