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Chelsea: Three hopes, one fear

By Sean Maslin

BREMEN, GERMANY - AUGUST 07: Head coach Antonio Conte of Chelsea reacts during the pre-season friendly match between Werder Bremen and FC Chelsea at Weserstadion on August 7, 2016 in Bremen, Germany. (Photo by Boris Streubel/Getty Images)
BREMEN, GERMANY - AUGUST 07: Head coach Antonio Conte of Chelsea reacts during the pre-season friendly match between Werder Bremen and FC Chelsea at Weserstadion on August 7, 2016 in Bremen, Germany. (Photo by Boris Streubel/Getty Images) /
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LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 21: Gary Cahill of Chelsea during the Emirates FA Cup match between Chelsea and Manchester City at Stamford Bridge on February 21, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill - AMA/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – FEBRUARY 21: Gary Cahill of Chelsea during the Emirates FA Cup match between Chelsea and Manchester City at Stamford Bridge on February 21, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill – AMA/Getty Images) /

For Chelsea Football Club there is only one place to go: up.

Let’s just call Chelsea’s 2015-2016 campaign for what it is: a mess.  A club that was projected in the very least to finish in the top four or five and contend for a Premier League title, Chelsea instead spent a large portion of the season at the bottom. The club did end up finishing in the top ten but only after having to literally run the tables during the third quarter of the season. That they finished in tenth place after having won just three matches in their fourteen matches is an accomplishment.

So where does Chelsea go from here? It is a very tricky situation. With new manager Antonio Conte at the helm one might expect the team to slowly build, to take their time adjusting to their new manager, and to build towards next season. But with Manchester City and Manchester United in similar situations and the uncertainty around Arsenal, Tottenham, and Leicester City the Premier League field is wide open.

It may sound odd to say but Chelsea are the dark horses of this year’s Premier League. With so many unknowns and so many things that could either way this team could either win it all or finish exactly where they ended the 2015-2016 season.

So much of it depends upon things clicking immediately, new players coming in and producing, and ownership allowing the team to suffer through their growing pains. The hope is that all of these things happen and that the team returns to prominence. But the fear is that Chelsea’s deep-rooted problems will take more than one year to resolve.

With that in mind let’s take a look at the three hopes and one fear for Chelsea Football Club!

Next: Hope #1: That John Terry can continue his solid run of form

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