The three reasons why Chelsea are not favourites

The Blues cruised to victory last season in the Premier League, and yet it is Manchester City, who finished 15 points behind Conte's men, who are the bookmakers' favourites to lift the trophy this term.

More or less the same odds are offered for Chelsea and Manchester United to be crowned champions, despite Mourinho's side's sixth-place finish last season. 

There are resons for the doubts surrounding Conte's team. First of all, there is the pressure of retaining the title. Repeat wins are so rare, that the last eight teams to attempt to defend the title have failed.

Secondly, Chelsea's squad does not seem to have the same depth as last season. Without the likes of Diego Costa, Nemanja Matic and John Terry, the Blues do not give the sense of having improved man-for-man. Morata, Bakayoko and Rudiger have arrived, but the squad is looking bare.

In fact, the reigning Premier League champions should not be content with maintaining standards. The third problem for Conte is the packed schedule that will be brought on by the addition of Champions League football.

'Now we need to improve our squad because we have more games and we need a bigger team to face these competitions', Conte said after the Community Shield defeat at Wembley, and he was spot on.

With rivals bolstering their squads, Chelsea's advantage seems to be lost. The distraction of European football will only make things harder for the Blues who, for now, are not favoured by the bookies.