After a torrid time of late, Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea team seems to be turning a corner in the Premier League. There was never any doubt that Mourinho would curtail the damage at some point, but there were reports that maybe he wouldn’t get to correct their form after their worst start to a season under current chairman Roman Abramovich.

The Portuguese manager has faced a lot of adversity this campaign. Just recently “the Chosen One” was fined $60,000 by the English FA for his comments after their loss against Southampton by 3-1 at Stamford Bridge. Prior to that incident, Mourinho had a public fallout with club doctor Eva Carneiro as well as many media outlets reporting that mutiny had begun to set in amid the Chelsea ranks.

However, regardless of their poor form, the Blues triumphed last weekend against a struggling Aston Villa side with whom they overcame with little or no resistance. Unfortunately, for Mourinho all the big 4 won too in the Premier League, but progress is progress, right? Couple this with a hard fought draw in the Champions League away to Dynamo Kiev where Chelsea twice hit the woodwork, and there are signs that the London side are turning the corner.
The Premier League isn’t very forgiving though – Chelsea’s next fixtures look like this: they have a London derby against West Ham next, then a home tie to Jurgen Kopp’s Liverpool and an away trip to Stoke City that have won their last 3 Premier League games. The coming fixtures will certainly test the Blues’ mettle, and after dropping a slew of high profile players thus far, hopefully the Portuguese tactician will know his best side after these challenging run of fixtures.
After all the turmoil of this season, one player that has shone is young central defender Kurt Zouma. Predicted to succeed captain John Terry in the heart of defence when he decides to hang up his boots, the young Frenchman has been a constant since Mourinho’s lost confidence in Terry and Gary Cahill due to their indifferent form.
Between now and January you’d expect Chelsea fortunes to change dramatically, but with standards well below what Mourinho and more importantly chairman Roman Abramovich expect, January could be a busy month regarding transfer activity at the Bridge. Misfiring loanee Radamel Falcao is expected to return to his parent club, AS Monaco in January. Thus, it’s highly likely that the Blues will look to sign a striker to replace the Colombian. Additionally, there’s a possibility the underperforming Oscar could be sold to Italian champions Juventus who’ve courted the attacking midfielder for some time now. With that in mind, Mourinho would aim to sign a world class playmaker to turn Chelsea into a more potent attacking threat – something they’ve severely lacked this season.
With much uncertainty surrounding the bulk of Chelsea squad’s future, there will undoubtedly be an upswing in performances. The pressing question is whether Mourinho’s trust in his current players has been lost. The team’s form will determine Mourinho’s next play, that’s for sure and their ability to stay in the title race come the turn of the year until the squad can be reinforced will play a huge part in who comes and goes at Stamford Bridge.