A Quarter-Term Report on Chelsea

It's been far from a convincing campaign so far for Jose Mourinho's men, but with Chelsea only four points adrift of leaders Arsenal, there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Five months into his reign at Chelsea after rejoining the club in June, Mourinho is also over a quarter of the way through the season, and he will be somewhat satisfied with the fact that his side lie in fourth spot in the Premier League table.

The reason for this is because it is clear that the Blues have not hit their top form yet in the Premier League, and when you consider they are challenging for the title having struggled to get out of second gear, it's a promising situation.

Having repaired most of the damage from his predecessors' disastrous reigns, the Mourinho "project" is well underway, but it still requires some work.

The international break came at a great time for the Portuguese coach, with his side without a win in November so far. And with West Ham their next opponents, there is no worse time to face a Chelsea side keen to get back to winning ways.

Here is a look at how the West London club have fared so far.

Results

Of course, there is no more important matter in the Premier League than getting as many points as possible. It doesn't matter how many goals you score or concede; if you have the most points at the end of the season, you win. It's that simple.

And that's pretty much how Mourinho approaches his role. He's not so fussed about playing the tiki-taka, free-flowing football—that comes when you are winning. Possession is not important, neither are shots on target or any other statistic. The only aspect of the game which is relevant to him is winning.

Mourinho would perhaps argue that six wins from their opening 11 games is fairly respectable, with their only two defeats coming against Newcastle and Everton away from home.

If you were to ask the 50-year-old whether or not he would be satisfied with that, the answer would be a blunt "no," because Mourinho would never let anyone know he is at peace with the idea of losing.

But in reality, St James' Park and Goodison Park are two tough grounds to go to, and most Blues supporters accepted that victory would be difficult to come by. Defeats were far from ideal, but a fan must acknowledge the fact that the team cannot possibly win every game.

Still, sitting on 21 points represents a steady start, if not unspectacular, for Mourinho and Chelsea. One must consider that this includes away trips to White Hart Lane and Old Trafford to face Spurs and Manchester United, where they managed to gain 1-1 and 0-0 draws respectively. 

And while it might be Mourinho's worst start to the season at the fourth attempt with Chelsea, there's still a lot to be improved upon, and that can only be a good thing.

Home record

With their record at home as impeccable as ever, there's something intimidating about how Mourinho manages to turn his home turf into a fortress.   

Granted, Chelsea haven't had to face up to much of a test at home this season, having played only one of the top four—Manchester City—at Stamford Bridge. They emerged victorious against the Citizens, with a last-gasp Fernando Torres goal securing a vital 2-1 win. 

But the 2-2 draw with West Brom highlighted the deficiencies in the side at present. The system appeared to be rigid, the players looked jaded and lacking in creativity and only a generous decision from Andre Mariner saved a point in the dying moments.

Nevertheless, it's still 66 games unbeaten and counting for Mourinho at home with Chelsea, a run that stretches all the way back to August 2004. And maintaining a formidable record at home, like they did in their title-winning seasons of 2004-05 and 2005-06, is essential to mounting a serious title assault.

Players

Based on individual performances, it's been an impressive start for some of Chelsea's stars.

The shining light has unquestionably been Oscar, the Brazilian starlet who leads the club's scoring charts with five goals in the current campaign. The 21-year-old netted four goals in the league after 11 games, and that is actually the same as he managed in 34 games last season.

He has flourished under Mourinho, taking the central playmaker role into his stride and producing some of best football in a Chelsea shirt.

But Oscar isn't the only one to improve.

Fernando Torres, top scorer last season with 23 goals in all competitions, has maintained his impressive form, notching five goals in 11 games. The hunger and ability seems to have returned, and Mourinho will be impressed with the Spaniard's work rate as he looks to repay the £50 million investment.

Summer signings Andre Schurrle and Willian look to really be settling in quickly, with the pair already opening their scoring accounts in recent weeks.

But Samuel Eto'o, who arrived on a free transfer from Anzhi Makhachkala, has shown vast levels of improvement in the past month or so, and appears to be growing in confidence. He's hit four goals in as many games and could be a key member of the side in the latter stages of the season.

Of course, while some have stepped up to the mark, others have struggled.

Namely David Luiz and Frank Lampard, who have been a shadow of the confident figures they were last season. Luiz looks to be vulnerable on the ball, while 35-year-old Lampard is showing signs of age and is not as able to produce moments of magic like he once was.

What next?

Chelsea fans, if they have been frustrated so far, can expect some form of a resurgence throughout December and January. The squad is almost fully fit—aside from the injured Marco van Ginkel—and so having such a large squad will make it easier for the Europa League winners to deal with a congested fixture list.

A victory at West Ham is expected but is far from a formality, but three points at Upton Park would certainly give them the confidence boost they require to show their title credentials as we head into 2014.

With the January transfer window also coming up, it's an opportunity for Mourinho to let go of some of the fringe players such as Demba Ba and John Obi Mikel, and introduce some extra quality into the squad.

Sure, it's not been the ideal start the supporters were dreaming of. And sure, a couple of bad results will rightly put the pressure on Mourinho's head. But this was always going to be a long-term project. To panic after 11 games would be naive.

There is still a lot more to come from this Chelsea side, and even after an uninspiring start, their rivals can underestimate them at their peril.