Chelsea are due to play three top sides in their opening five games of the new season. The run could set the tone for their Premier League defence.
As the Premier League season draws ever closer, attention is already turning to Chelsea’s title defence. Will the Blues be able to outrun their rivals with the added load of Champions League football? That will become clearer as Christmas approaches. However, the club’s opening five games could give an indication of how the campaign will pan out.
Chelsea face a tougher opening stretch than any of their title rivals. Antonio Conte’s men take on Tottenham Hotspur, Everton and Arsenal in gameweeks 2, 3 and 5. Spurs and Arsenal will have their eyes on England’s top prize, while Everton’s summer signings make them a dark horse.
The Blues got off to a sluggish start last season as Conte embedded his tactics into the team. They won just three of their opening six matches before the boss made the switch to the 3-4-3 formation. A record winning run ensued and the title was essentially wrapped up not long into the new year.
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However, Chelsea cannot expect to come from behind again this season. With European football back on the agenda, they no longer have a scheduling advantage over their rivals. As winter closes in, fatigue will be a factor and the Blues will need to have enough points on the board to compensate for an inevitable rough patch.
The term ‘six-pointer’ is usually deployed towards the back end of a campaign. However, it should be applied to those three huge games at the start. Beating Spurs, Arsenal and Everton will create significant breathing room straight off the bat. All three of them can beat Chelsea’s other rivals (and each other) and thus the Blues can really get their heads out in front.
Moreover, the club’s schedule for the first half of games only gets easier. As the Champions League takes grip, Chelsea have relatively easier matches at the weekend. Of course, there is no simple match in the Premier League, but flying back from Eastern Europe to face a bottom-half side will be less taxing.
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With all the money being spent this summer, the Premier League is set to be as competitive as ever. Furthermore, rivals are figuring out ways to counter Chelsea’s three-man defence. The Blues will need to make almost zero mistakes if their title defence is to be successful. That begins with a winning start out of the gates.