Former Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri’s unusual habit of chewing on an unlit cigarette butt on the touchline was widely reported during his tenure at Stamford Bridge. However, fans have spotted that he’s not the only Blues staff member to favour nicotine products.
The centre-back position is one that serves as the backbone of any football team, yet one which does not get the credit that it deserves. The following are arguably the best three Chelsea centre-backs since Roman Abramovich bought the club in 2003.
Not many will argue against the fact that John Terry was one of the greatest English defenders of the modern generation. JT is truly a Blues legend and spent 19 years on the Blues first-team roster.
Terry helped the Blues to defy the odds to win five Premier League titles, five FA Cups, three League Cups, one Champions League and one Europa League. At the twilight of his career, Terry joined Aston Villa, where he is now assistant manager to Dean Smith. JT’s influence is such that those reading betting guides on how-to.bet know that although they lie 19th in the Premier League table, Villa still represent good value to avoid relegation this term.
These leadership qualities make Terry a shoo-in for a future Premier League manager, and in the eyes of the vast majority of Chelsea fans, Terry will always be “the captain, the leader and the legend”.
Having to succeed John Terry as captain of the Blues was never going to be an easy task, but Cahill did it well. Even though Terry was officially club captain during the 2016/17 season, Cahill was the captain for the majority of the campaign as JT was a bit-part player at that stage of his career. Cahill captained the club to the Premier League during that season and helped them to win the FA Cup the following season.
Cahill arrived at the Blues from Bolton Wanderers in 2012 and he helped the club to win two Premier League titles, two FA Cups, one League Cup, one Champions League as well as two Europa League titles. Terry left the Blues last summer and linked up with Crystal Palace after he fell down the pecking order at Stamford Bridge. Some will argue that his departure from the Bridge could have been better.
During his heyday, Carvalho was regarded as one of the best defenders in the world. Always reliable on the ball, he helped Chelsea to win three Premier League titles and two FA Cups before leaving the team to join Real Madrid in 2010.
The Portuguese had spells at Monaco and the Chinese Super League before calling time on his career in 2018, and he is now the assistant manager at Marseille.
The following players were signed by Chelsea and had been expected to hit the ground running. Unfortunately, all failed to contribute much at all to the club and did not even show glimpses of good form over a sustained period of time, unlike other signings considered flops on the whole, such as Fernando Torres.
Drinkwater is probably the worst Chelsea signing in the modern era. His career peaked during the 2015/16 season when he helped Leicester City to win the Premier League title. Drinkwater moved to the Blues during the summer of 2017 for a fee of £35 million. He was quickly deemed surplus to requirements at Stamford Bridge and has made just 12 Premier League appearances for the club, which he is unlikely to add to. Drinkwater had an unsuccessful spell with Burnley in an attempt to revitalize his career and is currently on the books of Aston Villa on loan. He has yet to sparkle for the Villans, who are considered a safe option for relegation for those creating football accumulators.
Marin caught the world’s attention during the 2010 World Cup as he delivered some promising displays for Germany in South Africa. Marin earned a move to Chelsea in 2012 from Werder Bremen and was dubbed as the next Arjen Robben. During his first season with the Blues, he made just six Premier League appearances for the club and it became evident that he was not a fit at Stamford Bridge. He then had four unsuccessful loans and his career never really took off. The 31-year-old is currently playing for Al Ahly in Saudi Arabia.
The DR Congo international joined Chelsea as a teenager in a controversial transfer from Lens in 2007. Kakuta was impressive for the Blues reserve team and the club’s former midfielder Michael Ballack heralded him as a future star. Kakuta never quite progressed and had six unsuccessful loan spells during his time with the Blues. He has turned out to be a journeyman footballer.
The last few weeks have been full of uncertainty, but one thing is for sure: football is not going to be the same again. Europe’s top five leagues are likely to be even more uneven playing fields than they are currently and the gap between the so-called “elite clubs” and those that are languishing in mid-table and in the lower half of the standings will only widen.
Olivier Giroud’s contract with Chelsea is due to expire at the end of the current season and the Frenchman is widely expected to leave the club. The 33-year-old has been restricted to a bit-part role this season and will want to play for a club which can offer him regular game time next season.
Surprising signings happen in the world of football. Odion Ighalo ended up joining Manchester United on loan during the January transfer window from Shanghai Greenland Shenhua which surprised many. Even though the Nigerian had decent success with Watford between 2014-2017, he was never really viewed as being a player who could play for an elite club.
The following are two players who joined Chelsea under surprising circumstances.
The Australian joined Chelsea during the summer of 2013 on a free transfer from Fulham when he was 40-years-old. Schwarzer at the time was past his peak. He had been one of the most respected keepers in the Premier League following lengthy spells with Middlesbrough and Fulham.
Schwarzer was brought to Stamford Bridge as cover for then Blues first-choice keeper Petr Cech. He played four times in the league during that season as Chelsea won the Premier League title. He deputised for Cech during a Champions League game against Steaua Bucuresti in December 2013 and in the process became the oldest player to debut in the Champions League at 41-years and 65 days.
Schwarzer was released from the Blues at the end of that season. Surprisingly though, he did not retire. He joined Leicester City on a one season deal and whilst he did not make a single competitive appearance for the Foxes, they went on to win the Premier League during that season.
Olivier Giroud joined Chelsea in January 2018 from Arsenal. The Frenchman was past his peak at the time but it was a win-win situation for both clubs. Chelsea at the time were short of quality up front with Alvaro Morata struggling to find the back of the net.
Giroud was struggling to earn first-team minutes for the Gunners and needed to play as much as possible in order to win selection to the French team for the 2018 World Cup. In the end, the striker was included in the Les Bleus World Cup squad and he helped them to become World Champions in Russia.
With the sports world, much like wider society, currently experiencing a global lockdown, the betting industry is understandably experiencing a lot of uncertainty.
Frank Lampard is aiming to turn Chelsea into title contenders next season.
That looks like a realistic aim, given that the Blues have successfully adjusted to last summer’s loss of Eden Hazard, that they are now operating without a transfer ban – Hakim Ziyech is set to join in the summer.
One option would be to recruit domestically – West Ham forward Felipe Anderson, who recently discussed the two major leagues in Europe in an interview for betting site Betway would certainly not look out of place.
Alternatively, they could recruit abroad – we look at whether the Blues, who have recruited six of their last 11 permanent managers from Italy, can now find their on-field answers in Serie A.
Willy Caballero is now 38, so Chelsea will need a new goalkeeper in the summer – regardless of whether reports of Real Madrid’s interest in Kepa Arrizabalaga hold substance.
Pierluigi Gollini has been part of Atalanta’s unlikely Champions League progress and, having made huge individual strides since his time with Aston Villa, could be ready for a move.
Jamal Blackman and Nathan Baxter, on loan at Bristol Rovers and Ross County respectively, are good enough to be part of the squad.
Chelsea have a lot of defensive talent.
Antonio Rüdiger is highly-accomplished in possession, Andreas Christensen showed ability earlier in his career with Borussia Monchengladbach, Kurt Zouma possesses power as well as panache.
Even Jake Clarke-Salter and Marc Guehi, lauded for their success at youth level, are enjoying positive stints on loan in the Championship with Birmingham and Swansea respectively.
Any one of these centre-backs could become world-class if guided by a battle-hardened leader in the mould of John Terry.
Without a Terry-esque figure, though, Chelsea can be a touch naïve defensively and they have conceded 39 goals – more than 11th-placed Crystal Palace.
Alessio Romagnoli has won 113 aerial duels this season for AC Milan – the third-most out of all the centre-backs in Serie A.
Chelsea have not had a world-class left-back since Ashley Cole.
Marcos Alonso was defensively steady in the title-winning side of 2016-17 and popped up with some important goals, but his lack of pace has since become problematic and Emerson Palmieri is not a strong enough alternative.
Alex Telles has been linked with a move from Porto, but Luca Pellegrini has had an excellent season for Cagliari, on loan from Juventus.
The 21-year-old is a powerful and technical defender, also known for his stamina, work-rate and reliability.
Juventus already have two strong left-backs in Alex Sandro and Mattia De Sciglio, so the Italian giants may not be averse to letting Pellegrini depart if the price is right.
The rise of Mason Mount is a huge plus for Chelsea, but N’Golo Kante’s form has been below-par since Jorginho joined in 2018.
It is difficult to successfully incorporate a deep-lying playmaker like Jorginho and a ball-winner like Kante in the same midfield, because neither offer any sort of goal threat – thus the Frenchman has had to undertake a more advanced role, which does not entirely suit his skillset.
For that reason, we could see Kante depart Stamford Bridge this summer and Lampard will need another midfield option – even with Billy Gilmour impressing.
Sandro Tonali, who has been linked to a number of clubs could be a potential rotation option for Jorginho.
The 19-year-old has played more minutes than any other teenager in the top five European leagues bar one and is very much a regista, often likened to Andrea Pirlo – with perhaps a slightly more energetic and combative edge – with excellent movement and co-ordination along with his ability to set the tempo and play long-range passes with either foot.
Willian has been a dependable servant to Chelsea in his seven years with the club (and stayed last summer despite Barca interest) and Pedro possesses undoubted pedigree.
Both, though, are well beyond the peak of their respective careers.
At an age in which there are countless left-sided talents who love to cut onto their right foot, it is rare to find somebody who can do the opposite.
Dejan Kulusevski, though, comes into that category.
The 19-year-old has the height and physicality to be a viable outlet from lofted diagonals, yet he also has the pace, stamina, vision and versatility of a more nimbly-framed operator.
The Swede can play in several attacking positions as well as a box-to-box midfielder and possesses excellent technique, making him the ideal person to develop.
With Ziyech coming in, there would be no pressure on Kulusevski to deliver immediately.
Chelsea were linked with the signature of Lewis Dunk during the summer transfer window, according to a report published by The Sun. Due to their transfer ban last summer, the Blues were never expected to challenge for major trophies this season. Instead, this campaign was all about rebuilding the club and allowing the younger players from the squad to gain more experience.
From Bobby Tambling in the 1960s to Tammy Abraham now, Chelsea has a long and proud history of having some of the best strikers in the English Premier League.
In this article, we’ll be looking at the cream of the crop when it comes to the Blue’s frontmen.
It might be a little hard to believe, given the striking talent that has played for Chelsea in recent years, but Bobby Tambling still holds the record as the club’s all-time highest goal scorer.
Tambling started his time with Chelsea in 1959 when he was just 17, played for 12 seasons with the club, and was capped 370 times for The Blues. During his time at the front of the team, he scored 164 goals during league play and 202 goals across all competitions.
Despite this huge glut of goals, Tambling only ever won one major trophy with the Blues, the League Cup in the 1964/65 season.
It is rare to get players as intrinsically linked to a club as Peter Osgood is to Chelsea. Osgood joined the Blues in 1964 and went on to play for them for a full decade.
During that time, he scored 150 goals across all competitions, with 105 of them being in league play. Osgood was incredibly popular with the team and the fans. Nicknamed the “King of Stamford Bridge”, he led somewhat of a playboy lifestyle that constantly had his name in the papers.
Because of his many goals and 384 total appearances, Osgood’s ashes were interred under the penalty spot at the Shed End of Stamford Bridge after his death and, in 2010, a statue of him was raised just outside of the West Stand.
Osgood was and continues to be, a true Chelsea legend.
Kevin Oghenetega Tamaraebi Bakumo-Abraham, more commonly known as Tammy Abraham, is the kind of homegrown talent that Chelsea excels at producing. An academy graduate of Chelsea, Abraham was loaned to Bristol City where he won Player of the Season.
On his return to Chelsea, Abraham became the youngest player to score three goals in a match for the Blues in the Premier League era.
Abraham’s tenacity, eye for a shooting chance, and speed on the ball have allowed him to take a consistent starting spot away from some of best forwards in the game, notably Olivier Giroud, and has given Chelsea the kind of goal-scoring punch that given them good odds, according to Marathonbet, of beating current Premiership favorites Liverpool in the 5th round of the FA cup.
Abraham has also been picked up by the England team after turning down a place on the Nigerian national team to join Harry Kane, and is in the running for the Premier League’s Golden Boot award this season.
Signed in 1947 for the modest transfer fee of £11,000, Roy Bentley went on to become Chelsea’s fourth highest goal scorer of all time. He had previously been part of a very successful striking team at Newcastle and had left the club over a disagreement about, of all things, the state of his bath.
Over 367 appearances that spanned the course of ten years, Bentley scored 150 goals. He was even the captain of the team when Chelsea won their first league title during the 1954/55 season.
No list of Chelsea strikers would be complete without Didier Yves Drogba Tébily, the Ivory Coast legend that arrived at Stamford Bridge during the Roman Abramovich take-over.
Drogba might not have a scoring total to match some of the legends on this list and, truth be told, it took him a while to find his feet at Chelsea, but he will go down in history as having scored some of the most vital goals for the blues.
Having won the Premier League title in his debut season, which was incidentally the first time Chelsea had won the title in 50 years, Drogba went on to score the record for most goals in a Premier League season, hammering home 29 goals in the 2009/10 season.
In addition to helping the Blues score the first league trophy in 50 years, Drogba also scored the equalizer and the winning goal that clinched the Champions League title for Chelsea.
The Premier League has already begun. Considered by many football fans to be one of the most prestigious championships in Europe (the top championship according to UEFA), the Premier League, formerly known as the Football League is the most popular competition in the world with more than a billion viewers.
The competition takes place annually, from August to May of the following year in the form of a championship involving twenty professional clubs (also shareholders of the Premier League) which each play 38 games. At the end of the season, the one who finished at the top is crowned champion, the 3 following teams are qualified for the European competitions organized by UEFA. The 3 teams with the lowest number of points are relegated to the EFL Championship, which is the lowest level.
For this 28th day of the Premier League 2019/2020, Bournemouth will host their return fixture against Chelsea, fourth in the championship.
Actually ranked 4th of the Premier League 2019/2020, Chelsea is on the verge to finish 1st of this championship according to the betting odds of the Premier League. With no less than 6 championship titles (the last one which was in 2017), Chelsea has all the chances to rise the title and secure a place in next season’s Europe competitions. To reach their goal, the club must not lose any points.
However, Chelsea is an orphan. As the LOSC, the Blues had to let go their main player, Eden Hazard, for Real Madrid. For more than 7 years that the Belgian genius has spent in the capital of England, he has exploded all the statistics (110 goals and 96 assists). To replace him Chelsea bet on the American player Christian Pulisic, one of the rising stars of the football world and a former player of Dortmund FC. But the results do not follow due to the player’s lack of success in front of the net. He will need to do all of his power to ensure that his team do not lose points.
One of the team’s other weaknesses is the ban on recruiting that looms over their head until the next transfer window for violating FIFA’s rules on the recruitment of minors. This is a big mess for the club which will no longer be able to boost their squad.
The Chelsea coach, Frank Lampard, can however count on the French stricker Olivier Giroud who came back with a goal after almost 3 months at the bench.
As announced in the title, Bournemouth FC is actually ranked 16th in the 2019/2020 Premier League. After their first participation in the Premier League which dates from 2015, the team still stands out as an opponent who can be really dangerous when it gets started.
However, the Bournemouth FC who has managed to beat Chelsea (1-0) in the 1st leg of their confrontation (which ended up their 5 defeats on the row), has faced another failure against Burnley FC (3-0, with Matej Vydra, Jay Rodriguez and Dwight McNeil as scorers) during the 27th day. All those performances have not reassured fans at all. To avoid relegation, the club will have to put more effort in their following games.
After the disaster against Burnley FC, the coach of the reds and blacks said some worlds to the journalists: “It’s been a really difficult run, a lot of soul searching has gone one, he started, we’ve lost a lot of players due to injuries and we had to step up to a really tough test. We had to come up with something slightly different because if you do the same things you get the same result. Our goalkeeper at the other end made some big saves”.
As you will notice, the Bournemouth will do all possible to save their defense and go for the draw. And for our colleagues the odds from sports.bwin.be, the chances for the game to finish with a draw is 9.00.
It has been a wild year all-round for many teams including Chelsea. But now the end is in sight, what are the realistic expectations for this club from now until the end of the season?
The short answer is that a top four finish should be seen as the minimum. This wasn’t necessarily something required at the start of the season, but certainly is now, and the online bookmakers seem to be thinking the same.
With Tottenham (11/4), Arsenal (40/1) and Manchester United (8/1) all having far worse seasons than expected, the door has been left wide open and The Blues simply have to take advantage.
Bookmakers have Chelsea priced up at 4/7 to finish in the top four, so they clearly see this as something that is likely to happen.
The current third placed team Leicester are 1/10 on this market, so the bookmakers expect it to be easier for them, implying Leicester are more likely to finish 3rd and Chelsea finish 4th.
There is a list of available betting offers for new customers for those looking to get involved and place a bet on the final stages of the season. As per our interpretation, we call a bet on the Blues a ‘safe bet’ at this stage.
However, there is hope that Chelsea can turn the tables on The Foxes, who have stuttered a little in recent weeks. They have just one win from their last four games, the same as Chelsea. If The Blues had played better over the past few weeks, they would have been much closer.
We know Chelsea can play better and a big couple of games awaits. Home contests against Manchester United and Tottenham give the chance for Frank Lampard’s men to gain two confidence boosting wins.
Those would also keep their two opponents well behind in the race for 4th place and allow Chelsea to focus on the team above them, Leicester City, rather than looking over their shoulder at those behind.
The run-in is not easy for Chelsea by any stretch of the imagination, with a whole host of games against either those at the top or those desperate for points at the bottom.
With confidence back in the dressing room though, there is definitely a chance that this team can overtake Leicester towards the end of the season and claim 3rd place in the standings.
As far as expectations from the beginning of the season go, this would be an over-achievement for Frank Lampard in his first season in charge.
Questions were asked when he was appointed as to whether he needed a little more experience before taking the job. It is pressure moments like the one we are in right now that will determine whether he will be classed as a success or not this season.
If he does come through this well and Chelsea grab 3rd place, the future under Lampard could well be bright. However, a failure to capitalise on poor seasons from many rivals and finishing behind Leicester would be no more than an average start to his career.
The feeling is that this is a big moment in the season, but even if it doesn’t go to plan, the top four should still be the minimum target from this position.
The rumour mill has been linking Kepa Arrizabalaga with a move away from Chelsea for some time now; reports that have intensified further after the Spaniard was once again dropped to the bench in favour of 38-year-old Willy Caballero ahead of the Blues’ Premier League fixture with Man United.
Since the introduction of VAR on the English Premier League, many football enthusiasts have aired different views on this technology. For many in-play betting punters, the technology has affected them significantly, especially where goals and wins have been overturned on the account of VAR. This season, the technology is still making headlines in different top leagues worldwide, affecting football betting in different ways.
Chelsea are interested in signing West Ham defender Issa Diop, according to reports. The Blues remain in the hunt for a top four finish this season but will need to make reinforcements at the end of the season if they want to challenge for major silverware in the future. Frank Lampard is working with a talented young side at the moment but he will need to make reinforcements to the squad if he wants to transform it into one of the best in the league and in Europe.
The 23-year-old Diop joined the Hammers from Toulouse during the summer of 2018 and has been one of the club’s best players ever since. The club last struggled last season under the guidance of Manuel Pellegrini but the 23-year-old was one of its most consistent performers. One could even argue that he is too good to be playing for the East Londoners who are very inconsistent.
With a big physique, one of Diop’s strengths is that he is often able to out-muscle opposition attackers. He has good tackling and interception skills and could add good depth to Chelsea’s defensive options, which include Antonio Rudiger, Andreas Christensen, Fikayo Tomori and Kurt Zouma. Tomori and Zouma started the season as Chelsea’s first choice defensive partnership. Christensen is linked with a move away from Stamford Bridge whilst Rudiger has spent a large portion of the season out injured.
Whilst Tomori is developing into a fine talent, he is still inexperienced and Zouma tends to blow hot and cold in terms of his performances. Adding Diop to the Chelsea roster would be a smart move by Lampard and the player may even be available for a bargain fee next summer if West Ham do end up getting relegated.
Millions of punters worldwide wager on English Premier League games. Most of them support top clubs like Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United, Manchester City, Leicester City, and Liverpool. Punters can get team news and line-ups at Betway. But, many beginners who don’t understand the league lose many bets. Here are four Premier League betting tips that will help you make a profit.
Hundreds of bookmakers allow soccer fans to wager on Chelsea FC. Each betting firm offers different odds for various sport events. It is wise to read the terms and conditions on the bookie’s website to understand its gambling policies. Also, select a bookmaker that has an attractive and easy to understand user interface. Most betting firms restrict gambling to sports enthusiasts who are above 17 years.
Some ardent Chelsea fans believe that since they have supported the club for several years, they understand the basics of Premier League betting. Gambling is different from watching sports. Besides, EPL is one of the most complicated soccer leagues to bet on globally. Thus, it is important to visit Betway.co.zm to research and analyze previous team results, team schedule and lineup to determine a team’s winning probability.
Sportsbooks offer a variety of Premier League odds such as:
Reputable bookies offer a variety of betting markets. They include:
Chelsea is a Premier League club that is based in Fulham. It has won seven FA Cups, four FA Community Shields, and five Premier League titles in the past. The Blues are fourth in the Premier League table with 40 points. The England club is determined to finish among the top three teams. English Premier League fans can place different bets on Chelsea at Betway.
Chelsea Football Club, it’s a team shrouded in pride and historical greats. The Blues have played some truly breathtaking football over the years, and they continue to do so under Frank Lampard today. They have entertained fans at Stamford Bridge week in and week out this season, and if you fancy a wager on them – use the gentpromocode and see what could be in store for you.
Chelsea F.C. really has enjoyed some mega success stories, both domestically and internationally. Yet to enjoy the success that they evidently have, they have needed to attract some superstars to the club in the past. This reality piqued our interest, and Chelsea’s all time greats are detailed right here.
With over 100 goals for Chelsea and almost single handedly winning the Champions League final for them in 2012, Drogba is an absolute legend at the club. Many hail his ability in ‘clutch’ matches as something almost superhuman, and both Sir Alex Ferguson and Gianfranco Zola have acknowledged this in the past.
Some people refer to the ‘infamous John Terry’ these days due to his behavior off the pitch, but on the pitch he was undeniably a Chelsea great. In fact, his peers had previously voted Terry as player of the year in his first season. It was only fitting that he went on to captain the Chelsea squad a few years later, and he was undoubtedly a favorite of Jose Mourinho at the time. Terry was also a critical part of the Champions League squad during their 2012 triumph.
Zola was a bit of an Italian magician during his glory days at Chelsea, and he certainly drove Sir Alex Ferguson around the bend a few times! He really was a skillful player who had the ability to create chances out of nowhere, and he did it with that typical bit of Italian wizardry. He scored over 70 goals during his time at Chelsea, and he lifted a total of 2 FA Cup trophies above his head.
Current Chelsea manager Frank Lampard just could not be left out from this list! Lampard has been an admirable Chelsea leader in his time, and his thunderbolt long-range shots used to strike fear into Chelsea opposition. The fact that he is Chelsea’s third top-scorer of all-time when he was actually a midfield player says it all really. He was never afraid to take a pop at goal, which led to Lampard scoring over 170 goals for Chelsea on his way to lifting the Premier League title a respectable 3 times.
These four legends have already gone down in history at the club, and Lampard is now making a commendable go at leading the Blues as their manager. He has proven to be moderately successful so far, but as we all know – the Chelsea fans demand trophies and they are thirsty after their recent drought! He’s got a lot to live up to after the success of Mourinho at the club, but Frankie might just be able to pull it off.
Chelsea are having an excellent season so far and look nailed on for a top-four finish – but what will their team look like in five years?
We come up with our best guess.
The ball-playing goalkeeper has excellent distribution; he shone at Yeovil last season and is now thriving at Ross County. He signed a five-year contract in 2018 and is clearly well-thought-of.
Having starred at Wigan last season, James brings athleticism, remarkable maturity and unique technical quality to the Latics.
It may not be long before James takes the right-back spot off Cesar Azpilicueta…
Short-term, Chelsea may look next summer for a low-risk, experienced defender to shore things up.
Long-term, we may see a pairing of the powerful Kurt Zouma and Jake Clarke-Salter, who can play but also has a passionate desire to defend.
Chilwell is thriving this season at Leicester; he is showing incredible pace and stamina whilst adding maturity to his game.
Once Chelsea’s transfer ban is lifted, they may have the wherewithal to offer the impressive left-back a bigger salary than Leicester can.
Jorginho may not be a first-teamer at Chelsea when he is 32; a long-term replacement could be Lisandro Martinez.
The Ajax midfielder possesses many of Jorginho’s qualities but is perhaps stronger and more aggressive off the ball.
Ampadu looks the perfect long-term replacement for N’Golo Kante, showing his maturity for the Welsh national team.
The midfielder does a lot of covering work, he is clever in his challenges and has plenty of energy; the 19-year-old can progress the ball after winning it, too.
After proving himself on loan at Vitesse and Derby, Mount has earnt his chance in the Premier League this term.
As well as his creativity, Mount has scored four Premier League goals so far and is always in the thick of the action. He’s been outstanding under Lampard at two different clubs.
The tricky winger is among the most exciting players in world football and, having been sold by Man City to Dortmund in 2017, may favour a return to England.
It’s a bit of an outside shot but Sancho can be backed at 20/1 with some bookmakers to move to Chelsea.
Pulisic may be competing with Callum Hudson-Odoi for that left-sided spot for a long time.
Hudson-Odoi’s pace is an obvious threat and the 19-year-old has potential but for now, Lampard appears to favour the all-round quality of Pulisic.
Abraham has starred since coming into this Chelsea team; he has used his athleticism to great effect and scored 10 goals in 13 Premier League appearances.
Abraham is amongst the frontrunners for this year’s PFA Young Player of the Year award after his lightning-fast start to life in the Premier League. You can get odds of around 11/4 for Abraham lifting the title along with no risk free bet offers from Freebets.uk.
It would certainly represent a big statement for Abraham. He’s competing for the award against his fellow Blues teammate Mason Mount. The midfielder is a little behind Abraham in the betting odds but a small dip in form could change that. Abraham, meanwhile, is even as low as 5/1 to become finish this season as the Premier League top goalscorer.
With 10 goals already, Abraham has proven a lot of people wrong. He’s a potential world-class star in the making.
Danny Drinkwater could potentially be sent back to Chelsea from Burnley during the January transfer window, according to a report which was published by The Sun. The 29-year-old’s career has undergone a downward spiral since his arrival at Stamford Bridge back in 2017 from Leicester City.
Let’s face it, most people thought that Frank Lampard would not succeed as manager of Chelsea when he was appointed to lead the club last summer. Those who doubted the club legend were justified in doing so. He, after all, had to navigate the club through a very difficult period amidst the two window transfer ban and inability to bring in a direct replacement for Eden Hazard, who almost single-handedly guided the club to a top four finish last season.
Taking away the blue-tinted glasses and the benefit of hindsight, let’s image that—in the height of the summer—I had been asked what the gist of the articles would be come early November. I would be lying if I would have said with anything approaching certainty that they would be positive, never mind glowing. On the back of the sale of Chelsea’s best player and the transfer ban (even though they hardly came as a surprise), combined with the appointment of a very wet-behind-the-ears manager, the future was not necessarily looking rosy.
The 2018/19 season was a tough year for Chelsea that was best written off as “character building”. It started off well, with Chelsea winning their first five games and not losing a match until they played Tottenham Hotspur away on 24th November. This 3-1 defeat was the first of 8 losses in the Premier League, but this was still fewer than all but two teams in the league. Finishing third overall in the Premier League, and therefore securing a place in the Champions League, was a good consolation.
Reaching the EFL Cup final was another high of the season, with many thinking that Chelsea could go all the way, only to be bitterly disappointed when they were beaten 3-4 in a penalty shootout against Manchester City. A second UEFA Europa League win, beating London rivals Arsenal, was one of the highlights of the year—one that Chelsea hoped to build on for 2019/20.
Frank Lampard
Photo by @cfcunofficial (Chelsea Debs) London, CC BY-SA 2.0
One of the biggest changes over the summer break was that former Chelsea player, Frank Lampard, was appointed as the team’s manager. Lampard spent 13 years of his career playing for Chelsea between 2001 and 2014, and had been managing Derby County since 2018. This didn’t get off to a great start, though; the team’s first competitive game ended in a 4-0 loss to Manchester United, the biggest first-game defeat for a Chelsea Manager since 1978.
Lampard’s second game also ended in a loss in the UEFA Super Cup, drawing 2-2 against Liverpool and then losing 5-4 in a penalty shootout. It wasn’t until 24th August, when Chelsea played Norwich City away, that Lampard led the team to their first victory together. It was then a whole month before they secured their first home win, this time in an EFL Cup game against Grimsby Town, a League Two side.
Finding Their Feet
Despite a less-than-perfect start to the season, Chelsea have begun to show progress. Their attacking has improved significantly and, despite defeat, they looked impressive against Liverpool, who under Jurgen Klopp, are one of the most formidable attacking teams in the Premier League right now.
Chelsea are where (or thereabouts) they were likely to be at this point in the season. There is still a lot that can change; but looking at their performance so far, fans looking to place wagers on Chelsea, using bookmakers like Oddschecker, will likely want to look at factors like the abnormally-high number of goals they have conceded so far this season.
Performance in September has been an improvement on earlier in the season. The latest match against Liverpool saw Chelsea lose again, but the 2-1 defeat was a show of force by the blues. Their attacking form is on the up, and the changes Frank Lampard has been making are beginning to bring a return.
The initial poor performance in the Champions League can still be turned around, but the odds are stacked against them, and with Ajax and Valencia in their group, this won’t be a simple task.
Outlook
A new manager starting with poor performances is not uncommon and does not always point to inherent problems that will remain for their tenure. Instead, it is often a sign that the new manager is making changes to the structure and style of the team that will take a few games to bed in. This certainly seems to be the case with Frank Lampard at Chelsea. The catastrophic opening day loss to Manchester United is far behind them now, and the team is on the up.
Whilst no one expects Chelsea to be able to take on the dominance of Liverpool and Manchester City this year, a 2019/20 season packed with solid performances will be a way for Lampard to lay down some solid foundations for a title-challenging campaign in a few years. Sitting 5th at this stage of the season, with a new manager that has a long history at the club and improving performance, is a position many teams would love to find themselves in.
Header Photo by Vespa125125CFC, CC BY-SA 3.0
Mason Mount started for the Three Lions, marking his first full game for England. Tammy Abraham also made his first competitive appearance as England lost to the Czech Republic 2-1 on Friday. Another Chelsea player, Fikayo Tomori, was an unused substitute.
Chelsea are doing fine so far under Frank Lampard in light of the two-window transfer ban. The Blues are not expected to content for any major silverware this season. Lampard is, however, doing a fine job managing the club and has managed to unearth three future stars in Tammy Abraham, Mason Mount and Fikayo Tomori.
Tammy Abraham has firmly established himself as the Chelsea first-choice striker this season with some dazzling displays. The youngster has proven that he is capable of developing into a world-class talent and also drawn comparisons to the likes of Didier Drogba and Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney.
