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Analysis of Chelsea's fixtures for the 2016-17 season

The blues are looking to bounce back after a dreadful last campaign

After a disappointing 2015-16 season, Chelsea usher in a new era under the proverbial sergeant major, Antonio Conte. The Italian joined the club after the Euros and is making wholesome changes at the club which were much needed after a disastrous outing last campaign. Chelsea finished 10th in the league and it is unfathomable that a club which has attained so much success under the Russian oligarch, Roman Abrahimovic, can afford to spend another season out of Europe.

The latest rendition of the Premier League guarantees to be a blockbuster one as the arrival of top-notch managers like Pep Guardiola and Antonio Conte along with the existing lot of Jurgen Klopp, Arsene Wenger and Jose Mourinho makes the league competitive than ever before.

Chelsea have done well this transfer window to offload underperforming players. Loic Remy will soon leave the club whereas Alexander Pato and Falcao have returned to their parent clubs. Nemanja Matic is a target for many clubs but Conte has expressed his desire to keep hold of the defensive midfielder. Diego Costa's future at the club is uncertain which leaves the club in a bit of a dilemma.

Michy Batshuayi arrived from Marseille in a deal worth £33.2 million whereas the deal to take N'golo Kante from the Champions, Leicester, is a brilliant acquisition for the blues. One more striker will be bought as the Italian has preferred a 4-4-2 formation in pre-season and Chelsea are short in numbers on the striker's front. Romelu Lukaku is the prime target but Chelsea have to spend big to bring the Belgian back at Stamford Bridge.

No European competitions in Conte's first season in England can work out perfectly for the blues as he will get plenty of time to instill his methods into his players and drill them well.

A bright future is expected under the Italian, so let's take a look at the round of fixtures Chelsea will play next season, month by month : 

August

Chelsea have a favourable start to the 2016-17 campaign starting with a London Derby against West Ham who were on a roll last season under Slaven Bilic. Next up is a trip to face Watford who under a new manger, Walter Mazzari, are going to find it tough to stay in the first division for long.

Chelsea then welcome newly promoted Burnley who have done incredibly well under Sean Dyche to bounce back into the Premier League after getting relegated the season before. These are just the kind of fixtures that Conte must have hoped for and the Blues will be expected to go unbeaten in August.

September

The Blues visit Swansea next, which has always been a happy hunting ground for Chelsea. It will be Chelsea vs Liverpool next at the Bridge which, as always, will be a tough fixture with Conte's men looking for revenge for their 3-1 loss last season against the Reds.

Chelsea will then face another tough away fixture against Arsenal, who although have a miserable record against the Blues in recent times, cannot be considered as an easy opponent. If Chelsea want to finish as high as possible next season, these first two months will set the tone for the remainder of the campaign. If Conte can guide them through till September without dropping points, Chelsea then can challenge for the title.

October

Premier League new boys, Hull City welcome Chelsea next who are in complete turmoil at the moment and will probably in the relegation battle throughout the season. The champions, Leicester, visit Stamford Bridge next and are going to find it tough with the increased number of matches and pressure that comes with it.

Jose Mourinho will return to Stamford Bridge after his sacking last year and now has a multi-million ensemble at his disposal at Manchester United, who too are going to challenge for the title. After United, Chelsea visit Southampton who have been significantly weakened after losing Sadio Mane to Liverpool and manager Ronald Koeman to Everton. 7-9 points will be enough in October for Chelsea who by this time would have become a resolute unit under the Italian.

November

Chelsea welcome Everton next which will be another good game between these two sides. After the Toffees, Conte's men travel to face the new boys, Middlesborough, who have recruited well this summer and will provide another test for Chelsea.

The fans have been given a Thanksgiving treat in the form of Chelsea vs Spurs which will be an interesting encounter after the 2-2 draw last season which ended Spurs' title hopes.

December

December features the highest number of games on account of the festive period with as many as six league matches in this month. Many title challenges have faltered in this month and many have gone on to to achieve big things when the team has done well in this period. With no European distractions, Chelsea can put pressure on other teams and also put a stranglehold on the league table.

The Blues have been given an easy run this festive period with only one tough game, at least on paper. They face Guardiola's Man City first at the Etihad which is going to be an interesting battle between the two managers. This game can have huge impact on the league standing and can be said as a ‘six-pointer’ game. Chelsea welcome West Brom next to Stamford Bridge, and victory for Chelsea is the likeliest result.

Chelsea visit their bogey team, Sunderland next, who have done well against the Blues in recent years. Chelsea will need to stop dropping points against lower table teams if they want to challenge for the title. Crystal Palace away while Bournemouth and Stoke at home are the remaining fixtures of the month, which appear to be easy pickings for Chelsea. The Blues must accumulate at least 15 points from these six games.

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