Why Chelsea Are Premier League Contenders After Beating Fulham in Opening Match

• Chelsea opened their Premier League season with a 3-2 victory over Fulham, with goals from Joao Pedro, Morgan Rogers and Cole Palmer
• Opta's supercomputer has given Marcos Alonso's side a 4.47% probability of winning the English top flight this season
• The club's absence from European competition and a string of key signings have raised questions about whether the Blues are genuine title contenders

Chelsea launched their Premier League season with a 3-2 win over Fulham, goals from Joao Pedro, Morgan Rogers and Cole Palmer securing three points that have prompted renewed debate about Alonso's side as potential title contenders.

Pedro, who swapped his No. 20 shirt for the ill-fated No. 9, and Morgan Rogers gave Chelsea a first-half cushion before Joshua King reduced the deficit.

Palmer extended the lead, and though Goncalo Garcia pulled one back for Fulham, the Blues held on.

The result makes Marcos Alonso the third of Chelsea's last nine managers to win their opening Premier League fixture.

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Opta's supercomputer places Chelsea's title probability at 4.47%, a modest figure that few in the game would dispute.

Yet a closer examination of the squad's situation points to four concrete factors that could make Alonso's side relevant deep into the campaign.

Why Chelsea are Premier League contenders

1. No European football

Chelsea will not be competing in European football this season, a contrast to rivals Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City, who will all rotate across midweek continental fixtures. That freedom allows Alonso's coaching staff to build uninterrupted weekly preparation cycles, a luxury that can prove decisive when the fixture list tightens in the final months. The last time Chelsea enjoyed a similar dynamic was the 2016/17 season under Antonio Conte, who won the title in his debut campaign playing a three-back system. Alonso has shown a preference for the same formation.

2. Improved attacking quality

Joao Pedro arrives in the new season wearing the No. 9 shirt after contributing 20 goals and nine assists during his debut Premier League campaign. Alongside him, British-record signing Morgan Rogers adds further firepower, with Cole Palmer and Pedro Neto also available across the front line. The variety Alonso can select from gives Chelsea a genuine threat against every team in the division, as evidenced against Fulham, where the front three of Palmer, Pedro and Rogers all scored. Even from the bench the likes of Estevao, Geovany Quenda, and Danny Welbeck can all add to Chelsea's firepower when the need arises.

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3. Experienced additions to a young side

Chelsea's youthful squad has sometimes lacked composure at critical moments. The arrivals of Jordan Henderson and Danny Welbeck bring substantial Premier League experience into a dressing room that previously lacked senior guidance, a factor that could prove important during demanding away fixtures and the intensity of a prolonged title race.

4. Tactical and managerial stability

After years of frequent managerial change at Stamford Bridge, Alonso arrives with a reputation for building organised, tactically coherent squads – as evidenced during his time with Bayer Leverkusen. If he can establish a settled system early, which was seen against Fulham, Chelsea are well placed to improve significantly on their previous league finish and even challenge Arsenal and Manchester City for the Premier League crown.

Source: YEN.com.gh