Chelsea need a faultless winter to salvage this season: can the Blues find festive cheer?

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The final international break of 2023 has concluded with the next one only coming in March 2024. What lies ahead of Premier League clubs now is a four-month slog through the winter; it is during this time that the English top flight will be won or lost. In Chelsea’s case, a stuttering start to this season courtesy of a new squad battling to immediately gel has, in all likelihood, cost the club the chance of winning a first league title since 2017.

Paying the price for an indifferent start 

Further evidence of the damage that Chelsea’s title hopes sustained during the early stages of the season can be found in the latest Premier League winner odds with the Blues now priced at 200/1 to go all the way during the 2023/2024 campaign.

Of course, this doesn’t mean that there isn’t anything to play for with a more realistic target being Champions League qualification. Tellingly, the Premier League top 4 odds list Mauricio Pochettino’s men at 9/2 to make a return to Europe’s premier club competition which suggests that Chelsea’s season may be salvageable as the players become more acquainted with their Argentine manager’s on-field philosophy.

While these odds are certainly a lot more favourable than the outright winner prices, the fact remains that Chelsea lie ten points adrift of Tottenham Hotspur in fourth place at the end of the year’s last international break.

Essentially, this means that there is no room for error over the winter after allowing their rivals a generous head start in the race for the top four. So, are Chelsea capable of finding the faultless form they need over the most challenging time of the season? 

Merciless fixture list  

There is a strong case to be made that says yes owing to the relentless fixture list Pochettino and Chelsea have had to endure. In their opening 12 matches, the Blues have had to play Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester City, Spurs, and this season’s surprise package, Aston Villa, who beat Chelsea in late September. 

Overall, playing five of the current top six before December with an unsettled side always had the potential to see Chelsea drop points. However, Chelsea’s fixtures over the festive season provide the succour that the club desperately need as they take on Everton, Sheffield United, Wolves, Crystal Palace, and Luton. 

A full return of points from those five games against teams in the bottom half of the table should see Chelsea start the new year within touching distance of the top four. 

While tougher opponents will soon appear again on the fixture list in 2024, there is no substitute for winning and the confidence it will breed in Chelsea’s dressing room. In essence, this run of games could help turn the tide at Stamford Bridge after a year of the club being at sea. 

Remarkably, finishing 12th at the end of the 2022/2023 season with 44 points was the club’s worst tally since 1988 and meant they had 30 points fewer than the 2021/2022 campaign

Redemption over Christmas 2023

Unquestionably, the last year has seen an unexpected regression for Chelsea that has proved immensely difficult to correct. Redemption, however, may be in sight.

Indeed, even if December is the darkest time of the year, the 2023 Christmas period offers genuine light at the end of the tunnel for Chelsea in the quest to begin challenging at the top of the table again.