It's been a far-from-ideal season for Chelsea. The Blues are out of both domestic cups and sit ninth in the Premier League and 10 points behind fourth-place Newcastle United.
Amid their struggles, there are few players who have performed to their potential in 2023/23 and the west London side are under pressure to improve their performances for the second half of the season. A whole host of Chelsea's squad has been injured for a significant part of Graham Potter's tenure, and while the Blues boss has a bulked-out group to choose from, the return of some of those players will be significant for the remainder of the season.
Thiago Silva has been a shining light for Chelsea this season, while Trevoh Chalobah showed some consistency following Wesley Fofana's injury at the back end of 2022 and Kepa Arrizabalaga has produced some magical displays. Chelsea hold a defensive record only bettered by Arsenal and Newcastle, though they have struggled to provide a threat in the opposite direction.
READ MORE: Graham Potter is three signings away from his dream Chelsea lineup
With so much money spent in January and a returning crop of stars, expectations of improvement will be high. football.london takes a look at a selection of players who could step up for Potter in the next six months.
Reece James - There's a compelling argument that James is Chelsea's best player and there may just be a reason that Potter has not tasted defeat with the Blues boss when the homegrown star has started a match. The Blues have not had a replacement that comes close to matching the quality he can bring from the right flank, proven by their signing of Malo Gusto in preparation for next season. If the 23-year-old comes even close to his best, Chelsea are going to benefit a lot.
Ben Chilwell - Chilwell also has not lost when starting for Chelsea under Potter, though he did feature as a substitute in the defeat to Brighton. Thomas Tuchel learned quickly how difficult it was to cope without James and Chilwell simultaneously as the Blues laboured at times in 2021/22.
Marc Cucurella was signed in the summer to provide some depth but the Spaniard has proved less willing to challenge the opposition box. Providing Potter with options for a variety of styles on the left will prove beneficial and Chilwell can offer a more experienced late threat in comparison to Lewis Hall.
Raheem Sterling - Former Manchester City and Liverpool star Sterling has not had the season many expected following his summer arrival. He has shown hints of what the Blues hoped for when Tuchel wanted to build around the winger, in trickery and attacking penetration but not frequently enough. He nevertheless remains Chelsea's chief contributor this season with six goals and three assists.
Potter will hope Sterling can build upon that even with added competition from Mykhailo Mudryk and Noni Madueke. At 28, Sterling will be the senior figure and that group and can hopefully push those around him to greater heights too.
Wesley Fofana - Yet another player Potter has rarely had available to him. The Frenchman was signed with high expectations and now, following Benoit Badiashile's promising start, may face a battle to get into the team. However, Badiashile is unable to feature in the Champions League and given the form of Kalidou Koulibaly, a role could quickly open up for Fofana. He will quickly want to prove his value as a key member of the team moving forward.
Enzo Fernandez - When you sign for a Premier League-record fee there is little choice but to step up. The midfielder may have had little say in the figure Chelsea prised him from Benfica for but there's not getting away from the expectation that arrives with it. The signing provided a profile the Blues have lacked however and brought a degree of security in their draw against Fulham having just trained once with his new teammates. The Argentina star felt like a crucial cog in a developing spine for Chelsea and his presence will be relied upon.
Joao Felix - While it will be hoped all of Chelsea's new signings can step up for Potter in the next six months, most are young players who are building their future at the club. Each has shown promise in their early moments but Felix perhaps does not share the same luxury as his teammates.
The Atletico Madrid loanee launched a significant improvement in the volume of chances Chelsea created in his lone appearance thus far. On his own, the Portuguese international managed to get away six shots on his Blues debut with four hitting the target in his 58 minutes on the pitch. In the games since, only once have Chelsea had so many shots on target as a team, while in each of the three matches before it they were unable to match the total as a team. If he can continue to deliver at the rate without recording a yellow card it will be promising for Potter who named him in his Champions League squad ahead of the in-form Badiashile.
.Not only does the forward have the task of stepping up for Potter but he also has a point to prove.
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