How concerned should Dream Team bosses be about Chelsea’s wobble?
There’s no need for the cracked badge graphics just yet.
Chelsea are not in crisis, far from it, but the Blues are enduring a wobble of sorts right now that has plenty of Dream Team bosses concerned.
Thomas Tuchel’s troops have won just two of their last six league games and one of those was a too-close-for-comfort 3-2 win at home to a Leeds side who were battered 7-0 by Man City three days later.
Regular clean sheets have been a feature of the German tactician’s tenure at Stamford Bridge but the reigning European champions have conceded in eight of their last ten games in all competitions – they conceded eight goals in three games earlier in December.
Chelsea assets still dominate the top of the defensive rankings – eight of the squad appear in the top 15 right now – but it seems the golden days are coming to an end.
As if to underline the point, Reece James (£6.2m) was spotted hobbling on crutches following the Brighton draw after he was substituted in the first half with a suspected hamstring injury.
The 22-year-old is the outright best defender in the game at the time of writing but with Joao Cancelo (£6.2m) and Trent Alexander-Arnold (£6.5m) breathing down his neck he can barely afford to miss one game, let alone several, if he’s to keep hold of the crown.
Antonio Rudiger (£4.6m), another ultra reliable asset in the last year, has produced just 13 points in his last eight outings.
And it’s a similar story for Edouard Mendy (£4.2m), who was in a league of his own for so long but now holds just an eight-point lead over Aaron Ramsdale (£3.1m).
The Senegal international has mustered just five points since Game Week 13 – the Arsenal keeper has banked 30 points in the same time frame.
It’s not all doom and gloom.
Mason Mount (£4.4m) became just the second midfielder to reach the 100-point mark on Wednesday night.
The Cobham graduate has scored seven goals and provided five assists in 1,157 minutes of Premier League action this season and hasn’t faltered during his side’s rocky spell.
Penalty specialist Jorginho (£3.4m) has produced 46 points in his last six appearances and has consequently zoomed up the rankings although Dream Team managers should be wary of backing him – if the spot-kicks dry up then so will the Italian’s points.
Romelu Lukaku’s (£5.6m) Game Week 17 is another positive for Chelsea fans to consider.
The hulking Belgian scored against Aston Villa and Brighton to bag 18 points – no forward has more this Game Week.
The Blues’ No9 has the potential to be one of Dream Team’s very best strikers when fully fit and back in form.
In short, while the previously dominant defensive assets may be fading during this slump in results, Chelsea backers have no reason to turn away from Mount just yet and should be monitoring Lukaku’s progress closely.
Tuchel’s men play Liverpool, Spurs and Manchester City in January so it’s not unreasonable to expect this wobble to continue a little longer.