The Chelsea season preview 2023/24 is difficult: ‘Plan’ and ‘Chelsea’ – now there’s an oxymoron.
After positivity last summer, the Blues lurched from one disaster to another. Under four managers – let’s include Bruno Saltor’s solitary game – a team of pushovers deserved its bottom-half finish, closer in points tally to Leeds in 19th than Brentford in 9th.
Mauricio Pochettino needs time to drill a wide array of talent at Chelsea; Enzo Fernandez instantly impressed and Noni Madueke ended 2022-23 strongly, but Mykhailo Mudryk requires minutes. Supporters may not mind losing Kalidou Koulibaly and Edouard Mendy, but Champions League hero Kai Havertz, N’Golo Kante, Mateo Kovacic and Mason Mount (three of them to their English rivals) hit much harder.
Pochettino has taken on the mother of all rebuilds – there could be more pain before things can get better.
Chelsea season preview 2023/24: Lesson from last year
Where to start, after their worst points haul since the 1980s? Maybe with spending nearly £300m in January – taking the season’s total in excess of half a billion – and expecting it not to utterly destabilise the first team.
The squad was so bloated, players were changing in corridors at Cobham, with training-ground dressing rooms too small to accommodate 30 senior pros. Even for optics, let alone the impact on morale and the manager’s ability to coach, trimming is vital.
Owner Todd Boehly mustn’t plough into managerial changes, also. From Thomas Tuchel’s premature sacking to the hasty hiring of Graham Potter and then Frank Lampard’s failed vibes appointment, the season slid into oblivion. Attacking plans are needed – 38 league goals was Chelsea’s worst return since 1924.
The coach: Mauricio Pochettino
Mauricio Pochettino is either an absolute genius or a fool for taking the Chelsea gig, and not just for its effect on his Spurs legacy: failing in this mammoth task could damage his credentials. As at PSG, success is demanded – he won’t be given time to develop players over a few years, and that’s his main strength.
Key player: Thiago Silva
Only Thiago Silva and Ben Chilwell are anything close to regulars from Chelsea’s 2020 summer transfer arrivals. Nearly 39, the Brazilian is entering his fourth campaign and it says a lot about the Blues’ recent recruitment that he remains the best central defender at the club. He’s essential, but starting to creak.
The mood around Chelsea
Doom and gloom. Change doesn’t have to be a bad thing, but there’s been so much of it at Stamford Bridge that fans are wondering what club they’re supporting. Chelsea lack any real culture from yesteryear – Messrs Terry, Drogba et al must be fuming – and the team is light-years behind its rivals. Is it really only two years since the Blues were champions of Europe?
One to watch
Finding a consistent goalscorer has tormented Chelsea since Diego Costa left; although new arrival Christopher Nkunku (left) may not be an out-and-out No.9, the hope is the 25-year-old can match last season’s strike rate of a Bundesliga goal every 119 minutes (16 in all), or his Champions League glut in 2021/22. And he’s pretty rapid.
Most likely to...
Win the title. No, really. Remember when Antonio Conte arrived in west London? Chelsea had just finished 10th and were a shambles, but with no European football in 2016/17, the Italian whipped them into shape and the Blues ran away with the league.
Least likely to...
Be frugal. Clearlake Capital and Boehly have money and love shifting it. Let’s face it: they probably have another transfer record in them this summer.
The fan's view: Rory Jennings (@Cheslearory)
Last season was the worst we’ve ever had. Previous painful seasons at least had redeemable qualities: the team that could have gone down in 1995 had likeable, relatable players who cared about the club, and the side that was relegated in 1988 scored 12 more goals than the billion-pound squad we assembled last time out.
The big talking point is Todd Boehly. The way he ran the club into the ground within a year of taking over was just disgusting, and his arrogance knows no bounds. The idiot may as well have stuck himself up front.
Our key player will be Enzo Fernandez. In N’Golo Kante, Mateo Kovacic and Mason Mount, arguably our three best midfielders have left, so it really is essential that our World Cup-winning big-money signing steps up.
Our most underrated player is Ben Chilwell, clearly England’s best left-back.
The opposition player I’d love here is Harry Kane – ridiculously good, and wasted at Tottenham. He’s capable of replacing Karim Benzema at Real Madrid and winning a European Cup and Ballon d’Or, so his lack of drive has been infuriating.
The thing my club really gets right is that we are very principled as fans, and always have been. We were hostile to Rafael Benitez before he was Chelsea’s manager, and we were hostile to him after we won a trophy with him. Principle.
The fans’ opinion of the gaffer is hopeful. There is a slight wariness about his Tottenham connections, but we’re desperate for him to deliver so we’re giving him the benefit of the doubt.
Look out for Noni Madueke and Carney Chukwuemeka.
We’ll finish 6th, if things go particularly well.
Season previews for the Premier League, League One and League Two are all available HERE
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