Chelsea return from the international break this weekend, and as fate would have it, they face Everton. The champions clashed with the Toffees numerous times over the summer during their chase for John Stones, and that’s just added tension to this game. Jose Mourinho knows he needs three points, but have his side got up to speed in the last three weeks?
After just one win from their opening four games, the Blues are far from their best this term. They’ve fallen way off the early pace set by Manchester City, and a disappointing deadline day did little to lift the mood around the club. With no big name arrivals, it looks like Mourinho is going to have to iron out all the problems with his squad himself.
That is what he gets paid to do, of course, and he has a group of players good enough to succeed. The trick is getting them back to the level of last season. Fitness is a worry, after their late pre-season, and having his stars travelling the world over the international break really isn’t going to help them. While the likes of John Terry should be well rested, many of the others will likely be a little jaded.
That’s not the ideal preparation for stepping into Goodison Park, especially to face a club who you’ve spent the summer angering. Instead of lining up for Chelsea, he’ll be siding with the hosts, after playing for England during the break. He’s taken the whole transfer saga in his stride, so what are the odds on him scoring here? (Around 16/1 to score anytime if you’re interested.)
Unless players have picked up knocks during the break, it looks like Oscar is the only doubt for this game. The Brazilian has missed the last three games, but could be in contention to return. Terry is back from suspension, and he’ll replace either Kurt Zouma or Gary Cahill.
Last season Diego Costa hit a hat-trick on this ground in a very entertaining 6-3 win. The way Chelsea have been playing we could see another high scoring affair here. Until the Terry sending off in their last away game, they were going forward with a swagger, and being caught out at the back.
Manchester City came here to Goodison a few weeks ago, and they played well in a 2-0 win. The Toffees put them under pressure, but the leaders outclassed the hosts and took the points. The question is, could Chelsea produce that level of performance to grind out a win if needed? There’s little evidence to back that possibility this season.
In the end, the international break may just cost the Blues, sapping their already off-pace squad. This is going to be a massive test for their side this season, and we can’t see them passing it. While a draw wouldn’t be great, many teams will leave here with less.
Chelsea host Crystal Palace on Saturday as they look to build on their first win of the season last weekend. The Blues ended a poor start with a win at West Brom, but they’ll want an improvement on that performance. This fixture last season was the one in which the Premier League title was clinched, so hopefully that memory will inspire them to put on a decent show here.
The big blow ahead of this game is the suspension of John Terry, after the captain was sent off at West Brom. After the debate around his future, the last thing he wants to be doing now is missing games. Gary Cahill came on to fill the void Terry left on Sunday, and he’s likely to do that again here, starting alongside Kurt Zouma.
With Terry out, Branislav Ivanovic will likely take the armband, despite his poor season so far. That would mean there’d be no place for new signing Adbul Baba Rahman, who might well have to settle for a place on the bench.
Oscar could be set for a return, which would give Jose Mourinho some selection issues, after he started with Willian, Pedro and Eden Hazard last week. You’d expect Willian to make way for his compatriot, which would give us an incredibly creative midfield threat.
Mourinho will be looking for his side to reproduce their performance from the first 45 minutes against WBA. They took the Baggies by storm, but they eased off in the second half when they had 10 men. Hopefully that win marks the start of a title chase, as Manchester City have already taken a strong lead at the top. The Blues can’t afford to fall any further behind.
As for Palace, they won last week at home to Aston Villa, and Alan Pardew looks to have made some good signings for the club. They are on course for a strong season, but it’s hard to see them being able to pull off a result here. They are more than capable going forward, so that should be a tough test for the back five.
The Chelsea defence has been far below par this term, and the prospect of Ivanovic taking on their flying wingers is a worrying one. The full backs won’t get much help from the two wingers, so they’re pretty much on their own. It will be interesting to see just how much Terry is missed. He may be struggling for pace, but his organisational skills seem vital. Without that, it’s easy to see the backline getting caught out.
Despite that, we should see a performance good enough to pick up another three points. The team aren’t quite up to fitness yet, but they’re getting there. The quality is now starting to shine through, and with Pedro and Hazard bombing down each wing, they should have too much for Palace.
Chelsea are looking to finally get their season up and running when they travel to West Brom this weekend. After a poor performance and heavy defeat at Manchester City, the Blues really need a response this weekend. They head to West Brom, not normally a good hunting ground for them, targeting a morale-boosting win.
It’s hard to find positives in the defeat at the Etihad last week. Jose Mourinho claimed that his side were the better team in the second half, but it’s doubtful he really believes that. Chelsea were outclassed throughout the game, while still gifting their rivals chances through silly defensive mistakes. There’s a lot to put right this weekend, but can they do it?
If they are to get a win here, they’ll have to do it without Oscar, as the injury that kept him out last week is apparently still affecting him. It’s likely Ramires will continue to play in his place. Thibaut Courtois will return in goal for Asmir Begovic, while John Terry is set to start, despite his half time withdrawal against City. New signing Abdul Baba Rahman is in contention to start, after sealing his move to the club on Sunday; given Branislav Ivanovic’s recent form, that might well be needed.
Recently, the Blues haven’t enjoyed the Hawthorns. They’ve not won in their last four visits there, and most recently they lost 3-0 there shortly after winning the title. It’s not a place that Mourinho would pick when in need of points, like he is now. Winning here for the first time since 2011 is a huge task, but beating West Brom shouldn’t be that big of a problem for the manager.
WBA lost their opener at home to Man City, and they couldn’t get close to the likes of David Silva. The Baggies were wide open that day, so expect them to use a much more reserved approach here. They’ll be looking to shut down space for the Blues, employing similar tactics to those used so well by Mourinho over the years.
It should give Chelsea a little more time to settle into this game, which is something they’ve not really had yet. The team clearly isn’t match fit yet, so starting off a game by chasing it isn’t a position they really want to be in. This should be a tight, edgy encounter, something that in which Mourinho will thrive.
It wouldn’t be a surprise to see the manager going back to basics here, taking his side back to the approach he had early on in each of his two spells. They played tight, looking not to concede, wore teams down and scored a goal or two to kill it off. Going back to that style would surely help improve things, and may just deliver a much needed victory for the champions.
Chelsea travel to Manchester City this week as the two favourites for the Premier League title go head to head. The Blues are looking to bounce back from a tough opening weekend where they drew 2-2 at home to Swansea. City won their opener, and a victory this weekend would see them move five points clear of the champions.
That draw with Swansea seriously set back the Blues title challenge, as it has left supporters questioning their summer signings, or lack of. There are rumoured moves for more players, and it looks needed just to add some new blood. The team don’t look at their sharpest right now, which is worrying, as they came flying out of the traps this time last year.
The Swansea game showed that the team aren’t quite ready yet, but it also dealt another severe blow. The Blues had goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois sent off in the second half, and after an unsuccessful appeal he’s suspended for the next game. That means Asmir Begovic will make his first start at the Etihad, talk about a baptism of fire.
If last weekend is anything to go by, Begovic will be busy. The Blues were too open at the back, while City tore West Brom apart at every opportunity they got. The Citizens look to be up to speed fitness-wise, and their forward line looks incredibly dangerous. Adding Raheem Sterling to the mix just gives more problems for defences, who already had David Silva, Sergio Aguero and Yaya Toure to worry about.
City seem to have Toure back at his best, and the entire team has a hunger that they didn’t have last season. The title race should be a lot closer than last time around, with City genuine challengers. That means there’s a marker to be set down this weekend, but just who will do it?
Chelsea have a habit of getting their act together for these games. They’ve not lost to any of their top four rivals in the league for the last two seasons, and they’re built for games like this. Jose Mourinho will probably set up with a more defensive formation, putting Kurt Zouma or Ramires in beside Nemanja Matic.
We won’t get a classic game here, but we will hopefully see a more solid display from the Blues. Several members of the defence have had off days in the first two games, and they need to step up their game. It could be a lack of sharpness, or maybe just the lack of competition for places. Either way, the Chelsea defence need to be at their best this weekend.
Getting a result at the Etihad is a tough ask, but really Mourinho knows he can’t afford to fall five points behind, even this early. The manager would probably take a point, and that’s what we see him getting.
Chelsea kick off their Premier League campaign with a game at home to Welsh side Swansea. The champions begin the defence of their title in Saturday’s late kick off, as they look to continue the unbeaten home league record they had throughout last season.
Given how Swansea upset Manchester United at Old Trafford on the opening day of the last campaign, they certainly shouldn’t be written off. Gary Monk led his team to a very respectable finish last term, and he’ll be looking for more of the same this year. A result at Stamford Bridge on the opening day would be the perfect result for Monk and his merry men.
As you’d expect, Chelsea come in to this game as heavy favourites to get their season off to a winning start. They’re being backed to retain the Premier League title, and to do that they’ll need to start the campaign well. After last week’s Community Shield defeat to Arsenal, it’s clear that the squad aren’t quite up to full fitness.
Hopefully that’ll be put right by the time the Swans visit the Bridge. Given that there could be as many as three challengers for the title, starting slow isn’t an option. Arsenal established that they are up to speed, so the Blues really have to do the same. With a week of training and another preseason friendly under their belts by then, you’d expect a big improvement.
One thing not to expect is to see any new faces in the line-up on Saturday. Asmir Begovic is likely going to have to wait patiently for a debut, while Falcao did little to earn a starting spot against Arsenal. While the Colombian showed glimpses of ability, Diego Costa is expected to return from injury and take his place up front. Hopefully he can start this season as well as he did the last.
One other change to expect this weekend will be the return of Oscar to the starting 11. The Brazilian was a substitute at Wembley, with his compatriot Ramires taking his place in the team, to give energy and a more defensive edge to the team. At home to Swansea, Mourinho can surely free up his team and play with three attacking midfielders.
The manager has even hinted at moving to a system with two up front this term, partnering Costa with his former Atletico Madrid teammate Falcao. While it feels a little early to test that, he did switch to three at the back for a time at Wembley, so maybe he’s building up to that later in the season.
This should be a straightforward home victory for Chelsea. Swansea are a good side but Mourinho should be fully prepared for this one, with his men itching to put their defeat last week behind them. This side has a good record at bouncing back from losses, and you can expect that to continue this week.
After a long summer of waiting, Chelsea are finally back in competitive action on Sunday, as they face Arsenal at Wembley. The champions take on the FA Cup winners in the traditional opener to the season, but recent events have raised the temperature ahead of the game.
Petr Cech’s move to Arsenal in the summer was bad enough for the Stamford Bridge faithful to take, but even worse after they realised that he’d be making his debut against them. It’s hard to know how the fans will react, but you have to question the club’s thinking about strengthening a major rival.
Cech’s move does make Arsene Wenger’s side a real title threat now. They’ve plugged their major weakness from the last few years, and added a player who has experience of winning things at the highest level. Can he inspire them to a win on Sunday? Jose Mourinho will certainly be hoping he won’t.
On top of that, the recent war of words between Mourinho and Wenger has heightened the intense build up. The Portuguese has been taking shots at the Frenchman and Rafa Benitez like he’s rereleasing some greatest hits. He openly criticised Wenger’s spending in recent years and what it’s returned them, which does feel a tad hypocritical coming from a man who has spent big since first coming to Stamford Bridge in 2004.
It’s quite likely that he’s fully aware of that. Someone as smart as Jose doesn’t just forget how much their squad cost. His plan was probably to take up headlines, to avoid talking about how his team have struggled in preseason, and the lack of signings that have arrived this summer. Taking the pressure of his team is something the manager does very well, and it worked again this time.
Hopefully, that helps them go on to beat the Gunners on Sunday. Mourinho has an unbeaten record against Wenger, and he’ll be looking to keep that up. While he may not have the Community Shield down as a priority, we’ve rarely seen Jose turn his nose down at a trophy. He counted his 2005 shield win over Arsenal when he spoke about his medals from his first spell, so he does take it seriously.
Because of that, we expect a full strength team on Sunday, which will pretty much be the 11 that started most of last season. Don’t expect any new recruits to start, they should kick off the season on the bench. While there may not be any new names there, it’s still the side who won the league last season with room to spare, now armed with a little more experience.
We think that team will have enough to overcome Arsenal once more, kicking off the season with a victory and another trophy. While it hopefully won’t be a season highlight, a win here would be a great marker to set for the coming campaign.
After a long summer break, the new Premier League season is almost ready to kick off. The big question on Chelsea fans’ minds is how do they follow up from such a great season? We predicted Premier League and League Cup success last year, and now we’re sticking our neck on the line again, as we take a look at what the next nine months has in store for the Blues.
Community Shield
This year the campaign kicks off in style, with a trip to Wembley to meet neighbours Arsenal. The traditional curtain raiser between the league and cup winners doesn’t always mean as much as suggested. The media build this game up, but Arsenal’s 3-0 win over City last year didn’t really affect the outcome of the league. City finished second, the Gunners ended up well off the pace in the battle for the title.
Despite that, there’s no doubting Chelsea will be taking this game seriously. There’s still a trophy on the line, and Jose Mourinho has an unbeaten record against Arsene Wenger to protect. The Blues manager has won this trophy once, and lost in 2006 and 2007. We think he’ll be lifting the Shield at Wembley though, giving his side the perfect start to the year.
LCN Community Shield Verdict: Winners
League Cup
The League Cup became the first trophy of Mourinho’s second spell back in March, when he lifted the trophy for the third time. Heading into this campaign, it’s tough to see the Blues going all the way here again. You get the feeling the victory last season will see their priorities shift, with other titles taking the focus off the League Cup.
In his first spell, Mourinho’s two League Cups were separated by a season where they didn’t really feature in the competition, and it’s easy to see that being the case here again. He’ll likely give more squad players a chance in the cup games early on, preferring to concentrate on the Champions League, and later on, the FA Cup and Premier League.
LCN League Cup Verdict: 5th round
FA Cup
Mourinho’s love of English football extends to its oldest competition, the FA Cup. The Portuguese has won the famous trophy just once, back in 2007. Exits to Newcastle United and Liverpool prevented a league and cup double in 2005 and 2006, while last year the Blues were dumped out by Bradford in one of the biggest cup shocks in history.
That defeat clearly affected Mourinho, as he rung the changes after that game, and even cleared out some of the squad players who underperformed that day. The mess that the defence became without John Terry could be the driving factor behind the pursuit of John Stones. The captain didn’t miss a game after that, showing just how crucial he is to the team.
Mourinho will probably feel like he has demons to exorcise after the Bradford defeat, and we see him putting a lot of focus on this trophy. Expect to see stronger sides picked for the cup, as he tries to avoid a repeat of last year’s early exit. Adding the FA Cup to the cabinet would be a great achievement, especially if it’s done alongside the league title. We expect the Blues to taste success in this competition once more, ending the dominance that Arsenal have had in the last few seasons.
LCN FA Cup Verdict: Winners
Champions League
Even with that Bradford defeat, the Champions League had to be Chelsea’s biggest failing last season. They looked far from their best in the group, and then were put out by PSG despite dominating that tie. The Blues failed to defend a lead, plus an away goal against a 10 man side, with their lack of ruthlessness costing them dearly. That exit showed that they still have some way to go at the highest level.
Winning back the European Cup will be Mourinho’s ultimate aim. After winning it with two clubs, he’ll want his third to come at Stamford Bridge. It was the only cup missing in his first spell, and he’s surely looking to make up for that. It may be the young nature of the squad, or the abundance of flair players in midfield, but the Blues just don’t have that lethal quality to kill teams off in ties. Until they can do that, they won’t be serious contenders for the biggest prize in club football.
LCN Champions League Verdict: Semi-finals
Premier League
The Champions come into the season as favourites with bookmakers and pundits alike. After dominating the league last term, they are going to be in the picture to win it again this year. Given how the other top four sides have strengthened significantly since the end of last season, can the Blues hold them off and retain the trophy?
This season is promising to be one of the greatest battles for the Premier League title in years. Arsenal and the two Manchester clubs have all spent money, adding more quality to their squads. The signing of Petr Cech plugged a key weakness for Arsenal, while United have added a lot of talent to their midfield, as Louis van Gaal continues to rebuild the Red Devils. Manchester City made their intentions clear, signing Raheem Sterling from Liverpool for a £49million fee.
As far as the bookies are concerned, all three of those sides can challenge Chelsea for the title. The Blues’ limited business means the chasing pack will fancy their chances, but even without spending big this summer (though there is still time for that), Mourinho still has the strongest squad in the league at his disposal. He’s added depth with Asmir Begovic and Falcao, while returning loan players can fill out the squad if needed.
The other key thing to remember is that Chelsea won the title through consistency. The challengers all faltered at some point, while the Blues kept steady and sealed the title. The new signings by the other clubs don’t look to have fixed that problem just yet, while Chelsea have done little to affect the balance of their side. It will certainly be closer than last time around, but we confidently predict that the title will be staying at Stamford Bridge for at least another year.
Chelsea host Sunderland in their final league game of the season, knowing they’ll lift the Premier League trophy after the game. Stamford Bridge should be in the party mood ahead of this game, but the team will want to go out on a high, and Jose Mourinho will have them focused.
Expect a couple more changes ahead of the final game, with another slightly weakened team likely. Ruben Loftus-Cheek has started for the last two games and should keep his place, while there will be a few more youngsters who will likely come off the bench. Diego Costa could start again, while Cesc Fabregas will miss out after he was sent off in the 3-0 defeat by West Brom last time out.
That result probably won’t have too much bearing on the team selection here, as Mourinho was happy enough to make excuses for his side post game. Playing on the day that the title is lifted is something every player wants to do, and it’s hard to see the manager disappointing his key players after a long season. It’ll be a mix of the regular and the new, slightly looking ahead to next season, whilst also celebrating the current one.
Sadly, this may be Petr Cech’s last ever chance to walk out in front of the Blues’ fans, and he’s currently struggling with a minor injury. He should be back in time for Sunday, and hopefully he gets a game ahead of a likely move in the transfer window. After 10 long years of service, the Czech stopper deserves the well wishes of the supporters after an incredible spell between the sticks for the club.
This game was to be one of the three with sides fighting against relegation, until Sunderland went and took a point at the Emirates on Wednesday night. The Gunners were below par, but the Black Cats showed resilience to move on to the 38 point mark that secures their safety. They have already drawn with Chelsea this season, at the Stadium of Light back in November, so the Blues know how tough they can be to break down.
That result takes a lot of the edge off this game, as the visitors are no longer fighting for their lives. Just like the Blues, they’ll now be looking forward to next season, and they’ll probably mix their team around a little. It would have been interesting to see how the side looking to beat the drop would have done against a team waiting to celebrate at the final whistle, but Sunderland fans will be glad that’s no longer the case.
Whatever happens on the day, the champions will enjoy the evening. It’s going to be an incredible mix of celebrating the legends who could leave, basking in the glow of success and welcoming some possible new academy graduates. On top of that, players like Andre Schurrle and Mo Salah will be back for their medals, making it a day to savour for players past and present.
Chelsea play their penultimate game of the season on Monday night when they travel to the Hawthorns to take on West Brom. After wrapping up the title there’s only really pride to play for in the remaining fixtures, and this time around they face a side who are equally aimless. While that’s hardly anything to get excited about, it could well hint at the appearance of a few academy prospects.
Last time out Jose Mourinho dropped a huge surprise by picking Rueben Loftus-Cheek in the starting line up to face Liverpool, giving the youngster his full debut. The manager had said he wanted his side to focus on the remaining games, which hinted that he was going to be picking full strength sides. The appearance of the 19-year-old shows that there is a chance for young players to force their way into the team in these last few games, and possibly into the manager’s plans for next season.
Chelsea have a large squad of quality players that means they should be able to rotate in a game like this and still field a strong side. The likes of Juan Cuadrado springs to mind, as the Colombian has barely been seen since his January move. This could be a great chance for him, and possibly for Loftus-Cheek to get another run out. He certainly did enough on his debut to show that he can handle Premier League football.
West Brom will be sticking around for Premier League football next term, after Tony Pulis steered the club to safety this season. A Pulis side is always a difficult challenge, as the Blues know from facing his Crystal Palace side last season. The hosts are 13th in the table, but it’s hard to see them managing to finish any higher this term.
At this stage of the campaign, it’s only natural for minds to look ahead to next season. Loftus-Cheek is likely to be a full member of the senior squad next season, so fans will want another look at him in action. Hopefully a few of the main stars will be left out, as the likes of Diego Costa and co could do with a rest ahead of what will be a long campaign next year.
As well as the future, the game against the Baggies could be a moment to reflect on the past. Petr Cech and Didier Drogba have been fantastic servants to the club over the years, but they could both be out of the squad next season. Cech deserves first team football, while Drogba hasn’t agreed a deal for next term yet. Despite how good Costa and Thibaut Courtois have been this season, I think most fans would like to see the two legends start in the last two games.
These kinds of fixtures struggle to really excite anyone, but they are the reward for such an excellent season. Win, lose or draw, nothing can stop the party next weekend when Chelsea finally lift the Premier League trophy for the fourth time in 10 years.
This weekend the newly crowned Premier League champions take on Liverpool at Stamford Bridge. The Blues have little to play for other than pride after clinching the league last weekend, but they do have an unbeaten home record this season to maintain. Plus, as we know, there’s no love lost in clashes between these two sides.
Jose Mourinho already said his side will not be taking things easy in the last few weeks, as it would be an insult to the competitiveness of the Premier League. Don’t expect to see 11 changes and threats of fines from the league, it’s likely that much of the same team that has played all season will feature in the last three fixtures.
We know that Mourinho isn’t a great loser, so it’s no shock that he’s sending his side out to win in their last three. If there was a Champions League semi or FA Cup final ahead maybe it would be a different story, but instead the players are currently basking in the glow of a title win. Having been by far the best team in the league, the title is more than deserved, but given those performances, maybe a little bit of rest is deserved too.
Former Chelsea player and current BBC pundit Pat Nevin argued that the likes of Oscar, Cesc Fabregas and Diego Costa should be left out of the last three matches to give them a longer break ahead of the new season. While the tiredness of footballers isn’t going to make your heart bleed, we have to remember that these are top class, international players. Their summer breaks between seasons are often taken up by tournaments, so they rarely get extended breaks.
With another title challenge expected next year, plus improvement in the Champions League and FA Cup, those three will all play a key role in the club’s fortunes next term. While Mourinho will be looking to name a strong side, resting those three should be on his mind, as the effects of fatigue have definitely affected them in the run-in.
A game against a side like Liverpool has to be taken seriously, however, with the Reds still holding a faint chance of making the top four this season. With the Blues already unbeaten home and away against their top four rivals, they’ll want to continue that against Brendan Rodgers’ side, following up on their 2-1 win at Anfield earlier in the season.
Liverpool will be naming a strong side, although they’ll be seriously worried about how their goalscoring problems will affect them against the side with the best defence in the league. It’s hard to see the Reds being able to make much of an impact in this one, and this game should spell the end of their Champions League ambitions. This won’t be the day that Chelsea celebrate lifting the trophy, that will be saved for the final day, but it is another chance for the fans to celebrate this season, against a set of fans who are desperate for a league title.
