Chelsea’s decline has happened so quickly that many neutrals didn’t get a chance to bat an eyelid.
A fantastic first half of the season saw many pundits and onlookers call them title challengers. While they have been bang average since late December, the Blues remain fourth in the table and are still on course for a strong debut campaign under head coach Enzo Maresca.
A combination of injuries and loss of form to some key players have led to an alarming dip, winning just four of their last 10 Premier League fixtures. The Pensioners entered the ongoing international break following a 1-0 loss to Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium, so it will be challenging for Maresca to give his team confidence and help them operate as a unit once the season resumes.
Without further ado, here are three things to look forward to in the Chelsea season run-in after the two-week hiatus.
- Cole Palmer’s form
Cole Palmer had been battling illness before being left out of Chelsea’s game against Arsenal—because of a muscle injury which forced him to withdraw from the England duty. Apart from that, he has been struggling for form too.
After a smashing debut campaign with Chelsea, when he scored 22 goals and assisted 11 in the Premier League, Palmer is experiencing a blip for the first time in his fledgling career. In fact, the forward has neither scored nor assisted in seven straight Premier League games, with his last goal contribution coming in the 2-2 draw with Bournemouth at Stamford Bridge back in January.
This run has left him stuck on 14 goals and six assists, now in 28 league appearances. The England international’s dip in form has been synonymous with Chelsea becoming inconsistent. It remains to be whether Palmer can regain his lost mojo after recovering from a muscle injury.
- Reece James’ fitness
In contrast to Palmer, Reece James is part of Thomas Tuchel’s first England squad. The full-back has had a torrid time with injuries over the last couple of seasons, hampering his development at Chelsea.
A full-back by trade, the Chelsea skipper is seen as a midfielder by Maresca and has played the majority of his matches in the middle of the park this season. And James has performed reasonably well, although he may still prefer to play in his natural right-back position more often.
Now having teamed up with the Three Lions’ squad, Maresca and Chelsea fans will hope their captain stays healthy and avoids any fitness concerns. A healthy, fit and firing James would be invaluable to the Pensioners’ objective of qualifying for the Champions League next season.
- Can Maresca solve the goalkeeping conundrum?
There has been a lot of chopping and changing of personnel in defence this season, especially due to injury problems. This has led to so many various centre-back partnerships, disallowing Maresca’s Chelsea any kind of stability and continuity.
On top of that, the goalkeeping uncertainty surrounding Robert Sanchez and Filip Jorgensen has hugely hurt the West Londoners. Sanchez has made some catastrophic errors leading to goals, including his poor decision-making leading to Mikel Merino’s header for Arsenal last weekend. By now it has become evident that the Spaniard is not good enough to be the club’s No.1, while Jorgensen has not inspired confidence when handed opportunities by Maresca.
Maresca has a big call to make in goal when the season resumes with Chelsea playing hosts to Tottenham on April 3. It has become increasingly difficult for Maresca to stick Sanchez in between the sticks but time will tell.
