Guardian writers’ predicted position: 3rd (NB: this is not necessarily Jacob Steinberg’s prediction but the average of our writers’ tips)
Last season’s position: 4th
Odds to win the league (via Oddschecker): 5-1
The plan
The exciting thing for Chelsea is that winning the Champions League was only the start for this team. They have plenty of room for improvement and can be forgiven for feeling hugely optimistic about the future after watching Thomas Tuchel turn a broken team into a formidable outfit in no time at all last season.
A sustained tilt at the title is the aim, even though Chelsea have not been serious contenders since winning the Premier League in 2017. Tuchel will accept nothing less after outmanoeuvring Manchester City in the Champions League final.
The German is in a strong position. Tuchel, whose family moved to London this summer, feels settled after extending his contract until 2024. The 47-year-old wants to strengthen in a few areas, but he knows he has a strong squad. There is no need for a repeat of last summer’s drastic overhaul. Chelsea are not short of individual quality and their chances of competing with City are likely to be determined by one issue: whether they manage to sign a top striker.
Tuchel, who is interested in Erling Haaland, Robert Lewandowski, Harry Kane and Romelu Lukaku, despaired at his side’s lack of ruthlessness last season. Worryingly for Tuchel, the options at his disposal do not convince. Armando Broja is untested at this level, Tammy Abraham is up for sale and although Timo Werner offers speed and movement, Tuchel has serious misgivings over the German’s finishing. Another of last season’s forwards, Olivier Giroud, has joined Milan.
To put it into context, Jorginho was Chelsea’s leading scorer in the league with seven goals. There is also an onus on the attacking midfielders to step up. Mason Mount had an outstanding campaign, but there needs more consistency from Christian Pulisic, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Hakim Ziyech, and Kai Havertz must decide more games after scoring the winner in the final against City.
The profligacy goes a long way towards explaining why Chelsea finished 19 points behind City. It almost led to missing out on a place in the top four, and defeat by Leicester in the FA Cup final was a low moment.
There has also been some grumbling from supporters about the sale of academy products. Lewis Bate, Fikayo Tomori, Tino Livramento and Marc Guehi have departed.
The overall picture looks bright. The positive for Tuchel, who has considered a more attacking 4-2-4 after using a 3-4-2-1 last season, is that he can build on a solid base. Chelsea kept 19 clean sheets in 30 games after appointing him and they hope to enhance their defence by signing the Sevilla centre-back Jules Koundé, with Kurt Zouma potentially going the other way.
It is not easy to get at Chelsea’s reliable goalkeeper, Édouard Mendy. Thiago Silva, César Azpilicueta, Antonio Rüdiger, Andreas Christensen and Koundé would be excellent options at centre-back. The wing-backs Reece James and Ben Chilwell offer dynamism and N’Golo Kanté is back to his best in central midfield, where Jorginho and Mateo Kovacic offer calm and experience.
Tuchel has looked at options on the right flank – Chelsea missed out on Achraf Hakimi to Paris Saint-Germain – and another central midfielder would not go amiss. West Ham’s Declan Rice and Monaco’s Aurélien Tchouaméni are potential targets.
The main focus is up front and there could be an attempt to prise Haaland away from Borussia Dortmund. Chelsea can challenge City if they pull off that deal.
The manager
Management offered Tuchel a second chance after a knee injury brought a premature end to his unremarkable playing career. The German was 25 when he was forced to retire, but he never lost his love of the game. He was prepared to begin his coaching career at a low level and has gone on to establish himself as one of the best managers in the world, wowing players with his innovative methods. It is easy to see why Chelsea replaced Frank Lampard with the 47-year-old in January. Tuchel immediately made his presence felt, lifting the mood on and off the pitch as he quickly gave a dysfunctional team more control and structure. He has already secured his place in the club’s history after leading them to their second European Cup. He deserves respect after beating Manchester City three times last season.
Key player
Chelsea are hugely difficult to stop when Kanté is fit and firing. The midfielder remains susceptible to muscle problems, but he was awesome in the Champions League final, outclassing City’s midfield with boundless energy, positional intelligence and smooth interceptions. “You see his intensity in the physical report after matches and you think they may have tracked two players and put it into the same sheet,” Tuchel said. “He’s unbelievable in what he delivers in terms of intensity, in terms of ball recoveries. His devotion to the group is world class.”
The owner
Roman Abramovich was quickly forgiven after Chelsea’s dalliance with the European Super League. They were the first club to pull out of the project – although not before supporters had protested outside Stamford Bridge – and it was not long before the Russian billionaire was watching his side lift the Champions League trophy in Porto. As ever, events on the pitch determine the mood. Abramovich, who transformed English football by buying Chelsea in 2003, even shrugged off the backlash after his dismissal of Lampard. Tuchel’s success justified the ruthlessness.
Euros factor
Jorginho has often divided opinion since joining Chelsea three years ago, but there was no doubt about his role in Italy’s triumph. The midfielder was typically canny in possession and he was even mentioned as a potential winner of the Ballon d’Or after helping his side overcome England in the final, although he could do with working on that trademark penalty routine. The hop and skip worked in the semi-final victory over Spain, but Jorginho was fortunate his misstep in the shootout against England did not prove more significant.
We’ll be singing
Werner’s haphazard finishing has not stopped supporters coming up with a chant in his honour, sung to Depeche Mode’s I Just Can’t Get Enough. The goalshy forward is hailed in forceful terms for apparently telling Liverpool to do one when they tried to sign him last year, although the writers might need to work on the line about the German scoring all the time. Werner managed six league goals last season.
Back to Stamford Bridge
The good We Are The Shed, a supporter group, has worked hard on making Stamford Bridge more colourful and boisterous.
The bad The ground can be quiet during games against smaller sides. José Mourinho complained about the atmosphere during his second spell at Chelsea.
The crest
The badge features a lion surrounded by a blue ring with two roses. Contrary to reports, the lion is not supposed to represent John Terry. It first appeared on the crest in 1953 and the imagery was based on the civic coat of arms for what was the Metropolitan Borough of Chelsea. The rings symbolise two footballs, honouring the sport itself.
Trending topics
“Is Werner ever going to work out how to stay onside?”
“It’s only Christmas – I can’t believe that Tuchel is already under pressure.”
“It’s time for @_declanrice to come home. Make it happen @masonmount_10.”
“I’m really pleased Tiémoué Bakayoko’s back from his loan. It’s just like a new signing.”
The mascot
Stamford the Lion has looked much happier since the arrival of his female companion, Bridget.
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