With September gone and the international break in full flow, it`s still another ten days until Premier League football returns. Last month Chelsea had 7 games in 21 days, this month it`s 6 games in seventeen days. With Alvaro Morata sidelined, although the schedule is hectic, the opposition doesn`t look as intense.
First game following the internationals see the Blues head to Selhurst Park to face a completely out of form Crystal Palace team. New manager Roy Hodgson`s side have lost all seven of their Premier League games this season without even scoring a goal. It`s easy to place a reliance on our leading striker, but he is only one player, there are plenty of others in the team capable of scoring and even without Alvaro Morata Chelsea ought to win that one.
The mid-week game sees Chelsea with another home game, this time against Roma in the Champions League. Victories in the first two matchdays in Europe have eased the pressure in the competition, avoiding defeat in the two back to back games against Roma ought to guarantee qualification, although a win and draw would be more preferable.
Back in the Premier League, Chelsea have been given the early kick-off on the Saturday following the Wednesday game by the ever helpful Premier League. At least both games are at home though, with Watford being the league visitors. The Hornets have had a good start this season, so this one will be no walkover. You`d like to think home advantage would be enough to win but with two home defeats already this season, it`s no given.
A third home game in seven days sees Everton visit the ‘Home of the Champions` in the Carabao(EFL) Cup. With Conte likely to rest players and rotate his squad, this one is difficult to predict. Like Palace, the Toffees are way out of form and with some of the development players looking good in the previous round Chelsea will be favourites to progress.
Saturday evening Chelsea head off to the south coast and a trip to Bournemouth, who are also not playing that well at the moment. Once again it won`t be easy but not insurmountable. It`s a game that Chelsea should win.
The final game of the month is the reverse fixture in the Champions League against Roma. This is the one game in the month that Chelsea, if they must, can afford to not win. Obviously not an ideal scenario but one that could be tolerated. So, with or without Morata the games for October all look winnable and that`s how Antonio Conte will set his team`s up, to win them. And there`s no reason to really doubt him or the team doing just that.
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