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Why has Chelsea FC’s campaign gone so wrong? Will Antonio Conte fix it?

By Ben Croft

BRUSSELS, BELGIUM - NOVEMBER 13: Head coach Italy Antonio Conte reacts during the intermational friendly match between Belgium and Italy at King Baudouin Stadium on November 13, 2015 in Brussels, Belgium. (Photo by Claudio Villa/Getty Images)
BRUSSELS, BELGIUM - NOVEMBER 13: Head coach Italy Antonio Conte reacts during the intermational friendly match between Belgium and Italy at King Baudouin Stadium on November 13, 2015 in Brussels, Belgium. (Photo by Claudio Villa/Getty Images) /
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LEICESTER, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 14: Jose Mourinho of Chelsea looks dejected during the Barclays Premier League match between Leicester City and Chelsea at the King Power Stadium on December 14th , 2015 in Leicester, United Kingdom. (Photo by Plumb Images/Leicester City FC via Getty Images)
LEICESTER, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 14: Jose Mourinho of Chelsea looks dejected during the Barclays Premier League match between Leicester City and Chelsea at the King Power Stadium on December 14th , 2015 in Leicester, United Kingdom. (Photo by Plumb Images/Leicester City FC via Getty Images) /

Pre-Season Omen

Chelsea’s first pre-season game was on the 23rd of July against MLS outfit New York Red Bulls but the Blues didn’t return to training until the 16th July. So why the late return? Jose Mourinho only had the South American players missing for some of pre-season due to the Copa America so what was the need to start training late?

The Blues lost the first game against New York Red Bulls 4-2 and even though they did beat PSG and Barcelona on penalties, it always felt like they were under prepared for what was going to be a tough task. The club were expected to defend their title while also going further in Europe.

After two defeats to Arsenal and Fiorentina, the competitive season kicked off at home to Swansea. Things looked to be going swimmingly well until Thibaut Courtois got sent off and the incident between Eva Carneiro, Jon Fearn and Jose Mourinho occurred.

After the defeat to Crystal Palace in the fourth game of the season, I think teams saw that Chelsea were vulnerable early on and certain players weren’t performing at the levels they displayed last season.

Next: Poor Performances

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