Four things Chelsea must address after the World Cup

• The 2022 FIFA World Cup final is less than a week from coming to an end
• The end of the tournament in Qatar will mean the return of European football, including the Premier League
• We take a look at some of the things that Chelsea are supposed to do before the return of the PL

The 2022 World Cup is coming to an end, which can only mean that the Premier League season is about to resume.

That means Chelsea has a ton of work ahead of them. They are currently eight overall and five points outside of the Champions League spots. That is not even close to being acceptable for a team with their previous history and fresh off a £250 million summer investment.

The Blues will have the opportunity to get off to a strong start against two of the league’s three promoted teams when they host Bournemouth on December 27 and travel to Nottingham Forest on January 1.

If Chelsea wants to have a successful season following the World Cup, they must address these four issues immediately.

1. Find a Striker

Christopher Nkunku is expected to join Chelsea from RB Leipzig next summer. | PHOTO: 90 MIN |

At the beginning of September, everyone could have seen that Chelsea had a serious striker shortage on their hands.

Romelu Lukaku was the star striker acquired ahead of the 2021/22 campaign, but for whatever reason, he struggled at Stamford Bridge once more. Although it wasn’t a huge surprise to see him slip back into Inter, Chelsea never truly found a replacement.

Despite coming in, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is currently past his prime. Armando Broja was given some trust, but he hasn’t delivered, and now he’s hurt. Although Kai Havertz could have the key, nobody is sure what they intend to do with him.

The team has selected Christopher Nkunku of RB Leipzig as the player they desire, although the Frenchman is not anticipated to join until the summer.

Since the beginning of the season, only Everton, Bournemouth, Wolves, and Nottingham Forest have had fewer shots on goal than Chelsea.

2. Get their full-backs fit

Chelsea full-backs Ben Chilwell (left) and Reece James have been facing fitness issues of late. | PHOTO: AMA |

The full-back position is one where Chelsea does not lack for talent. Reece James and Ben Chilwell were in fact widely anticipated to be savagely tearing down the flanks for England in Qatar this winter.

In actuality, both sustained injuries prior to the World Cup.

Given the injuries to James and Chilwell, you might at least argue that Chelsea’s participation in the World Cup was fortunate. Compared to a typical season, they have missed less games.

Although they do not necessarily lack depth at full-back, the quality suffers noticeably when those two are injured.

3. Play more tough away from home

Don’t be fooled by the fact that only five teams have more Premier League victories than Chelsea away from home.

For a top team, the Blues are far too easy to defeat on the road, and you can’t be that much of a soft touch when you have already been considered a significant Premier League victim.

Chelsea has only scored seven goals in eight road games this season, losing half of those contests. That is not indicative of a top team.

4. Have some trust in Graham Potter

We are all aware of Chelsea’s historical lack of tolerance for managers who are having difficulties. To be fair, we are unsure if that will continue under Todd Boehly.

Thomas Tuchel was fired by the American specifically for not having the same vision for Chelsea in September.

Graham Potter had a promising start at Chelsea before embarking on a five-game winning streak. However, they suffer a run of three straight losses after the World Cup.

In the end, Potter was not a polished top manager who Chelsea hired, so it wouldn’t be appropriate to pretend astonished if he wasn’t.

But Boehly claimed he wanted to establish an identity and create something lasting, and he demonstrated that ability at Brighton. It’s critical that the courage of those convictions pass whatever early tests it may face.