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Its been a bit of a mixed campaign thus far for Chelsea, as despite winning plaudits for their more aesthetic style of play this season, there still remain many skeptics over some issues which still persist.
Chelsea currently find themselves in 4th place on the Premier League table, ten points behind table toppers Liverpool, with their shock defeat to Leicester City over the weekend at Stamford Bridge making them lose further steam in their title chase.
The Blues have been one of the most dominant teams in Europe in the last 15 years since Roman Abramovich's takeover, and since then billions of pounds have been spent on recruiting the best players.
While most of the players signed have gone on to cement legendary status at the club, there have been some rather disappointing signings over the years.
This campaign has not been any different, with some players such as Eden Hazard, Jorginho, and David Luiz contributing their part to Chelsea's cause this season, while others have been below par.
In this piece, we take a look at three Chelsea players who have been disappointing this season.
#3 Victor Moses
The Nigerian international arrived at Chelsea in 2012, after a string of impressive performances with Wigan Athletic, and he struggled to make any sort of impact in the first team for the next four seasons, enduring multiple loans to different clubs such as Liverpool, West Ham, and Stoke City.
He returned to Chelsea in Conte’s debut season, and initially played a limited role in the Italian’s first few months in charge, until his breakthrough came when Conte switched to a back three system at Stamford Bridge.
Primarily a winger, Moses showed his versatility when he was asked to play as a right wing back in Conte’s system, and he performed so creditably well that he became a mainstay in the team, as the club embarked on its tile winning romp, with Moses earning rave reviews for his performances in the unfamiliar role.
He ended Conte’s first season in charge with 34 EPL appearances, and followed that up with 28 last season.
However, the arrival of Sarri in London this season reverted Moses back to the unknown in terms of where he stood at the club, as Sarri prefers a flat back four system, and deployed Azpilicueta back to his preferred position as right-back, meaning Moses would be reverted back to his normal position on the wing.
The competition for places on Chelsea’s flanks is very stiff, with players like Willian, Pedro, and Hazard all vying for starts, and it is with this in mind the 28-year-old announced his international retirement from Nigeria to focus on his club duties.
So far, this decision has not panned out well, as he still finds himself on the fringes, making just two league appearances, both of which came as a substitute for a total of 26 minutes. He is reportedly on the way out of Chelsea, with Fulham and Crystal Palace interested in his services.
#2 Danny Drinkwater
A player who is bound to go down as one of the most inconsequential to have represented Chelsea, Drinkwater, has done absolutely nothing in a Chelsea shirt since his arrival from Leicester City in the summer of 2017 on transfer deadline day.
His signing was shocking to say the least, as the club was already relatively well stocked in that department, not least because he was seen as rather expensive for £35 million, and was viewed as an inferior replacement for Nemanja Matic.
However, one positive about his arrival was the potential of Chelsea fielding the 2016 Premier League winning midfield combination of Kante and Drinkwater, but injuries meant that Drinkwater’s contributions were very limited in his debut season.
Things are yet to improve for the 28-year-old thus far this season, and he is yet to make a single Premier League appearance, as it appears he does not feature at all in Sarri’s plans, and with rumours emerging that some clubs are interested in his signature, The Blues could do well to count their losses on a £35 million flop, barely one year into their union.
#1 Alvaro Morata
After struggling for game time with Real Madrid, Morata wanted out, and Chelsea offered him an outlet, splashing a club-record £58 million, with a potential £12 million in add-ons to bring him to Stamford Bridge.
The Spanish international began his Blues career like a house on fire, scoring and assisting on his Premier League debut in a shock 3-2 loss to Burnley. He also grabbed a hat-trick a month later against Stoke City to take his goal tally to six from six matches.
Since then however, it has all gone downhill for the 26-year-old, as he embarked on long goal scoring droughts, and struggled for confidence such that Olivier Giroud was signed in the January window to provide an alternative.
Morata finished his debut campaign with a paltry 15 goals from 48 appearances in all competitions, and was left off the Spanish World Cup squad as a result of his indifferent club form.
This season, he changed his jersey number from 9 to 29, citing the reason as being to commemorate the birth of his daughter (but it's more likely the superstitious reason of number 9s struggling at Stamford Bridge), but the number change has not done much to improve his proficiency in front of goal.
So far this season, he has just 5 goals from 14 EPL appearances, and has found himself out of the starting line-up in recent weeks, with Sarri preferring to play Hazard upfront, and it is rather disappointing, considering how much optimism his arrival generated.
