Not much more can be said about Chelsea’s 2015-16 season that has not already been mentioned.
One of the most tumultuous title defences in football history came to an end with a 10th-placed league finish and, just for something different at Stamford Bridge, a managerial change. With Antonio Conte at the helm, the Blues are out for a rise back to familiar territory on the domestic table.
Offseason recruitment
Conte’s new Chelsea were quick out of the transfer blocks, signing Michy Batshuayi and N’Golo Kanté within the opening fortnight of the window. Everybody who watched the Premier League last season knows what Kanté has to offer, as his work in midfield made him one of the key factors in Leicester’s extraordinary rise to the summit.
After averaging nearly a goal every two games in Ligue 1, Batshuayi is less of a known quantity in England but will provide support and an eye for goal as a second striker alongside Diego Costa. With lots of talk surrounding Romelu Lukaku and Kalidou Koulibaly, as well as questions over Costa’s club future, the Blues’ squad could still undergo a serious re-shuffle before August is over.
Strengths
The biggest negative of their 2015-16 season could prove to be their most undervalued strength this time around. Chelsea’s squad is full of individual winners who showed their unquestionable quality and what they are capable of just 18 months ago. With the exception of Willian, the team massively under-achieved but now have the perfect manager to overturn last season’s disappointing showing.
As injury ravaged his side’s Euro 2016 campaign, Antonio Conte showed his ability to get the very best out of his Azzurri players. Costa, Cesc Fabregas, Eden Hazard and Nemanja Matic – these four were pillars of Chelsea’s league win but struggled for the majority of last season. Expect the fiery Italian to tap into those players and see them return to their best football.
Weaknesses
So often the backbone for Chelsea’s successes, it was their defence which caused problems for the London giants in their title defence. Two men who have been such good servants over a long period of time, Branislav Ivanovic and John Terry, were shadows of their former selves, and they were not helped by the inconsistent Gary Cahill and Thibaut Courtois – or the serious injury to Kurt Zouma.
Chelsea conceded 53 goals last season, the most they have let through in the league since 1996-97. It largely set the tone for the Blues’ year, and – with no defensive reinforcements signed as yet -Conte will have a lot of work to do with an ageing defence and without the famous ‘BBC trio’ of Juventus.
Key Player – Eden Hazard
No amount of superlatives could describe Eden Hazard’s fall from grace. After winning every Player of the Season award possible in 2014-15, the Belgian embodied Chelsea’s campaign last year – having to wait until April for his first of only four league goals. On his day, he is one of the most exciting players in world football, but that was all too rare.
In preseason, Conte has adopted a 4-2-4 system with Hazard operating either out wide or as a second striker. After a positive individual Euro 2016 and two goals against Real Madrid in America, the Blues will be hopeful that their playmaker is back to resembling something close to his best form when their season begins against West Ham at the Bridge.
Prediction – Fourth
A return to Europe should be the top of the agenda. Conte famously won the league in his first year at Juventus, and showed at the Euros he can grind out results despite lacking top-quality players. Without having to worry about fixture fatigue with no European football, it should be a realistic aim for Chelsea to qualify for the Champions League.
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