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The best part of this weekend’s result against Hull was that it was unremarkable, the kind of result we need to be grinding out if we want to finish anywhere near the top four.

Two stunning second half finishes put the gloss on a controlled performance from the Blues and put two consecutive defeats behind us. With six games gone we sit in 6th place and within touching distance of the top four.

Failures against Arsenal and Liverpool are painful to take and show that there is some improvement needed, but we are not far from where we need to be.

Win the games against the teams expected to finish in the bottom half and build a rhythm as we face tougher challenges is a good way to look at the first couple of months of the season.

Antonio Conte has been experimenting technically with the line up, playing three at the back against Hull. As we get more options at the back as players come back from injury we should see this more often. It is definitely reassuring to know we have a manager with more than one club in his bag.

As we get more options at the back as players come back from injury we should see this more often. It is definitely reassuring to know we have a manager with more than one club in his bag.

Looking To October

October is going to be a tough month, there is a game against the unpredictable Champions, the return of Jose Mourinho to Stamford Bridge and then tough trips to Olympic Stadium and St Mary’s.

How we come out of October will give us a real indicator of what our expectations for the season should be. If we can get 7 or more points from these games then we really will be in a good position to push for the top four.

There is very little patience in the Premier League these days and it is hard to avoid the mood and positivity changing game by game. We are not far from where we need to be and let’s see how Conte navigates October.

 

 

David Luiz may have made a defensively questionable start to his second spell at Stamford Bridge, but on Tuesday night he reinforced why his eccentric personality makes him a cult hero to Chelsea fans.

We overcame Leicester in 120 minutes so it may be understandable why the majority of exhausted players only made a token effort to show their appreciation to the travelling Chelsea fans.

The atmosphere against Leicester was brilliant throughout the game and deserving of more than a token gesture the only one to acknowledge this was David Luiz.

@Famous_CFC pic.twitter.com/qiCflW20OL

— Jamie Rowland (@JamieRo24876858) September 22, 2016

At the end of the game he came jogging over to the Chelsea end picked out a fan and gave his search to the joy of the travelling Chelsea fans. Whilst Chelsea fans will want more from him in the long term, his passion and connection with the fans will go a long way.

Let’s hope the rest of the squad follow his example in the coming weeks.

Despite only getting a point there is very little that Antonio Conte could have done tactically to extend his 100% record.

Conte’s Chelsea dominated Swansea at the Liberty Stadium and despite only leading by one goal at half-time looked like the only team on the pitch.

The team pushed forwards after the break but the failure to score a second cost Chelsea and it was poor decision making by Courtois that gifted Swansea a way back into the game via the penalty spot.

More defensive slackness and a foul put Swansea in dreamland just minutes later and we had to battle back just to get a point.

Why The Referee Cannot Be Blamed

The referee made a mistake for the second Swansea goal, there is no doubt about that Gary Cahill was fouled. However, that close to his own goal with his back to the defender Cahill should not have been given the ball.

A sharper defence would have anticipated the oncoming danger, although it should not have been a goal Chelsea created their own problems. We should have put the game beyond doubt before the made 3 minutes that changed the game and kept calmer heads.

Swansea supporters should be thanking us for the gift of a point they barely deserved.

Still Unbeaten

Last season Chelsea would have lost that game but were able to find a equaliser. Dropping points like that is not the way that potential top 4 teams go about their business. Yet after creeping past Watford and Crystal Palace this was bound to catch up with us at some point.

In order to move forward, there will need to be a continued focus on improving our defensive mindset and removing the risks that cost us points in Wales.

There were plenty of positives to take from the game and hopefully we will play Liverpool on Friday taking the vibes from the performance and not the result back to Stamford Bridge.

After transfer deadline day manager Antonio Conte will be trying to figure out the best Chelsea starting XI for 2016/2017.

Having already brought in one guaranteed starter in N’Golo Kante, a second striker in Michy Batshuayi and a backup goalkeeper. There were two late defensive additions that will affect the Chelsea starting XI.

On deadline day Chelsea confirmed the signings of left-back Marcus Alonso and cult hero, occasional defender and full-time maverick David Luiz.

Chelsea Starting XI After Transfer Deadline

The arrival of Luiz and Alonso could seriously shake up the defence. If you : Bet-at-home you will know the most at threat from the new arrivals are Branislav Ivanovic and Gary Cahill.

Defensive Reorganisation

If Marcus Alonso cements his place at left-back then Cesar Azpilicueta will shift to the right-hand side. This means that Ivanovic is no longer a guaranteed starter in Chelsea’s best XI and is instead competing as a rotational full-back and back up central defender.

This combined with the arrival of David Luiz who has been reportedly signed as a central defender puts Ivanovic and Cahill at risk of being dropped. Therefore, if we assume that Terry will start when fit there is a choice of Cahill, Ivanovic and Luiz to partner him.

I think Luiz should be given a chance to partner Terry, giving a back 5 of; Courtois, Alonso, Terry, Luiz and Azpilicueta.

Midfield & Attack

There were no late arrivals for Chelsea in midfield.

Based on Conte sticking with the 4-1-4-1 formation used for the first 3 games. The best Chelsea starting XI in midfield looks set to be Kante Matic, Oscar, Hazard and Willian.

Up front Diego Costa will lead the line with Batshuayi his backup, however the midfield and attack could be dynamic depending on tweaks to the formation by Conte.

This means our best Chelsea starting XI 2016/2017 is as below do you agree with our choice?

Marcus Rashford rightfully grabbed the headlines as England’s young lions destroyed Norway. His demotion from the senior squad saw him blast a hat-trick that will keep the focus on why he has only had 19 minutes of senior football so far this season for United.

However hidden by this headline is the contribution from Chelsea’s academy normally Chelsea’s youth team is more of a gamble than if you play free slot machines at Royal Vegas casino. But for England’s youth team’s they really come up trumps.

Chelsea had three players in the starting XI for the game played in Colchester. The trio were Lewis Baker, Nathaniel Chalobah and Ruben Loftus-Cheek. The stand out was Loftus-Cheek, who showed the influence he can have.

The stand out was Loftus-Cheek, who showed the influence he can have on a game when given the freedom to express himself. Around the 65 minute mark he took a royal vegas casino style gamble from the edge of the area to score a well-deserved goal.

Chalobah who now has more than 80 England youth caps and Baker were also on the scoresheet but with the game over the focus will be on if they will ever make it to the national squad.

Joining the Chelsea academy is a bit like playing royal vegas online casino and hoping for the best, there are no guarantees of success. Hopefully this English trio can buck the trend.

Much of this will rest on whether they break into the Chelsea first team or are forced to move away on loan or permanently to get the game time they will need to develop.

Lack of First Team Experience

Playing youth internationals is great but despite having made their senior debuts it is unlikely that any of these players will make more than 10 league appearances for the Blues between them.

This is a reflection of the strength of the Chelsea squad, but also how hard it is to break into the team. The pressure on a Chelsea manager for instant results is so huge that Conte will not have the chance to bring them into the team for a run of games regardless of performances.

 

So whilst it is great that three Chelsea players score for England it is sad that it highlights the challenge of developing youth players and meeting performance expectations.

We do however live in eternal hope that John Terry will not be the last academy player to play for England whilst still on Chelsea’s books.