New owner, and a new era for the West London club. What can Thomas Tuchel and his Chelsea squad achieve this season?
What happened last year?
A promising start to the first half of last season saw Chelsea only lose two league games up until mid-January and were firmly in title contention heading into 2022. An ACL injury suffered by left-back Ben Chilwell, which ruled him out for the rest of the campaign, was the catalyst for a turn in form. The first six months of 2022 were a turbulent one, to say the least. Former owner Roman Abramovich was hit with sanctions due to the Ukraine-Russian war and eventually was forced to sell Chelsea Football Club.
The Blues were unable to sell tickets to home games and as much as Thomas Tuchel played down the effects of this on the players, it was evident in his side’s results. Two FA Cup final defeats to Liverpool on penalties and a crazy exit to eventual Champions League winners Real Madrid in the competition’s quarterfinals gave Chelsea fans hope but was a season where the side needed silverware to call it a successful campaign.
Key Signings
Raheem Sterling
The Manchester City forward was Thomas Tuchel’s “number one transfer priority” this summer as the England international completed his £50million move to Stamford Bridge in July. Sterling provides that direct attacking style of play that Chelsea was missing in the final third at times last season. He was Pep Guardiola’s top goalscorer in the league since he started managing Man City (85 goals) and the Chelsea faithful will be hoping he can replicate this form for the West London club this campaign. Josh Wright from WhoScored had this to say on Sterling: “Mason Mount is the only current Chelsea player that has reached double figures for goals in a Premier League season. Sterling, by contrast, has scored 10+ goals in each of the past five league seasons.”
Kalidou Koulibaly
If you ask any Chelsea fan, the departure of Antonio Rudiger is one of the biggest losses to the club in years, a stalwart in the central defensive position since joining the club in 2017. His presence and connection with the Blues fans were a strong one, and where they may not be able to replicate that straight away, they may have found a replacement with ample quality. Kalidou Koulibaly has seemingly been linked with a move away from Napoli for the past two/three summers and this window he finally got his big money move to Stamford Bridge.
The centre-back, also known as “The Wall”, brings in the leadership qualities that leaves with Rudiger, as he captained Senegal to AFCON victory earlier in the year. As well as leadership, Koulibaly brings stability to a Chelsea backline that conceded too many goals last season. Only Milan Skriniar (48) has kept more clean sheets than Koulibaly (40) over the past four Serie A seasons.
And who’s out?
Antonio Rudiger
The German international has been a fan favourite at Stamford Bridge since his arrival from Roma in 2017, and his transfer to Real Madrid will deal a huge blow to Chelsea’s defensive unit. The signing of the Koulibaly may fill the void left by the departing Rudiger in the long-term, but the solidity and leadership qualities of the 29-year-old will be sorely missed.
Romelu Lukaku
Many Chelsea fans thought that Romelu Lukaku was going to be the missing piece in the jigsaw to propel The Blues to success in the 21/22 season. Little did they know. A promising start away at Arsenal saw Lukaku score within 15 minutes on his second debut for the club, followed by a brace against Aston Villa a couple of weeks later.
After that, however, it began to steer downhill. An 18-game scoreless streak was backed up with an interview declaring his love for Inter Milan and how much happier he was playing there than at Stamford Bridge. His dire run of form continued through the season, scoring in six of his 26 league appearances for Chelsea last season. Lukaku’s return to Inter was swiftly completed once the summer transfer window opened and now Chelsea is faced with a familiar prospect of going out into the market to buy a striker.
Who is their star man?
Mason Mount
The England midfielder finished last season as Chelsea’s top scorer in the league with 11 goals, and there is a direct correlation between Mount playing well and his side picking up points. Chelsea only lost one league game last season (3-2 away at West Ham) where Mount scored, and with no real recognised number nine, his attacking creativity will be as important as ever this season.
What can we expect from them in 2022/23?
Chelsea’s new summer signings will need time to adapt to their new squad and a fresh system under their new boss Thomas Tuchel. Koulibaly and Sterling are two top-class transfer coups and should show their quality as the season progresses.
Losing Rudiger will certainly be felt, however, Koulibaly has the qualities to replace him, whether he will or not only game-time will tell. Sterling has been lauded by pundits as an excellent signing for The Blues, but he will need to bring his “A” game if he is going to guarantee himself a starting berth at Stamford Bridge.
Thomas Tuchel certainly has the quality within the squad to push for a title challenge, and it will be interesting to see how Crystal Palace’s Player of the Season Conor Gallagher is integrated into the German’s plans. The race for the top four looks like it will be as close as ever, but if Chelsea can get their big players in-form, they should be a banker to finish in the third or fourth position.
Where do the odds project Chelsea to finish?
Chelsea is 17/1 best price to win the Premier League, and 4/5 for a Champions League finish.
Any recommended bets?
Chelsea have got to five of the past six FA Cup Finals, so a play on them at 7/1 (each-way pays ½ the odds if they reach the final with most bookies). Additionally, Mason Mount at 25/1 to be the Premier League’s top assister, with Betway paying a ¼ of the odds up to four places seems like a value play.
