Chelsea Season Preview: the enemy of champions

The biggest surge of top flight title winners has been complacency. Over the last four years, we have seen champions finish 7th, 2nd, 10th and 12th – an average position of 8th.

Chelsea’s best seasons have come when they have acted decisively to address key weaknesses. In 13/14 their main problem was a lack of clinical finishing and they signed Diego Costa. In 15/16 their main problem was a lack of work rate and they added N’Golo Kante.

Perhaps the biggest problem of all comes when there is perceived to be no weaknesses and the board do not give their manager the player he wants. Antonio Conte, who appeared visibly irked in his post-Community Shield press conference, has not been given the players he reportedly wants, nor the power he deserves.

To Chelsea’s fans, Conte is a hero who deserves great loyalty after the work he did to get them onside and unify the team last season. To the board, the Italian is merely another disposable manager who pass by on the conveyor belt, while Michael Emanalo and co. make the big decisions.

There is a sense of identity that is missing at Stamford Bridge, even more so now that 19-year servant John Terry has left for pastures new. The spirited David Luiz, the straight-talking Gary Cahill and the quiet Cesar Azpilicueta are not bad defenders, but it remains to be seen whether either can replace Terry’s leadership.

The Blues are also weakened by the bizarre sale of Nemanja Matic to Manchester United. While Tiemoue Bakayoko might have longer-term potential at 22, he has only enjoyed one good season playing anywhere near the top level, whereas Matic has been key to two title wins in the last three years.

Similarly Alvaro Morata is a complete striker, but his only season of goalscoring note came last term. He replaces Costa who may be four years older at 28 – and seeking a move – but has scored 107 goals in all forms in the last five years.

Questions can be asked in the wing-back role, too. Victor Moses and Marcos Alonso were excellent last year, but neither have performed consistently at the elite level. Eden Hazard begins the season injured, likely to be unavailable until around September and Pedro hardly set a good marker with his red card at Wembley.

If the Blues do have a good season, they will rely largely on Thibaut Courtois. The Belgian has helped his various teams to win four league titles in seven years since he started playing regular football.

Their enemies however, if history is anything to go by, could be their own complacency.