With the 2023/2024 Premier League season almost over, Chelsea fans around the world cannot wait for the final kick of a ball, which will signal the end to what has been quite a rollercoaster and hair-pulling emotion of a season.
Chelsea came into the new season expecting to be challenging for a place in Europe, but with six games to go, Chelsea is currently seated outside a European spot with 47 points. However, they are just behind Manchester United and West Ham, who have 50 and 48 points respectively, with the latter playing two games more.
Chelsea has, however, dropped crucial points in the fight for Europe against teams that would normally be considered as easy three points, but in the Premier League, there are no easy three points.
Chelsea Against the Big Boys
Chelsea has demonstrated their ability to compete with the big boys by taking crucial points against the Premier League’s traditional ‘Big Six’. The Premier League’s joint-highest goalscorer, Cole Palmer, has helped the team significantly, registering 23 goals and 13 assists in all competitions.
Chelsea has also put in a collective team effort and have shown fight in games to snatch points, which has shown that the team has made a bit of progress from the horrid display shown all through last season. An example of this was in their most recent match, a 5-0 hiding by fellow London side Arsenal.
Are Underdogs Chelsea’s Kryptonite?
However, Chelsea has shown themselves to be vulnerable against lower-ranked teams; earlier in the season, they dropped points to Brentford and Nottingham Forest at home, scoring no goals. On top of that, they lost in an awful, abysmal performance to Everton away, while also collecting a total of two points from six, against Sheffield and Burnley, who are both in the relegation zone.
The dropped points have hindered Chelsea’s fight for Europe, as they would be in a much better position had they seen these teams off. These dropped points have resulted in Chelsea having an inconsistent season.
Points Dropped to Relegation Contenders
Chelsea has played teams currently sitting 15th and below a total of 11 times and has picked up only 18 of the available 33 points, either home or away. Chelsea has an had issue beating the lower ranked teams of the premier league.
Out of the 11 games played against these sides, Chelsea won only five of the 11 games, drawing three and also losing three of those games. With just a 45.5% win rate against these lower ranked teams, Chelsea fans around the world have every right to feel a bit of worry about the situation, especially as it stems from the team not being able to break down low-block teams.
Can the Blues Make a Final Push?
With the season coming to an end in just over a month, Chelsea has six games to reshape and rewrite their destiny. Any hopes of Champions League football next term are squashed, though Mauricio Pochettino’s side will not rule out settling for an Europa League or Conference League place. The Blues will have to show maturity and focus to end this rollercoaster of a season on a high note.