Spectre of 2015 looms after Chelsea false start

LONDON: For Chelsea’s supporters, Saturday’s calamitous 3-2 loss at home to Burnley will have immediately rekindled uncomfortable memories of their last Premier League title defence.

In 2015, Chelsea lost nine of their opening 16 games, costing manager Jose Mourinho his job, and eventually drifted to a 10thplace finish.

The new campaign is only one game old, but the dismal nature of their defeat, in which Gary Cahill and Cesc Fabregas were sent off, allied to the club’s transfer struggles mean alarm bells are already ringing.

“There’s a lot of negativity about the club because of the lack of signings that they’ve been able to bring in,” said Alan Shearer, the former England striker turned BBC pundit.

“And it was a real concern, what happened in the first half.

“Whether you agree with the sending off (of Cahill) or not, they behaved like the Chelsea of two years ago under Mourinho and basically threw in the towel.”

Cahill and Fabregas will both miss Sunday’s away game against new Wembley tenants Tottenham Hotspur, who finished second to Chelsea last season and will be out to avenge their 4-2 FA Cup semifinal defeat a few months ago.

Chelsea manager Antonio Conte will also be without Eden Hazard and new signing Tiemoue Bakayoko due to injury and those are just the start of his problems. - AFP