Chelsea 2017/18 Premier League season preview: Can Antonio Conte continue to do what he does best?

Will the Italian defend his title like he so often did at Juventus or will he have a 'Mourinho season'?

The Chelsea manager has cut an unhappy figure in pre-season (AFP/Getty Images)

What’s changed?

Most bizarrely, the mood - despite entering the season as defending champions. The sense of celebration from that has gradually evaporated, because Antonio Conte is currently so evidently irritated about the make-up of his squad.

Chelsea's number of available players has decreased, and it is currently open to question whether they have the bodies - and the goals - to retain their title. That could of course be overplaying it since Conte went into last season just as disgruntled about signings, only to adapt, address his side’s issues from within and create a team that romped to the title.

There might be a suspicion that many of last season’s title-winners drastically over-performed, but then that itself could be offset by the possibility that they will even better understand their manager’s approach. Conte may have a history of histrionics over transfers, after all, but he has no history of dropping off after a title win. Juventus kept going, kept winning. That should be kept in mind for Chelsea, even if other problems currently occupy so many of the manager’s thoughts.

Who’s in?

Not enough signings, as even some of their own players noted when looking at the squad list on the back of the programme for the Community Shield. Conte has replaced the outgoing Diego Costa with Alvaro Morata, Nemanja Matic with Tiemoue Bakayoko, Asmir Begovic with Willy Caballero, but he still needs at least four more purchases like new centre-half Antonio Rudiger to actually deepen his squad.

Who’s out?

By the same token, too many, and it does seem to be a mistake to have let so many squad players - like Nathaniel Chalobah, Kurt Zouma, Nathan Ake - leave without first bringing in players they actually want, so that they aren’t caught short.

How are they going to line up?

The same 3-4-3 formation, but with a few alterations within, that were already signalled by how Conte has used Alvaro Morata out wide in pre-season games. He has a little bit of tinkering to do, even if the broad structure should remain the same.

What’s the one big question that must be answered?

There are actually few significant questions, but they’re all interconnected to the biggest of all: can Chelsea possibly be as good as last season? To try and answer that they will also have to show they can weather a much tougher schedule with the Champions League, show they have enough goals with the jettisoning of Diego Costa and show that they can still perform to the same level.

That’s the other side of it, no matter what they do. Opposition sides will react to what Chelsea did last season, and better know how to play against them. It is just something else Conte must find a response to.

What’s the best that could happen?

Conte does what he did at Juventus, and just keeps the team firing and finishing first again to become the first English champions since Manchester United 2008-09 to retain the title.

What’s the worst that could happen?

Chelsea do what they’ve too often done after winning titles in the last decade, and endure what Conte himself described as another “Mourinho season”: to finish outside the top four and even see the manager dismissed.