Before September has given way to October, Chelsea’s season is in danger of unravelling like it did during the last campaign.
There ought to be optimism about a new dawn, but Sunday’s defeat by Aston Villa leaves the Blues down in 14th place and the problems are piling up for Mauricio Pochettino.
Supporters had hoped last season’s 12th-placed finish was the nadir of the rebuild under owners Todd Boehly and Clearlake.
But Chelsea have made their worst start to a season for 45 years, managed only five goals in six Premier League games and were booed off again at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
The stats do not make good reading. Only Luton and Burnley have scored fewer goals in the top-flight than Chelsea this season. Sunday was the 13th time in 2023 they have failed to score in the Premier League, more than any other team, and a lack of goals remains their biggest issue.
Nicolas Jackson has scored just once since his £31million summer move from Villarreal, and he again missed clear-cut chances against Villa, as did Raheem Sterling and Enzo Fernandez.
Jackson is 22 and has no track record of scoring regularly at the top level beyond his late flurry in LaLiga last season, when eight goals in the last nine games alerted Chelsea to him.
In one sense it is unfortunate quite how much pressure is on Jackson, with Christopher Nkunku out injured. But his yellow card on Sunday, which means he is suspended for next Monday’s trip to Fulham, was needless.
Pochettino revealed on Friday he had called a meeting to warn Jackson of his indiscipline. Ignoring advice from his manager, Jackson picked up his fifth booking in six games by standing over the ball before a Villa free-kick.
Seven minutes later, Chelsea went down to 10 men when Malo Gusto’s overzealous challenge on Lucas Digne saw him sent off after a VAR check. Gusto is now banned for three matches, leaving Pochettino with a headache, given Reece James is sidelined.
Chelsea are struggling enough as it is, and that ill-discipline is not helping. There is a youthful naivety about Chelsea, and Pochettino said on Sunday his players must “grow up”.
Despite spending £1billion in the transfer market since being taken over by Boehly and Clearlake, qualifying for the Champions League already looks a long shot.
Fans understandably expected immediate impacts from £115m signing Moises Caicedo, £88m January arrival Mykhailo Mudryk and other expensive squad additions.
Injuries have not helped Chelsea, but, after six games, a squad with an average age of just over 23 is already nine points outside the top four.
There are small reasons for optimism. Mudryk looks to be slowly finding his feet, while Chelsea are dominating the ball in games. They had 65 per cent possession in their opening-weekend draw with Liverpool, 76 per cent against West Ham and Nottingham Forest, and 53 per cent on Sunday, despite playing for more than 30 minutes with 10 men.
But Chelsea lost three of those four matches, and there has scarcely been a time in recent memory when they have been easier to beat.
When Villa last visited Stamford Bridge in April, away supporters taunted Graham Potter with chants of “you’re getting sacked in the morning”. A day later, he was gone.
Pochettino is under no such pressure, but Chelsea have beaten only Bournemouth and Luton in the Premier League since Potter was sacked and it is alarming how little results have improved.
