5. Form and Confidence
Following the dismissal of Roberto Di Matteo and the swift and unpopular appointment of Rafa Benitez in late November, Chelsea have slumped to just one Premier League win in four. There were draws at home to City and then Fulham, followed up by a remarkable defeat to newly promoted West Ham United. After that came the 6-1 hammering of Nordsjaelland in the Champions League, but by then their fate in that competition had been all but sealed with a 3-0 defeat by Juventus that sent them spiraling out of Europe's top tier and into the far from glamorous Europa League. You have to wonder how much of an effect that would have had on the mentality of Chelsea's players. To go from winning the Champions League in May to suffering such ignominy is quite a remarkable fall from grace that must surely have sapped confidence. Following yet another set back in the Club World Cup Final, now is the time for Chelsea to dust themselves down and stand as a unit against any and all opposition. Only then will they get their season back on track. Quite whether they will be able to achieve that is something else - they can only suffer a couple more set backs before they are well and truly cut adrift from United and City, even at this early stage, and confidence right now is at an all time low...