Football News

    The damning stats behind Chelsea’s 2023 relegation form

    By Mohamed Moallim

    Published: 18:00, 24 September 2023 | Updated: 13:43, 26 September 2023

    Mauricio Pochettino was under no illusion about the job at hand when Chelsea appointed him head coach this summer.

    The former Paris Saint-Germain and Tottenham manager had long been coveted but his Stamford Bridge tenure is fast becoming a miserable one. Having spent more than £1bn in transfer fees across three windows since the new ownership led by American Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital completed their takeover in May 2022, expectations have not been met.

    It’s still early days, and the Blues can turn it around. But right now, Chelsea are performing like a dysfunctional team. This season has started poorly, adding to a miserable 2023.

    Here are some damning statistics.

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    My kingdom for a win

    Aston Villa were the latest to celebrate at Chelsea’s expense on Sunday. Ollie Watkins netted in a 1-0 success away from home. This means the Londoners have to date amassed five Premier League wins in 2023, three of which came at Stamford Bridge. That is the fewest of any team (excluding promoted and relegated sides).

    They’ve also taken the ‘L’ no fewer than 14 times during this calendar year, with only Bournemouth (15) tasting defeat more often.

    Breaking those paltry successes down even further; Chelsea have won just one of their opening six games in a Premier League season for the first time since the 2000/01 campaign, while they have suffered three defeats in their first six games for the first time since 2015/16.

    It’s not just at the Bridge where they are struggling. Since former boss Graham Potter won his first two Premier League away games (against Crystal Palace and Aston Villa in October 2022), the Blues have only managed two further victories across 16 away matches in the competition (five draws and nine losses).

    Shooting blanks

    It goes without saying that you can’t win a game of football if you don’t score. And for Chelsea, goals are hard to come by. To say they look bereft of ideas would be an understatement. For starters, they have scored the joint-fewest Premier League goals (24) in 2023 — again, this excludes promoted and relegated teams who haven’t played in the division consistently across the calendar year.

    Equally damaging is the fact the Blues have failed to score in 13 top-flight matches in 2023, more than any other side. It’s the most times they have failed to score in a single year in the league since 1995 (14 games).

    With this latest Villa setback being a third straight blank in front of goal, you have to go back to September 2007 for the last time Chelsea went on a longer run of games without scoring a goal in the competition (four games).

    Going even further, they’ve been unable to score in three of their six opening games. Only Everton (four) has failed to score more often in the Premier League this season. After this latest matchday, Chelsea’s ‘for’ column reads five goals, their fewest after six games of a top-flight campaign since 1993/94 (6), when they finished 14th.

    ‘Inexcusable’

    As expected Chelsea supporters and rival fans had something to say on social following their latest defeat:

    Read more:

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