'Summer of optimism feels just around the corner'

Things change quickly in football, but few can have predicted the turnaround of the past 10 days at Chelsea.

When Aston Villa scored their second goal just before half-time little over a week ago, things looks bleak. The Blues had been crushed 5-0 by Arsenal earlier in the week and looked set for another humbling at Villa Park. Mauricio Pochettino's future was being questioned as much as it ever had, and the owners were under fire once again.

But a tactical tweak in the second half brought a much more encouraging performance and a 2-2 final result. Then, good performances and important wins in London derbies since have transformed the mood at Stamford Bridge.

Now players coming back from injury are joining a squad with momentum and chemistry. The fans are back onside and a charge for Europe in three winnable games to close out the campaign is more than possible.

It is already tempting to look forward to the summer. Pochettino has strengthened his position with an overall improvement in form since January, and the impression that progress is being made is the greatest job security he could ask for.

There are still question marks about the project as a whole, and selling either Trevoh Chalobah or Conor Gallagher this summer following their huge importance in turning this around since the beginning of the year would go down very badly with supporters.

However, there is a definite sense that better days are ahead, and a summer of optimism feels just around the corner.

Will can be found at Chelsea News