As
Chelsea prepare to face Burnley live on Sky Sports at Turf Moor on Thursday,
we recall how their opening day defeat to Sean Dyche's side at Stamford
Bridge set the tone for their Premier League title defence.
The 3-2 loss - in which Chelsea conceded three first-half goals and had Gary
Cahill and Cesc Fabregas sent off - saw Antonio Conte's side become only the
second defending champions in Premier League history to lose their opening
game of the campaign.
Nine months on, with Chelsea fifth in the table and 27 points behind
champions Manchester City, here's how the issues evident on the opening day
have undermined their campaign…
Transfer troubles
The season to a backdrop of tension between Conte and the board. Chelsea had
allowed John Terry to leave and sold Nemanja Matic to Manchester United -
with Conte describing the latter as a "great loss" in an interview with Sky
Sports - while the previous season's top scorer Diego Costa was exiled from
the squad.
Conte felt Chelsea had not offered him enough backing in the transfer market
and he made his frustrations clear with his team selection against Burnley,
naming Jeremie Boga in the starting line-up and fellow youngsters Fikayo
Tomori, Charly Musonda, Kenedy and Kyle Scott among the substitutes.
Conte had already missed out on Romelu Lukaku, who had opted for Manchester
United, and Chelsea would also prove unsuccessful in their efforts to sign
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain from Arsenal, Alex Sandro from Juventus, and
Fernando Llorente from Swansea.
Top targets did not arrive and those who did could not improve the squad.
Alvaro Morata has been unable to fill the Costa void, scoring just 11
Premier League goals so far, while fellow summer signings Antonio Rudiger,
Tiemoue Bakayoko, Davide Zappacosta and Danny Drinkwater have all struggled.
Olivier Giroud has impressed in patches since his January arrival from
Arsenal, scoring a match-winning double in Chelsea's 3-2 win over
Southampton at the weekend, but Chelsea's other mid-season signings, Ross
Barkley and Emerson Palmieri, have played just 69 Premier League minutes
between them.
Ill-discipline
Conte accused his players of "losing their heads" after the Burnley game,
with Cahill - a pillar of the 2016/17 title win - seeing red for a reckless
lunge on Steven Defour after 14 minutes and Fabregas receiving his second
booking for a late foul on Jack Cork in the closing stages.
Conte pointed out that Chelsea had also been shown red cards in the FA Cup
final defeat to Arsenal at the end of the previous season and in the
Community Shield loss to the same team a week earlier, adding: "I have to
study formations with 10 and nine players because when this happens so
regularly, you must be worried."
Conte was right to be worried. Ill-discipline has become a recurring theme
of Chelsea's season. The Blues only received two red cards last season -
neither of which came in the Premier League - but they are already up to
seven in the current campaign. It is more than any other Premier League side
and it has contributed to the chaos surrounding their season.
Defensive issues
Chelsea's back three of Cesar Azpilicueta, David Luiz and Cahill was
fundamental to their success last season but the defeat to Burnley in August
highlighted a new vulnerability, as they became the first defending
champions in Premier League history to concede three or more goals on the
opening day.
Cahill's sending off set the tone for his poor season, in which he has lost
his place in the England squad, while David Luiz, who was named alongside
Cahill in the 2016/17 PFA Team of the Year, also endured a torrid afternoon.
The Brazil defender was at fault for Burnley's first and third goals,
failing to pick up Sam Vokes from routine crosses.
It was the beginning of the end for Luiz under Conte. He kept his place in
the side for the opening weeks of the season, but since being dropped for
Andreas Christensen in Chelsea's 1-0 win over Manchester United in November,
he has only made one Premier League start, with a knee injury adding to his
difficulties.
Christensen has impressed for the most part, but with their new-look
defence, Chelsea have already been breached as many times as they were in
the whole of last season. The problems that were apparent against Burnley
have continued throughout the campaign.
Striker question
The Burnley game also hinted at Chelsea's issues at the top of the pitch.
With Morata not yet up to speed and Costa frozen out, Michy Batshuayi was
selected to start. The Belgian had struggled to convince Conte in the
previous season and that theme continued at Stamford Bridge on the opening
day.
Batshuayi was withdrawn on the hour-mark after an ineffectual display, and
he would only start two further Premier League games before departing on
loan to Borussia Dortmund midway through the campaign. His replacement
against Burnley, Morata, marked his debut with a goal and went on to score
six more in his next six appearances, but he has struggled for consistency
since then.
The Spain international went over three months without a Premier League goal
between December and April, with Chelsea forced to dip back into the
transfer market for Giroud in January. The France striker provided vital
goals at St Mary's Stadium on Saturday, but from the opening day to now, the
feeling remains that Chelsea's attack is weaker without Costa.
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