Chelsea’s journey in 2019-2020 PL season so far

The Premier League is still hoping for a restart in June amid the coronavirus pandemic. Liverpool are leading the points table followed by Manchester City, Leicester City and Chelsea currently.  

Chelsea had a topsy-turvy season where they were brilliant in one game and mediocre in the next. But they have had few unforgettable moments in the season.  

Here’s a look at Chelsea’s journey in the 2019-2020 PL season so far. 

Sarri’s exit, Lampard’s entry 

Maurizio Sarri moved to Juventus after guiding Chelsea to Europa League title in the last season. Chelsea then appointed their former star Frank Lampard as the manager. There were high hopes on Lampard to help Chelsea go the extra mile in the PL season.   

Chelsea start with embarrassing loss 

Chelsea started with a humiliating loss against Manchester United in their Premier League opening match. They were humbled 0-4 by United. 

The Blues dropped points again in their next PL clash as they drew 1-1 against Leicester City at home. They finally tasted victory in their third PL match, defeating Norwich 3-2 away. 

Emergence of new talent 

Lampard focussed on youngsters and giving first-team chances to their academy players this season. One of the young Chelsea players who made a mark in the PL this season was Tammy Abraham. 

He scored 13 goals in 25 appearances for Chelsea this season. He became the youngest player to score a hat-trick for Chelsea in the PL era at 21 years and 347 days. He achieved the feat in the 5-2 win over Wolves. 

No buys in January despite transfer ban being lifted 

Chelsea’s transfer ban was lifted ahead of January transfer window. They were expected to make a few major signings. However, no deal materialised in January. Dries Mertens, Edinson Cavani, Ben Chilwell and Jadon Sancho were linked with Chelsea in January but it all fell apart. 

Also, Oliver Giroud was linked to a move to Inter Milan, but that too didn’t happen. Chelsea were playing safe and didn’t want any transfers in the middle of the season. 

Kepa dropped 

Lampard lost faith in his No 1 keeper Kepa Arrizabalaga in the middle of the PL season and dropped him for ageing Willy Caballero, 38. 

But that didn’t help Chelsea to maintain a clean sheet. Now, Chelsea are desperate to offload Arrizabalaga. 

Inconsistent Chelsea  

Chelsea posted some great wins away from home. They posted 5-2 win over Wolves, 4-1 against Southampton, 4-2 against Burnely, 2-0 against Spurs, 2-1 against Arsenal – all away from home. 

But they suffered a few embarrassingly losses to lower-ranked teams at Stamford Bridge. They lost 0-1 to West Ham, 0-1 to Bournemouth, 0-2 to Southamptom, 0-2 to United at home. They were inconsistent, but were lucky to maintain their No 4 spot for the most part of the season. 

cover image courtesy: Chelsea Facebook page