Why Chelsea are not as bad as they look

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Despite spending a sum of €462.1 million on 12 new signings this summer and adding a new manager in Mauricio Pochettino, Chelsea’s fortunes remain similar to last season.

The Blues have endured a horrid spell on the pitch since Clearlake Capital led by Todd Boehly took over the club almost two years ago.

Chelsea finished 12th in the Premier League last season much to the surprise of everyone and are currently 14th with one win and five points from six games.

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Chelsea’s results so far

It is easy to look at Chelsea’s poor start to the season and conclude that the team is in crisis especially as it follows the shambolic displays of last season but a closer look reveals a bit of difference.

Unlike 2022/23, Chelsea are actually playing well and creating chances at a high level but they somehow fail to convert through some poor finishing and shockingly terrible decision-making in the final third.

Chelsea opened the season with an impressive 1-1 draw at home to Liverpool in a game they should have won with 65% possession and 1.31 xG but failed to convert chances.

The same pattern occurred in the next game against West Ham where Chelsea had 76% of the ball and created 2.34 xG but lost 3-1 at the London Stadium.

The win against Luton Town was followed by 2.07 xG and 76% possession in a 1-0 loss at home to Nottingham Forest.

Once again Chelsea failed to win a game they dominated, goalless it ended at the Vitality Stadium against Bournemouth in a game where Pochettino’s men had 64% possession and 1.73 xG.

And now more recently against Aston Villa, 53% possession and 1.54 xG despite playing a man down for a large chunk of the game as they lost 1-0 at home.

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Having established that Chelsea are actually not as bad as the results portray them to be, it is clear that the team is bound to improve significantly in the coming weeks.

What can Chelsea achieve this season?

For a team currently languishing in 14th place on the Premier League table, Chelsea are still heavily fancied to be alright when it is all said and done.

Of course, there may be some hesitation due to the current performances blending in with that of last season but bear in mind that Pochettino’s men have 32 more league games to make things right and chances are they will.

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A significant upturn in form could be on the horizon for Chelsea with their next two league games away at Fulham and Burnley, two certainly winnable matches on paper which could boost their confidence going into a more difficult run of games against Arsenal, Brentford, Tottenham, Manchester City, Newcastle, Brighton and Manchester United consecutively.

Chelsea are already 13 points behind table-topping Manchester City so a title charge may be far-fetched at this point but their ceiling this season is a return to European football, which is finishing this season in a top 6-7 spot.

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