Frank Lampard has had a topsy-turvy start to his side’s 2019/20 campaign.
A faltering start that has seen them clinch just five points from four Premier League matches so far.
Even though they were impressive for much of the Super Cup against Liverpool, they ended up losing on penalties and the chance to win silverware ebbed away.
Now we are in the middle of an international break, with several players featuring for their countries and others getting some rest ahead of a busy schedule.
The games start to come thick and fast in September, with matches in the Premier League as well as the Carabao Cup, and the Champions League getting under way.
While there have been some negatives from the Blues’s point of view, there have also been positives that Frank Lampard can take into the second part of the campaign.
The Blues take on Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux in the opening game after the break, so what are the signs that things might improve?
They are creating chances
While Chelsea are conceding at one end, it is not like they have been completely shut out at the other.
In their four Premier League matches to date, they have had 68 shots, the third-highest in the Premier League, which proves that the Blues are creating chances in their games.
There is an argument that the more fluid movement has meant the Blues have lost some defensive shape, hence the conceding of goals.
But if the Blues can be clinical with the chances that they are making then there is a good opportunity for them to kill off games and pick up points.
Key players returning from injury
The international break could not have come at a better time for the Blues with the amount of injuries that have gone through the squad at the beginning of the campaign.
The Blues are missing three or four players who could be considered regular starters, including N’Golo Kante and Antonio Rudiger, but they are close to a return.
Callum Hudson-Odoi is another who is set to be back after the international break, someone who is going to be fighting for a starting place and could shine under Lampard.
It gives cause for enthusiasm within the Chelsea fanbase, who have taken something of a tricky start pretty much in their stride.
One of the big issues has been the conceding of goals, with nine conceded in the opening four Premier League matches and another two in the Super Cup.
Kante and Rudiger are surely going to play a big part in putting that right when they return and Lampard will be looking for that.
Four home games in a row
When Chelsea get back from the international break, they have an away trip to Molineux to face Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League.
But after that, the Blues have four home games in a row to try to get their confidence up and make Stamford Bridge something of a fortress.
It starts with Valencia in the Champions League, Liverpool in the Premier League, either Grimsby Town or Macclesfield Town in the Carabao Cup and then Brighton in the league to finish off the month.
Lampard is still searching for his first home win as the head coach, while there’s no doubt that there are some tough matches for the Blues in that run.
However, victory over Valencia in that first game could set up a bit of a run for the Blues, something that they would certainly need to be on.
Tammy Abraham’s form
Chelsea have struggled over the past couple of seasons to have a number nine who has really finished off the chances that are being created.
Alvaro Morata’s time at Stamford Bridge was less than impressive, while Gonzalo Higuain’s loan spell with the Blues did not go as either party would have wanted.
Abraham didn’t look at his best against Manchester United, despite hitting the post early in the match at Old Trafford, but he goes into the next few weeks with some real confidence.
There is an argument that his four goals in two games have come against sides who were Championship clubs last season, Norwich City and Sheffield United.
Some questions will be answered when Chelsea take on Wolves, as Abraham is expected to lead the line.
Two points off top four
There is certainly a feel around the Premier League that this season is going to have a similar look at the end as it did last year.
Manchester City and Liverpool look like, once again, they could be head and shoulders above the rest and it is going to be up to everyone else to chase for the top four.
And while Chelsea’s start to the campaign may not have been perfect, there is no doubt that the other usual suspects are hardly taking the opportunity to pounce.
Arsenal are on seven points, but Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur are stuck on five with the Blues right now.
The early season form is set up for Leicester City to have a real challenge this season to get back into the Champions League, and no doubt the battle will go down to the wire.
However, Chelsea fans can take some heart in that other clubs have not pulled away already.
