The best way to describe Chelsea’s start to the new campaign is ‘steady’. While they haven’t exactly blown many people away, they are in the mix towards the top of the table, and they have the kind of quality necessary to beat just about anyone in the league.
There is certainly still a long way to go, and the jury is still somewhat out on Enzo Maresca and his style, but this is one of the most complete squads in English football today. Their trophy successes in the Conference League and Club World Cup should not be viewed as flukes, but rather as stepping stones towards something even greater. They are only priced at 2/1 to win another major trophy this season, and if you feel they can emulate their success from last time around, it is worth checking out how much you can earn with a free bet calculator.
In October, there is definitely an argument to be made that Chelsea have the chance to really make a statement with four games that will test them in very different ways. It isn’t exactly the most demanding schedule they will face, especially when winter arrives, and that is one of the primary reasons why they should take advantage of the lighter load.
In terms of the October run, Chelsea start things off with a Saturday night game on the 4th against none other than reigning champions Liverpool at Stamford Bridge. While Enzo’s men will be coming off the back of a home tie against Benfica (and Jose Mourinho) in the Champions League, Liverpool have to contend with a week that involves a trip to Turkey to take on Galatasaray.
One visit overseas won’t be the determining factor in a game like this, but the boys from London can take pride in knowing that they beat the Reds when they last met in May.
Following the international break, Chelsea will head north to take on Nottingham Forest at the City Ground. While this could easily have been viewed as a pretty intimidating place to visit just a matter of months ago, Forest are in the midst of a minor crisis in the wake of Nuno Espirito Santo’s departure. If there was ever a time to play them and press high against Ange’s style, it’s now.
To finish off this spell, Chelsea will play Ajax at home on the 22nd and then Sunderland on the 25th – marking the end of an insane run in which they will play five games out of six at home, and only one away.
Ajax are off to a solid enough start in Eredivisie, but still don’t have the same standing they once did, and when going up against the Black Cats, the hosts will feel confident in their ability to overcome the plucky newly-promoted side.
In summary, there is a real opportunity here for Chelsea to make the most of the football games they have in front of them and showcase why they deserve to be recognised as one of England’s elite sides.
