Following Chelsea’s embarrassing performance in their 3-1 defeat to a Manchester City side that toyed with them despite missing several key players to Covid-19, Opta have shared a damning stat…
The famed statisticians have found that the Blues have three points less than they did last season after their first 17 Premier League games, with this spelling serious trouble for their hopes for the term.
Opta add that the west London outfit have never finished higher than 6th since the Premier League was formed when they’ve sat on just 26 points at this stage of the season.
This stat shouldn’t be taken as a standalone sign of a nightmare season though, the picture becomes even muddier when the context of the sides around the Blues is considered.
See More: Lampard has made Chelsea “worse off than before” despite flurry of new signings, says Blues legend
26 – Chelsea have three points fewer after 17 league games than they did last season (29), whilst in the Premier League era, the Blues have never finished higher than 6th when amassing a maximum of 26 points at this stage of a campaign. Pressure. pic.twitter.com/jEAFvPa1Pr
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) January 3, 2021
Chelsea sit 8th in the table at this moment in time, but they’re ahead of Southampton only on goal difference – at least the coastal outfit’s game in hand is against champions Liverpool tonight.
The Blues’ hopes for pushing into a European spot soon are also dashed by the fact that Aston Villa – who sit ahead of them with +2 goal difference – hold two games in hand over the Blues.
It’s not even as though Chelsea can take points directly off the Villains at this crucial period in their season, as they drew against the west Midlands outfit last Monday.
A damning on-the-whistle report from the Athletic (subscription required) states that Frank Lampard’s job is now under serious threat after the loss to Pep Guardiola’s side.