Analysis

Our Exclusive Analysis: Chelsea’s 2020-21 Season Review

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The Blues finished the 2020-21 season as the Champions of Europe but it would be fair to say that the entirety of this past campaign was full of ups and downs.

Expectations were huge of the then Chelsea boss Frank Lampard and his players in the aftermath of a major summer transfer window which saw a flurry of big-money signings arrive at Stamford Bridge to much fanfare.

The likes of Timo Werner, Kai Havertz, Hakim Ziyech and Ben Chilwell came in and the supporters were aware that these players had the talent to help propel their side to glory both domestically and in Europe under a manager that was well revered in the form of a cult figure at the Bridge.

It was not the rosy season that had been expected by both Frank Lampard and the Chelsea fanbase with the Blues hero unable to hold his flock together amid a crisis that reflected troubles both on and off the football pitch.

Rumours of infighting between the senior ranks coupled with a horrid run of form in league action made the mega-rich owner Roman Abramovich take notice and the Russian oligarch turned to his usual ruthlessness, giving the axe to Lampard in the early days of 2021 and brought in the German coach Thomas Tuchel who had been fired recently from Paris Saint-Germain.

Tuchel’s impact was quite instant at his new club and he made his mark in a dramatic manner as Chelsea moved back inside the top-four of the Premier League table besides making substantial progress in Europe.

The new boss at Stamford Bridge brought home the Champions League trophy, the club’s second in their history, and finished the runners-up in the FA Cup after a heartbreaking defeat to Leicester City.

A narrow top-four finish was also secured by Tuchel’s men after what was an uninspiring finish to the domestic campaign in its latter stages but the Blues regained composure in an incredible fashion compared to the days under Lampard’s charge.

Also Read- How Chelsea FC Lined-Up for the 2020-2021 Premier League Campaign

Let us take a look at some of the outcomes that have derived from this past season of Chelsea-

Mason Mount is on course to emulate the greatness of yesteryear icons at Stamford Bridge

The Chelsea youth academy product was often under the scanner during Frank Lampard’s days owing to allegations of the Blues manager showing favouritism towards the young playmaker.

Mount, meanwhile, stepped up for his side and was one of the handful of players that turned up on the pitch to plaudits despite Chelsea languishing way outside the European football berths in the league standings.

Tuchel’s hiring to the top job in January 2021 gave rise to talk that the former Paris Saint-Germain boss could bring about a rebuild of the starting lineup and relegate Mount down to the bench with these rumours proving baseless as the new Chelsea gaffer too employed Mount as one of his favoured attacking options.

The England international was quite instrumental in the turnaround witnessed at Stamford Bridge in the second half of this past season and finishing the campaign with eight goals and five assists to his name, Mount has shown that he will be a major force to reckon with in the near future, most notably in the upcoming UEFA European Championships.

The summer signings- Some a hit, some a miss

Big-money arrivals were on show for Chelsea in the summer of 2020 as Frank Lampard, backed by Roman Abramovich’s riches, went about on his transfer dealings as he brought in a host of star players who had attracted attention from a number of clubs in the continent.

The conclusion of the season, however, gives out mixed reviews of Chelsea’s massive spending last time around with only a handful of the new signings proving up to the task.

Ben Chilwell and Edouard Mendy are the two names that stand out in terms of their displays helping the Blues put together a string of solid performances at the back, most notably in the opening days of Tuchel’s reign at Stamford Bridge.

Meanwhile, Kai Havertz endured a season of highs and lows but the German starlet will be raring to go in the coming future after having handed his side the Champions League trophy courtesy of his strike in the finals against Manchester City.

The veteran defender Thiago Silva arrived on a free transfer after leaving Paris Saint-Germain and despite a shaky start to the season for his new colours, he turned out to be an influential figure in the Chelsea backline with his absence being much felt by Chelsea fans when was out injured.

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Hakim Ziyech was a name whose joining the Blues had been cheered in abundance by the fanbase and a year into his move to west London, the ex-Ajax playmaker remains a long shot away from cementing his place in the Chelsea lineup amid what appears to be now talk of the Moroccan international being close to leaving the Bridge this summer.

One new face in the Chelsea shirt that is still to be cherished by the supporters remains the marquee signing Timo Werner who joined the Blues despite concrete interest in his services from Liverpool who had to pull out at the last minute owing to financial constraints.

Werner has been decent in his positional play but what has let down the former Leipzig man is his lack of cutting edge when in front of the goal and the German striker will have the fanbase to win over when he lines up on the pitch in the upcoming season.

Basement side West Brom proves the Achilles heel for Chelsea

Chelsea went up against relegation favourites West Brom early on in the season and in the most shocking of results the west London giants grabbed a 3-3 stalemate by the narrowest of margins, depending upon Tammy Abraham to find the leveller in stoppage time.

What was heavily backed to be an easy win for Frank Lampard’s men finished in a memorable matchup for West Brom with Callum Robinson making life extremely difficult for Chelsea’s new recruit in Thiago Silva.

Thomas Tuchel’s early days at the Bridge were heroic, to say the least, with the new Blues gaffer enjoying a club-record 14-match unbeaten start only for West Brom of all teams to play spoilsport.

The Baggies, by then under the charge of the veteran manager in Sam Allardyce, made the travels to west London and recorded a 5-2 win over a hapless Chelsea outfit which were in the form of their lives under their newly appointed coach.

Should a Chelsea fan make note of the aforementioned two games against a newly promoted side to the Premier League, a win across both fixtures for the Blues will be termed as a routine activity which, however, did not end up being the reality.

Sidelined players make their displeasure public at being denied game-time

Tuchel was expected to tinker around with the Chelsea team sheet when he took charge as results were expected of the new boss who took the reigns of the club when they were languishing in the ninth spot in the standings.

The German did hand the axe to a handful of players who had established first-team regular credentials under Tuchel’s predecessor Frank Lampard with Christian Pulisic, Tammy Abraham and Kurt Zouma now finding themselves warming the bench.

Pulisic did not take kindly to being sidelined by his former Dortmund coach and it was understood that the American international was seeking an exit in the summer amid interest from Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool in signing the sidelined Chelsea winger.

He has regained his spot in the Chelsea frontline towards the end of the season despite not being able to cement it but it is believed that the ex-Dortmund man is no longer wanting to call it quits at Stamford Bridge.

Another name that did not take kindly to being overlooked quite often under the new boss was the England international Tammy Abraham who had been a regular fixture on the starting teamsheet back when Lampard was calling the shots.

Tuchel’s insistence on giving the much under-fire Timo Werner an extended run of first-team involvement was questioned by a majority of the Chelsea supporters considering he had the likes of Abraham and Olivier Giroud to call upon.

Unlike Pulisic, Abraham is backed to leave the Blues ahead of the 2021-22 season as a host of clubs across the country register their interest in signing the highly promising striker.

The ever-present figure of N’Golo Kante comes clutch for Chelsea

Kante was shockingly linked with a Stamford Bridge departure last summer when his former Chelsea boss Antonio Conte, then in charge of Serie A giants Inter Milan, made public his desire of bringing in the World Cup-winning Frenchman.

Injuries had blighted Kante’s showings for the Blues under Lampard but it was well-documented that the midfielder remained a key component in the Chelsea ranks owing to his tireless work rate and unmatched levels of energy whilst on the pitch.

Also Read – Here’s Why Chelsea Shouldn’t Sell N’Golo Kante

Towards the end of this past campaign, it became evident once again how pivotal the former Leicester City man was to the Blues with Kante picking up four Man of the Match awards in the Champions League against big-name opponents.

The ever-present and the ever-smiling figure had certainly silenced critics who were sceptical of his long-term future in the Chelsea colours only a year ago.

Defeat in the FA Cup final- heartbreak for the men in blue

The Chelsea fans were ecstatic on the prospects of their side lifting the much-coveted FA Cup trophy just four months into Tuchel’s hiring as the Blues took the Wembley pitch to face off against an equally formidable opponent in Leicester City who were giving Chelsea a run for their money in league action as well with Champions League qualification on the cards.

It was a nervy 90 minutes in the capital city for either side but a moment of brilliance from the Foxes midfield man Youri Teitelmans on the brink of half-time ensured Brendan Rodger’s men took home the trophy.

Former Leicester full-back Ben Chilwell thought he had given his new club the equalizer towards the dying stages of the match only for VAR to rule out the strike with the offside flag raised up.

Tuchel could have clinched the most prestigious cup competition in the land so early into his Chelsea career but it was Leicester’s day to be crowned the FA Cup champions for the first time in their club’s history.

A sparkling European campaign concludes in glory for Chelsea

Drawing sharp contrast to their domestic form the Blues were at their best when playing in the Champions League, even during the bleakest of spells during Lampard’s charge.

When the Stamford Bridge hero was given the sack and in came Tuchel, the new boss led his side to greater glory despite being handed some of the toughest and meanest opposition teams in the knockout stages of the competition.

Chelsea overcame the eventual La Liga champions Atletico Madrid in the Last-16 after which they came up against FC Porto in a matchup that turned out to be a bit trickier than expected by many at Stamford Bridge.

Then came the record holders of the Champions League Real Madrid in the semi-finals and it was a Tuchel masterclass to guide Chelsea to a fantastic win across the two legs over Zinedine Zidane’s men.

Manchester City were waiting for Tuchel and Chelsea in the finals which were shifted from Istanbul to Porto as either Premier League heavyweight eyed European glory with Pep Guardiola seeking his first shot at it since his joining the Manchester Blues.

It was yet another splendid job done right by the west Londoners who took an early lead through Kai Havertz after Mason Mount had done his usual brilliance on the ball to set up his attacking partner who made no mistake in slotting the ball past City shot-stopper Ederson.

Reece James was at his best on the defensive front when coming up against Raheem Sterling and Co and Chelsea ran out hard-earned but well-deserved victors at the Estádio do Dragão to lift the Champions League trophy

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