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Chelsea survived the trip to hell and back: State of the Blue-nion

By Gabe Henderson

LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 24: N'golo Kante of Chelsea is challenged by Oleksandr Zinchenko of Manchester City during the Carabao Cup Final between Chelsea and Manchester City at Wembley Stadium on February 24, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 24: N'golo Kante of Chelsea is challenged by Oleksandr Zinchenko of Manchester City during the Carabao Cup Final between Chelsea and Manchester City at Wembley Stadium on February 24, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images) /
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BURNLEY, ENGLAND – MARCH 02: Michy Batshuayi of Crystal Palace celebrates after scoring his team’s second goal during the Premier League match between Burnley FC and Crystal Palace at Turf Moor on March 02, 2019 in Burnley, United Kingdom. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)
BURNLEY, ENGLAND – MARCH 02: Michy Batshuayi of Crystal Palace celebrates after scoring his team’s second goal during the Premier League match between Burnley FC and Crystal Palace at Turf Moor on March 02, 2019 in Burnley, United Kingdom. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images) /

3. More to Chelsea than just the first team

Michy Batshuayi has been one of the most interesting Chelsea players over the last few years. A fan favorite from the start, Batshuayi struggled early to find his footing in the Premier League. However, he became one of the world’s most efficient strikers in the Bundesliga before flopping in La Liga. Now, he’s back with a vengeance in England.

Batshuayi’s second stay in London is already working out better than his first. He has started Crystal Palace’s last four matches and looks to be Roy Hodgson’s first-choice striker going forward.

Netting two goals in his first three matches with Palace, he’s off to a fast start and showing no signs of slowing down. His connection with Wilfried Zaha is already apparent. The duo can possibly form one of the Premier League’s most lethal pairs outside of the top six.

While this loan will tell a lot about Batshuayi’s future as a player, it will also serve as a test. With a transfer ban incoming, Chelsea’s options for the future are limited. If Batshuayi continues to shine in the Premier League, he could be a viable striking option for the Blues in the near future. If his struggles in England return, he’ll likely become another statistic and name that will depart Chelsea before the ban sets in.

Meanwhile, the Chelsea FC Women capped off a solid month with a 6-0 defeat of Bristol City. February saw Chelsea advance through rounds four and five of the Women’s FA Cup with a 2-0 win over Everton and a 3-0 win over Arsenal. The Blues fell out of the Continental Tyres Cup in the semifinals after a 2-0 loss to Manchester City, but bounced back with a draw against City in the FAWSL, keeping them afloat in the title race.

The focus now shifts to trophies in March, as the Blues will look to take another step in the right direction in both the Women’s FA Cup and Champions League. In the quarterfinals of both, Chelsea will square off against Durham in the FA Cup and Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League. They will also start and end the month with Women’s Super League matches against Liverpool and West Ham.

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