Former Chelsea star Gus Poyet has given his take on the Blues season so far and picked two players who are having a "real impact" at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea finally clicking in attack
After coming in over the summer, Mauricio Pochettino was backed by Todd Boehly and the Blues board with a number of new faces arriving ahead of his first Premier League campaign with Chelsea. Several of those were in attack, but it's only recently the Blues have kicked it up a notch in the final third, scoring 16 times across their last six games in all competitions.
Chelsea summer signings
Axel Disasi (Monaco)
£38.5m
Nicolas Jackson (Villarreal)
£30.1m
Christopher Nkunku (RB Leipzig)
£52m
Kendry Paez (Independiente del Valle)
£17.27m
Robert Sanchez (Brighton)
£25m
Moises Caicedo (Brighton)
£115m
Lesley Ugochukwu (Rennes)
£23.5m
Angelo Gabriel (Santos)
Undisclosed
Alex Matos (Norwich)
Undisclosed
Diego Moreira (Benfica)
Undisclosed
Ishe Samuels-Smith (Everton)
Undisclosed
Dujuan Richards (Phoenix All Stars Academy)
Undisclosed
Romeo Lavia (Southampton)
£58m
Deivid Washington (Santos)
£17.1m
Djordje Petrovic (New England Revolution)
£14m
Cole Palmer (Manchester City)
£42.5m
All fees courtesy of Sky Sports
The likes of Cole Palmer and Raheem Sterling have been regulars for Chelsea during the current campaign and both helped the club overturn a first-leg deficit against Middlesbrough in the EFL Cup semi-final. The Blues ran out 6-1 winners on the night, with Sterling and Palmer both registering goal contributions as Chelsea booked their place at Wembley.
It hasn’t been so positive in the Premier League, though, with a number of defeats leaving Chelsea with plenty to do if they are to finish in the top four. When it comes to individual performances in the league, two of the top Chelsea players so far this season, as per WhoScored, have indeed been Palmer and Sterling, and they have caught the eye of Poyet.
Poyet picks out Chelsea's top players
Speaking to Football FanCast on behalf of William Hill, Poyet feels there have been signs of improvement under Pochettino and highlighted Palmer and Sterling as two players who are leading the charge.
"Looking at Chelsea though, we are seeing signs of improvement. I think Palmer is now having a real impact in the team and I think Sterling, under the circumstances, is having a very good season.
"With Reece James and Ben Chilwell being injured, this is difficult for the coach, but consistency is the key for a team if they want to achieve success."
So far this season in the Premier League, no Chelsea player has scored more goals than Palmer (9), or provided more assists (4) than the 21-year-old. His move from Manchester City is looking like a shrewd piece of business, despite the player even admitting the plan wasn’t initially to leave the Etihad on a permanent deal over the summer.
Meanwhile, Sterling has contributed to 15 goals in all competitions this season, already more than his total tally during his first season at Stamford Bridge. The two attackers could therefore be crucial over the coming months if Chelsea are to lift the EFL Cup and climb up the Premier League table under Pochettino.
