The January transfer window is well behind Chelsea, however the Blues are about to enter the most difficult period of their season and one that is set to define Maurizio Sarri's first year in charge. Having made a superb start to life at the Blues with 18 games unbeaten in a row after the Community Shield loss, things have been a little more inconsistent for Sarri and his side. The Blues have lost five of their last 13 Premier League matches, including a dreadful 4-0 loss at Bournemouth before bouncing back to hammer Huddersfield Town on Saturday afternoon 5-0 at Stamford Bridge. The inconsistency in Chelsea's play means that they have been unable to pull away in the race for the Champions League places, while any title challenge appears to be out of sight. Chelsea are still fighting in four competitions, however for the rest of February it is truly going to make or break the Blues and define Sarri's first season at Stamford Bridge. This Sunday the Blues travel to the Etihad Stadium to take on current champions Manchester City, with the possibility of Chelsea doing a Premier League double over Pep Guardiola's side. They then fly to Malmo to take on the Swedish side in the Europa League last 32 first leg on February 14, before returning home and face Manchester United in the FA Cup fifth round on Monday, February 18 at Stamford Bridge. The second leg with Malmo is then up on February 21, before they have to travel to Wembley on the following Sunday to face City once again in the Carabao Cup final. A run of brutal fixtures ends with Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League on Wednesday, February 27, and by then it could completely the outlook of Chelsea's season. The Blues might well have won a trophy, be in the quarter-final of the FA Cup and the last 16 of the Europa League, while also firmly set in their run for the Champions League places. However, if things don't go so well then the Blues might well be looking down the barrel of a disappointing campaign and also the possibility of another manager departing the Blues in his first season. Keep up to date with the latest news, features and exclusives from football.london via the free football.london app for iPhone and Android. Available to download from the App Store and Google Play.
The awful run of fixtures that will define Sarri's first season at Chelsea - YouTube |
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