Comment: the first day of 2023 in the Premier League did not favour the favourites

Tottenham and Chelsea fans certainly had high expectations ahead of the current season after last season’s result and the upward trend of their teams’ performances. Both the Roosters and the Blues were among the candidates to finish in the top tier of the Premier League. However, the performances so far, especially at Chelsea, do not show that. This was confirmed by the matches played on January 1, when both favourites disappointed in their matches.

Chelsea faced the newcomer from Nottingham, who are fighting for every point to save themselves in the top league for the next season. The game ended in a 1-1 draw after an unconvincing performance by the Blues.

The fans must have been disappointed especially by another unconvincing performance of the Blues players who despite a high percentage of ball possession (72%) managed to produce only 7 shots, of which only two went between the three posts.

This performance confirmed Chelsea’s result woes this season, as they are only in 8th place after 16 games played. Chelsea’s problems are very complex, as neither the attack nor the defence is working well.

In other circumstances, the 18 goals scored could be considered a not so bad performance. However, the Blues’ attack has only managed to produce 20 goals, while lacking more shooting activity and drive on goal.

Whether this year’s problems are linked to a change in club management, poor coaching instructions or the players’ lack of desire to win, we can only guess. But fans must undoubtedly be disappointed with the team’s results, as before this season Chelsea were considered one of the title contenders.

In the case of the Roosters, the disappointment was all the greater because they lost to their rivals from Aspon Villa at their home stadium by a two-goal difference 0:2. Aston Villa thus recorded their third win in four games under new coach Unay Emery, against tough opponents.

Tottenham experienced a resurgence last season under coach Conte and managed to blow away Arsenal’s fourth place finish in the Champions League.

However, Tottenham’s quality performances have only partially carried over to this season as the Roosters’ performances have been a rollercoaster. In this match, Tottenham players did not impress me as favourites, looking to build on last year’s good performances and fight for the top positions in the Premier League.

Apart from ball possession, Aspon Villa’s players were better in all the important aspects from shooting to fewer fouls. The pressure is especially felt by coach Conte, who himself admitted in the post-match press conference that the Roosters “have to start fighting back”.

After the loss, the calls for Conte’s sacking by some fans in particular grew, as Tottenham were considered one of the title aspirants before the current season. The current 5th place finish and 9-3-5 match results do not match these expectations.

Coach Conte asked the fans for leniency as rebuilding a team is a long process and results cannot come immediately. We will soon see if he will be heard and we will know if the Roosters will recover in terms of results on January 4, when they face Crystal Palace in an away game.

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