Premier League Specials: Chelsea 11/1 to win next three against Newcastle, Brighton and Manchester United

When it comes to dealing with new managers, few fanbases have more experience than Chelsea. 

The likes of Jose Mourinho, Antonio Conte and Carlo Ancelotti got off to excellent starts; the likes of Andre Villas Boas and Graham Potter less so.

So where does Mauricio Pochettino fit in? The stats may tell you he’s got off to the worst start of any Chelsea manager since before the Roman Abramovich era, but there are no calls for his sacking.

Fans recognise that the squad has been completely overhauled in recent times and patience is needed. On top of that, performances have actually been better than results suggest.

Nicolas Jackson has a rawness about him but causes lots of problems and is clearly a big asset to Chelsea and their future; Cole Palmer has taken to life nicely in West London while Enzo Fernandez and Raheem Sterling have also impressed. 

The runs of results that saw them take one point from two home games with Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa and a trip to Bournemouth were far from ideal, then of course there was the hiccup at home to Brentford, but there was a draw with Arsenal where they should’ve taken all three points, the bizarre 4-1 win at Tottenham and the thrilling 4-4 draw with Manchester City.

In terms of xG, only Liverpool rank higher than Chelsea this season, while the Blues ranks fifth for xGA. Indeed, their xGD has them fourth behind only the big three of Manchester City, Liverpool and Arsenal.

The international break interrupted a tough run of fixtures for Pochettino’s side and things won’t get any easier with the return of the Premier League.

Chelsea’s next three reads Newcastle (a), Brighton (h), Manchester United (a), but it might not be the worst time to play any of them.

Newcastle are dealing with a litany of injuries and suspensions, Brighton’s form has fallen off a cliff and Manchester United, despite being the Premier League’s form team, look woeful.

It’s 11/1 that Chelsea take maximum points from the three games, starting with a trip to Newcastle on Saturday.

bet365’s Steve Freeth said: "If you’d have looked at this block of five fixtures towards the end of September with Chelsea languishing in 14th then you may have predicted Pochettino being under further scrutiny.

"However, after four points from Spurs (a) and Manchester City (h) they now head to St James’ Park challenging for favouritism and with an eye-catching set of fixtures from mid-December to the end of January, a Champions League spot could be still very much on the cards."

Chelsea points from next three games odds:

At their best, Newcastle have looked the same as they did last season; a lethal attacking unit capable of scoring a hatful of goals. They’ve put four past Crystal Palace, five past Aston Villa and eight past Sheffield United, but against Bournemouth they looked utterly toothless with both Callum Wilson and Alexander Isak out. There are also absences in midfield and defence and it appears the Champions League exerts are starting to catch up with Eddie Howe’s men.

After that, Chelsea host Brighton in what looks the most winnable of the three. Having lost Moises Caicedo and Alexis Mac Allister it was fair to expect something of a drop-off in Brighton’s performances, but the first six games of the season saw them win five and score 18 goals. The flip side to that is that they conceded in every game and it’s a trend they’ve been unable to buck. 

They’ve played 12 games, conceded in each of them, and don’t much look like keeping sides out. On top of that, they’ll have a Europa League trip to Athens before heading to Stamford Bridge and Chelsea will look to take advantage.

Their third game of what looks like a tricky period will see them visit Old Trafford, and the fact that Manchester United have taken more points from the last five games than anyone in the division might be the most mind-blowing fact of the season so far. 

Though you can only beat what’s in front of you, the Red Devils have only beaten Brentford, Sheffield United, Fulham and Luton, but each were by the odd goal and it required three goals in stoppage time to secure those wins.

United’s next two games are against Everton and Newcastle, both away from home, with a trip to Galatasaray sandwiched in between.

It’s certainly not beyond the realms of possibility they’re coming into the game with Chelsea on the back of three straight defeats having being eliminated from the Champions League, and it could be another opportunity for a scalp for Chelsea.

It's certainly a tough run of fixtures for Pochettino's men, but at 16/1 to lose all three, we make it more likely they'll win all three, and it's a real chance to put down a marker.

Liam Williams

• Chelsea F.C.
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