Chelsea on the cusp of second wasted season in a row – Talk Chelsea

Chelsea have had a dreadful season all told, full of moments of brief hope combined with devastating losses like the one we suffered yesterday at Wembley.

All of this is rather contrary to expectation. We brought in a new manager and spent a lot of money and there was a lot of hope about our prospects. Bettors will have made a killing backing against us this season.

But is it really game over? Is this season going to end up like the last one, petering out in the spring with little to play for and nothing to look forward to until August, when one can only hope that things have brightened up a little? We really hope not. And, to be there, there’s plenty of hope that it won’t.

For one thing, we’re still in the FA Cup. That gives us a tangible competition that we’re still in, with a real chance of winning. Our Carabao capitulation doesn’t exactly raise hopes, but if we made it to the final there, we can certainly make it to the final elsewhere.

While Liverpool’s victory there hurts, it does mean that another European spots is available through the league. That means there’s even more to play for on that front. Last year we were fading so badly that we never felt in touch with the top sides. This time it’s different. For all our woes, we’ve seen enough good performances to make us think that we can put a run together and battle our way into the top 7. It’s not a big ask for a squad that’s had a billion spent on it.

We’ll find out a lot in the next couple of weeks. There’s no time to lick our wounds – our FA Cup campaign starts in earnest on Wednesday night with a tough game against in form Leeds, who are flying high in the Championship and licking their lips at the prospect of playing us while we’re wounded.

Things aren’t any easier in the Premier League after that either. We’ve got really tricky games against Brentford, Newcastle and Arsenal in March.

The next month will either put us back on track and set us up for an end to the campaign where we actually have meaningful games, or it will be the coup de grace on a second consecutive disappointment of a season?

Tune in to the next episode of rollercoaster Chelsea to find out…