Last season was a disaster for Chelsea, with four managers used over the course of a tough season that ended with the team in 12th place. This was their first finish in the bottom half since the mid-90s, but what are the reasons that make us believe next season could be a lot better?
The New Manager
Chelsea fans are hoping that the arrival of Mauricio Pochettino as manager brings a new period of stability to the team. The Argentine coach is known for adopting a high-pressing strategy and an attacking brand of football that should make games more interesting in the new season.
His track record is impressive, with a successful spell at Southampton leading him to the Spurs. He took the London team to the Champions League final and grabbed second place in the Premier League. Pochettino then won a league title for the first time when he led Paris Saint-Germain to the Ligue 1 title in the 2021-22 season.
While his appointment isn’t a guarantee of league success, the Argentine is regarded by many as one of the top coaches in world football just now. This look by FourFourTwo at the best managers in the world places him in the 22nd spot, but maybe he’s ready to surprise some people after a spell away from the spot.
Apart from his iconic high press, Pochettino also has a good reputation for developing players, with Harry Kane perhaps the best example. If Chelsea are going to enjoy playing in a tense Premier League title decider like the Manchester City vs Arsenal game from last season, Mauricio needs to produce the kind of long unbeaten run that Mikel Arteta managed to get them to that stage. He doesn’t have Pep Guardiola’s winning record yet, but his success in Paris could prove to be a launching pad for more titles.
The New Signings and Rumours
There has been plenty of movement in the transfer market to date, with the Blues losing some players and signing others. Rumours about Kylian Mbappe, Moises Caicedo, and Real Madrid target Dusan Vlahovic suggest that big-name transfers will happen this summer, but the business carried out so far appears to be quietly impressive.
Senegal international Nicholas Jackson has joined the team from Villarreal and quickly made an impact in the friendly with Brighton by scoring a goal and joining up with Mykhailo Mudryk to help the Ukrainian get a much-needed goal.
With a lot of attention on how Chelsea will fit all their attacking options together, the fact that Christopher Nkunku also scored in the 4-3 win was a pleasing sign. The French forward impressed as PSG and RB Leipzig, leading to a £52 million transfer to Stamford Bridge this summer.
We probably won’t know how good this transfer window has been until the start of the new season. However, for the moment the moves being made by Chelsea are promising and the squad already seems stronger and better balanced than last season. Yet, we’ve seen in the recent past that spending money doesn’t guarantee anything, so it’s going to be a matter of seeing how the team fits together.
The Strange Coincidences
Football fans love to look for signs that their team is on the verge of something special. One of the facts that has boosted Chelsea supporters this summer is that there are some coincidences that suggest the club could win the EPL next season.
The first of these coincidences is that the last time a team won three titles in a row was when Manchester United achieved that feat in the period up to 2009. The following season Chelsea won the title, and some people think that history might be about to repeat itself since Manchester City won their third EPL consecutive title last season.
Another potential coincidence comes with the guard of honour formed by Chelsea’s players for the City team before their game at the Etihad where Guardiola’s players received the trophy. While this is something that no professional player wants to have to do, could it inspire the Blues to EPL success this season?
If we go back to the 2015/2016 season, this was when Leicester City became one of the EPL’s most surprising winners, under Claudio Ranieri, and Chelsea gave them a guard of honour before winning the title the following season.
Perhaps the most compelling of these coincidences is that before last season the worst Chelsea performance in recent times came in 2015-16 when they finished in tenth spot. However, this was followed up with a league-winning season under Antonio Conte where they broke a series of records such as the number of wins.
Concluding…
None of these factors that we’ve looked at confirms that Chelsea will win the trophy this season. Yet, they all add up to give fans a renewed sense of optimism for the season ahead.
