Stats point to Chelsea struggles continuing for now – Talk Chelsea

We’ve reached the halfway point of the Premier League season, and it’s been a typically fascinating and unpredictable one for Chelsea and their fans.

There were a variety of opinions about how the Blues would get on this season, but even the most optimistic of pundits didn’t have them doing so well that they had the chance to top the table at Christmas.

Sadly Enzo Maresca’s men blinked in the face of such lofty aspirations and drew at struggling Everton. Then in the three games since they’ve got worse rather than recovering their form – a defeat to Fulham, a defeat to Ipswich, then a draw with Crystal Palace to make it 4 without a win.

They’re still clinging on to a spot in the top 4, but any talk of title aspirations are long gone. Liverpool, who could have been overtaken on that fateful night at Goodison Park, are now a full 8 points and a game in hand clear.

Still, a title race was never realistic. Maresca said it himself many times. So what are Chelsea’s real aims this season? A look at odds – and you can read more here – show that the Blues are still heavily favoured to make the Champions League places. Of course they’re helped by the fact that there are likely to be 5 teams from the Premier League who qualify this year.

We would agree with the bookies on that – we’ve seen enough from this team to think they can get back into gear and start winning again. But there are also reasons to be nervous.

Chelsea haven’t just had some unlucky results, they’ve been measurably worse in this poor run, going by the stats. Losing Wesley Fofana to injury has hurt them both defensively and in being able to play higher up the pitch. Romeo Lavia’s injury issues haven’t helped keep the midfield fresh either.

Then there’s the competition – Nottingham Forest look like the real deal. They’re not just a dangerous team to play, they’re a genuine threat to make the top 4 now. The same goes for Newcastle, who suddenly look a great team again now Sandro Tonali is back in their midfield. Bournemouth have lost a couple of key players to injury this week, but they’re good enough to cause anyone trouble – as we will find out in our next Premier League game.

So while the top 4 (or even 5) should still be our aim – the last few weeks show that nothing can be taken for granted.