All fixtures are subject to potential change due to European competitions and TV selection
Season Overview:
After the car crash of a season that Chelsea suffered last time around, every single fixture this campaign is ‘one to watch out for’. That said, there is absolutely no doubt that some fixtures are very important in the context of the current season. The Blues have a very young squad and a new manager in Mauricio Pochettino and have not started off the season on the greatest of notes. 2 losses, 1 draw and a solitary win in four Premier League games this season do not inspire much confidence.
Playing Aston Villa and Brighton & Hove Albion in consecutive games is not going to be easy by any stretch of the imagination. Aston Villa have bought very well in the transfer market and that is translating into their performances on the pitch. Meanwhile, the Seagulls are doing exactly what Chelsea want to – trusting youth and building a team where the youngsters are almost always the protagonists.
Chelsea have made some great signings this summer, the most note-worthy of which being Moises Caicedo from Brighton. The likes of Christopher Nkunku, Cole Palmer, Romeo Lavia, and Nicolas Jackson have also joined the club amongst other players. Levi Colwill has returned from his loan spell at the Amex stadium and he looks like a star in the making. The club have also managed to shift out most of the deadwood.
The period between 4th November 2023 and 6th December 2023 could make or break Chelsea’s season. Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester City, Newcastle United, Brighton & Hove Albion and Manchester United back-to-back is undoubtedly going to be a difficult time for the Blues and Pochettino will be hoping that his squad settle in by then and start playing the kind of football we all know they are capable of.
The run-in towards the end of the season represents a relatively easy set of fixtures that might help Chelsea towards the end. Assuming that they might be competing for Champions League or Europa League qualification, performing well in these games might help them have the edge over other teams in the race as they might have trickier fixtures lined up during the same period.
Chelsea fans will undoubtedly be hoping the club rises back to the top immediately after the horrendous torture they suffered last year. However, football does not work that way. When we see Pochettino’s Chelsea play, we can see the potential. However, all the chances that they create need to translate into goals. Ultimately, goals win you matches and without winning matches, they cannot aspire to strike high. Let’s see how this current campaign pans out. It definitely cannot go worse than last season but we will hope that it is considerably better.