OVERALL PROSPECTS

CHELSEA will hope history repeats itself next season.

This campaign has been their second successive disappointing title defence.

But the way they came back from the first to be champions the year after shows it is possible to bounce back in style.

Following Jose Mourinho’s 2015 title success Chelsea fell apart and finished 10th the year after with the Portuguese boss sacked.

Antonio Conte (above) swept into Stamford Bridge the next season, took the league by storm and picked up the pieces. The Italian hoped to avoid what he called a “Mourinho season” this term. And though things aren’t quite as poor, they still unravelled badly.

Conte’s fallout with the board over transfers as much as results is expected to lead to him leaving. So what chance of a new man repeating Conte’s debut season, titlewinning heroics?

On the plus side he will start from higher with Chelsea on course to finish no lower than sixth.

But they have European football, an added workload Conte didn’t have in his first season and exploited.

And all of Blues’ top-six rivals’ bosses next term, Arsenal aside perhaps, will have a head start on them.