With football on hold, fans are waiting to see how the 2019/20 Premier League season will end.
The clubs are committed to completing the season properly if they can, so if football is given the all clear to resume then focus will swiftly switch to the remaining fixtures and what teams can hope to take from them.
Chelsea are currently in fourth position, three points clear of Manchester United, having played 29 matches. If they can have a strong end to the campaign, they should be able to secure Champions League football for 2020/21.
But how have they done over the final nine games of seasons in the past? The Blues have taken an average of 23% of their final points tally in that period since 2010/11. As nine matches accounts for 24 per cent of the 38 game season, it suggests their form has remained consistent throughout the campaign in the past.
For instance, Chelsea only took 10 points from their closing nine matches in 2015/16, but they had been poor throughout that season so it was to be expected.
Those 10 points accounted for a fifth of their final total of 50. Another year when they took 20 percent of their total in the last nine games – their lowest proportion in any of the last nine seasons – was 2013/14, when better form may have seen them win the Premier League.
One notable victory that year was a 2-0 win at Anfield, and that’s a fixture they still have to face in 2019/20. Chelsea also won at Liverpool in 2014/15, but have picked up three draws and a defeat in the fixture since then.
The Blues’ 30th match in 2013/14 was at Aston Villa, just as it should’ve been this season. Jose Mourinho’s side lost 1-0 on that occasion, but have won on their two visits since.
Liverpool and Villa aren’t the only matching fixtures from six years ago either, as Chelsea have to visit Crystal Palace and host Norwich. As they took a single point from those matches in 2013/14, they will hope to do better this time around.
Aside from travelling to Anfield, the other hardest remaining match for Frank Lampard’s side is a home date with Manchester City. Chelsea won the fixture last season and in 2016/17, but lost it in 2017/18 and 2015/16. It will be a tough result to call based on past encounters.
The Blues also face matches with little or no recent history. They have to travel to Sheffield United, something they’ve not done since 2006/07, and host Wolverhampton Wanderers, a fixture which ended 1-1 last season when it occurred for the first time in seven years.
That leaves a game at West Ham United – where they’ve only won one of their last four league visits – and a home match with Watford, which is usually more comfortable. Chelsea certainly have some testing fixtures remaining if they are to finish in the top four this season.
