Chelsea may have begun the 2017-2018 season as the defending
champions, but there was not much during their campaign to signal they’d end up the same way. During their first game, they suffered a 3-2 loss against Burnley at home. The departure of Diego Costa and Nemanja Matic seemed to weaken the team, and as their form deteriorated further through the season it was clear that they would lose the title they’d won just a season before. Losing five out seven premier league matches during the second half of the season was enough
indication of how far the team had sunk. Conte’s men ended the season as they had begun, losing 3-0 to Newcastle during the final match to stay out of the top four.

There were, of course, moments during the season that Chelsea fans will want to remember. The win against Tottenham in Wembley in August comes to mind. Beating rivals Manchester United to lift the FA Cup was
also an exciting moment in an otherwise disastrous campaign.

That Chelsea will not play champions league football is perhaps the biggest proof that neither Chelsea nor Antonio Conte have been good enough. They were the defending champions, and that title comes with certain expectations. Next year does not look very good for the club either, with Manchester City expected to dominate the league like they did this year. As things currently stand, the likes of Liverpool and Tottenham have greater sides. If Chelsea hopes to mount any challenge for the title next year, things must change. Hazard and Willian have been great, but they need the rest of the team to be at par. Alvaro Morata has endured a difficult season, and it seems as if he is destined to follow Conte out of the door if Chelsea sack their manager. With a new manager, hopefully things can start to change in time for the 2018-2019 season.