Although Chelsea suffered a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Manchester City in their duel at the Etihad Stadium, manager Frank Lampard can afford to be pleased with the direction that his side are trending in the early stages of his tenure.
The Blues went ahead in the contest through N’Golo Kante, but were undone by a deflected strike from Kevin De Bruyne and a fine solo effort from Riyad Mahrez, which secured the three points for Pep Guardiola’s team.
The result allowed City to move above Chelsea in the table into third place at the time. Given the expectations at the start of the campaign, Lampard will be more than satisfied with the standard of his side’s performances – especially given the amount of youth on the pitch. Chelsea are backed in the latest Premier League betting odds at 2/7 to finish in the top four of the division, which would be a solid feat for the 41-year-old and his fledgeling unit in his first season in the Stamford Bridge dugout.
At times Chelsea have played wonderful free-flowing football built around the quality of their players in the final third. Mason Mount, Willian, Christian Pulisic and Tammy Abraham have all been excellent to start the term. Abraham more than most has been a revelation, carrying the goalscoring burden as the Blues’ spearhead. He has been supported by his team-mates, but his efficiency in and around the box has been instrumental in key moments.
Mount and Pulisic have produced the flair and creativity to ensure Eden Hazard has not been a huge miss, although every Chelsea fan would love the Belgian to be back at the Bridge. Both players are on an upward trajectory and sum up the vibe around the team – impressive thus far with a few mistakes, but with the potential to become superstars in the top flight.
The negatives have been minimal, although if there is one criticism of Chelsea, it has been their performances against the stronger teams in the division. Liverpool, Manchester City and Manchester United have all beaten the Blues this term, while Leicester should have taken all three points from their visit to Stamford Bridge. The displays have not been terrible outside of the 4-0 drubbing to United, but there’s a lack of smarts when with Chelsea when it comes to their approach in such matches. It’s not surprising given the lack of experience and it will come as Lampard learns the rigours of managing in the Premier League, while the same can be said for his players.
Chelsea have been exposed at the back at times, due to their fragility through the middle. Kurt Zouma and Fikayo Tomori have done well at times, but the reassuring presence of Antonio Rudiger should shore things up when he gets the all-clear to return from injury. The Blues should be targeting a centre-back in January following the lifting of their transfer ban. Kalidou Koulibaly would be a huge move for the club and would provide a significant upgrade over their current options.
Koulibaly would settle them down at the back, easing the pressure on Kante and Jorginho to cover from midfield. It could be a transfer that cements their place in the top four, although the signs are more than encouraging for his season and the long-term future.