Chelsea FC 2017/2018 League Table results

Many people around the world know Chelsea, thanks to the club being a football powerhouse for the last thirty years and winning plenty of silverware. Their overall record in the Premier League stands at five League Cups, five League Titles and seven FA Cups. In addition, Chelsea has major success on the European stage – they are the only English club to win all the three major trophies from UEFA – the Champions League, the Europa League and the Cup Winners’ Cup.
The 2017-2018 season is the club’s 104th competitive season, 26th in the English Premier League, 29th season (consecutive) in the top of English football, and 112th year as a football club. It also happens to be the first season since John Terry’s exit on a free transfer basis, in addition to being the first season under a new kit sponsorship deal with Nike.

Latest standings in the premier league table

In the English football league table, Chelsea has had a mixed season at best. Starting with a very strong foundation as they won the EPL title last season, the 2017/2018 one has been one of mixed results, and their consistency suffered throughout the season, with their current standing being fifth in the table.
However, this last weekend proved to be a major boost for morale, as they won against Watford FC on home ground, in a game that was a seven-goal thriller. With Olivier Giroud coming in as a substitute, he scored in the dying minutes of the game to seal Chelsea’s win.
The Blues manager, Antonio Conte, had made nine adjustments to the starting lineup of the game, basing it on the side that played West Brom, with the latest game setting a record of thirty wins in a season, courtesy of beating Southampton FC 3-2.

Why is Chelsea struggling in the PL in the 2018 season?

The 2017/2018 Chelsea result table has been a disappointing one for its supporters, and the title defence that was in the plan has not worked out well. The only advantage that is in sight is winning the FA Cup.
The season started on the wrong footing when Burnley won against them at Stamford Bridge with a 3-2 margin, and later Manchester City winning at Stamford Bridge, albeit by a small margin of 1-0. However, the overall conclusion from that game was that Man City came across as a superior team that had better preparation, and not just because of the advantage of Pep Guardiola being the head coach.
Many teams that had a struggling campaign in the 2016/2017 season all ended up going past Chelsea in the Premier League standings, including Tottenham, Manchester United, as well as Liverpool. The point standings are even more revealing, with Chelsea currently at 60 points, and Tottenham Hotspur (the fourth place team) coming in at 67 points.

Root of the problem?

However, what is the root cause of all this trouble? We may look at this best through the signings of the 2017/2018 season:
Alvaro Morata – 58 million pounds from Real Madrid
Replacing Diego Costa was no easy task, no matter the person who got the role up front. In fact, Costa’s record was hard to beat, considering that he scored 52 goals that assisted the club to attain two titles in a span of three years.
The initial thought was replacing him with Romelu Lukaku, but Manchester United beat them to that one, so they opted to replace him with Morata. He had a good start in the league by scoring seven goals in eight appearances, as well as an instant rapport with Cesar Azpilicueta, and promising signs of a good partnership with Eden Hazard. However, the pressure of leading the attack in consecutive games has taken a toll on him, and his form has dipped over the last 22 appearances. That, as well as his low conversion rate when the ball is at his feet, is a cause of concern for the team.

Tiemoue Bakayoko (from Monaco, 40 million pounds)

The midfielder only has two assists in 21 PL games, which is discouraging given the price Chelsea bought him. Nemanja Matic is six years older than he is, yet Manchester United bought him for the same fee. Academy graduate Nathaniel Chalobah went to seek active play elsewhere due to Bakayoko’s arrival, and joined Watford for only 5 million pounds.
The struggle of Bakayoko is mainly due to him failing to adjust to the pace of the English game, but he should improve as time passes.

Danny Drinkwater (from Leicester City, 35 million pounds)

Mainly attributed to bad luck, he has only started six times since debuting for the team in October 2017. He also did not experience pre-season with Conte, and many view his transfer as a rushed decision. Perhaps this leading to the 27-year old possible links with West Ham.

Davide Zappacosta (from Torino, 23 million pounds+)

Seeming like a panic buy from the club, the player has not done much to dispel that opinion. Many people think Conte wanted to add wingbacks to the team to give extra competition for the positions, but he was frustrated since Juventus did not want to sell Alex Sandro, Tottenham bought Serge Aurier, and Manchester City bought Danilo from Real Madrid.
The sole consolation that Zappacosta may have been an asset in accurate crosses, but there has not been evidence of that skill so far in their play. Instead, he only two goals and one assist, one goal being the result of a mishit cross.

Out of the players that the club purchased in both the summer and winter transfer windows, one player stands out among all of them – Olivier Giroud. He proved to be a valuable player for Arsenal, and his style of play fits Conte’s perfectly. His contract runs for 18 months, and this fits with the policy of the club regarding players over the age of 30.

 

Conclusion

The 2017-2018 season in review has been a challenging one for the club, and the signings over the transfer periods did not help much. The result is their rival Manchester City winning the title, and this forces Chelsea to go back to the drawing board to implement strategies to help them get to the top tier in the coming season.