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Despite spending heavily in the January transfer window, Chelsea finds itself in dire straits as it languishes at 12th position in the Premier League table, with its latest match ending in a 3-1 loss against Arsenal.
To put into context the torrid form of the London side, they have had three managers (Graham Potter, Bruno Saltor and Frank Lampard) since April 1 and have managed to bag just one point in that interval- 38 to 39 points. It is a stark example of the instability Chelsea has suffered under new-owner Todd Boehly.
Frank Lampard, who has taken charge on an interim basis after the sacking of Graham Potter, has lost all six of his games till now.
Chelsea is not only one of England’s but one of the world’s most prestigious football clubs. Therefore, relegation talks are not something one usually associates with the Blues- at least since it became a powerhouse under erstwhile owner Roman Abramovich.
However, the climate in and around Stamford is tense and for a long time, there are murmurs of Chelsea being a relegation-threatened club.
Can Chelsea get relegated after this season?
Chelsea, mathematically speaking, can still be relegated from the Premier League this season. The Blues have lost 14 matches in the Premier League this season and have 39 points from 33 matches.
18th-placed Nottingham Forest occupies the final relegation spot with 30 points- nine adrift of Chelsea. 16th and 17th-placed Leicester and Leeds United are also nine points adrift of Lampard’s men.
So what is the worst-case scenario for Chelsea?
The only way Chelsea can confirm relegation is if it loses all its remaining matches and Forest, Leicester and Leeds pick up at least ten points from their remaining four games.
Bournemouth (39 points), Wolverhampton Wanderers (37) and West Ham United (34) also need to make sure that they bag more points than Chelsea.
How likely is Chelsea’s chance of getting relegated?
While it is mathematically possible, it is highly unlikely Chelsea will get relegated after the season. It has 39 points and needs just one to reach the “magic 40”, which in past seasons, has been considered an efficient metric to avoid relegation. It essentially means that teams which manage to reach 40 points do not usually get relegated.
What do the stats say?
In the last 23 Premier League seasons, teams that have finished 18th in the table have averaged 35.6 points. If Chelsea does finish the season with 39 points and gets relegated, it will be the first club to do since Birmingham City, which finished with the same point tally in the 2010-11 season.
Has Chelsea been relegated before?
Chelsea has not suffered relegation since the start of the Premier League in 1992. But, the club did get relegated from top-flight English football in the 1987-88 season.
Escaping relegation will be the number one priority for Chelsea this season, even though the prospect looks unlikely. However, there is a high chance that Chelsea has its worst finish since the 1993-94 season under Glen Hoddle when the club finished 14th.
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