Antonio Conte surprised many people last season by taking Chelsea to the Premier League title. Both the manager and the players were under scrutiny, especially after the way the squad performed last season.
Question marks remained over much of the squad and their desire to play for Chelsea following a dismal run of results the season before under Jose Mourinho. However, having suffered a heavy defeat at Arsenal, Conte changed to his preferred formation of three at the back and it delivered the goods.
The transfer of N’Golo Kante was always going to be a good one but the signing of David Luiz raised many eyebrows. The switch to three at the back suited the Brazilian and he played a key part in Chelsea winning the title.
The question is, can they successfully defend it in the 2017/18 Premier League season?
The main differences between this season and last season is the fact Chelsea are defending champions and they have the Champions League to contend with. These extra mid-week games can make a difference.
Conte has made three major signings, bringing in Alvaro Morata, Tiemoue Bakayoko and Antonio Rudiger. In many ways, these players are replacements for Diego Costa, Nemanja Matic and John Terry. Although Costa and Matic are yet to leave at the time of writing, it seems like they will.
Therefore, Chelsea have not strengthened their squad and this could cause problems when contesting the Premier League and Champions League. They also need the new recruits to adjust to English football quickly and because of this, the bookmakers feel Chelsea will fall just short and are priced at 7/2 to win the title.
Clearly a top four finish is the least Chelsea would expect from this season and they are 4/11 to achieve that minimum requirement. However, with Manchester United expected to be back in the mix and Everton mounting a serious foray into the transfer market, one or two teams from last season’s top four may find themselves pushed out.
Chelsea are 9/4 not to finish inside the top four come the end of the 2017/18 Premier League season.
With Diego Costa not expected to pull on the blue shirt at Stamford Bridge next season, the goal scoring burden will fall on new signing, Alvaro Morata. While the Spanish striker comes with a good reputation, he has scored an average of 10 domestic league goals in the last five seasons. A similar return will not be good enough to take Chelsea to the title.
At 10/1 to finish the season as Premier League top scorer, Morata is going to find it tough. This could give striker Michy Batshuayi a chance in the team and the Belgian has looked good in pre-season. Batshuayi is 10/1 to finish as Chelsea’s top goal scorer this season.
However, despite the feeling Chelsea may struggle to win the title again, playing in the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup and League Cup still gives them a good chance of winning a trophy. Chelsea are 17/10 to win any major trophy this season.