Story byDavid PasztorWed, December 31, 2025 at 11:21 AM UTC·3 min readWe had been hoping for a title challenge, but as we close out 2025 and enter into 2026, the only things in which Chelsea lead the Premier League at the halfway point of the season are points dropped from winning positions (15 at last count) and set piece goals conceded from long throws (4). Not coincidentally, we trail the leaders by 15 points, and are now, at best, hoping for a top-4 finish. And there seems to be scant hope of improvement anytime soon, with numerous familiar failings continuing to plague this team and a grand total of zero answers being provided (at any level) to deal with them. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementLast night, the shortcomings of the day were largely of the defensive variety, as we conceded more than one goal for the third match running, and for the fifth time in our last eight games. Both goals last night came off long throws; nearly carbon copies of each other.
