The Blues have started to rectify a disastrous summer and have already begun with a bang.
The club have announced the arrival of Jorginho, a player once destined for Manchester City. They are also thought to now step it up a gear and get more of Sarri’s targets through the door before the 9th August deadline.
What can Chelsea now expect for the upcoming season? Now the managerial saga is over, we can try and look ahead ourselves and highlight what good (and possibly bad) may happen in the course of the next ten months or so.
Chelsea Season Preview
Chelsea 2017-2018 Recap
It is no secret that the Blues had an abysmal campaign last year. Despite lifting the FA Cup, Conte was assumed to be a ‘deadman walking’. His side’s efforts in the Premier League were terrible as they failed to qualify for a Champions League spot, in a year they were trying to defend their domestic title.
The Italian had a number of off-the-field problems as well as their poor performances on it. The infamous text to Diego Costa last summer could, and probably should, have been seen as a sign of things to come.
By the end of the year, he had lost many in the dressing room and even Willian decided to upload a photo to Instagram with a number of the trophy emojis blocking Conte out.
Who Is Chelsea’s New Manager Maurizio Sarri?
The Italian manager had been linked with the managerial job at Stamford Bridge for what has felt like an eternity. However, who exactly is the former Napoli boss, and what can Chelsea expect from him?
The 59-year-old belongs to a newer coaching era, whereby he has not played football professionally.
In fact, the chain-smoking Italian used to be a foreign currency trader up until 2001, before he jumped into football management as a full-time profession.
Working his way up the Italian football ladder, he made his Serie B debut with Pescara in 2005, before making his name with Empoli and Napoli almost a decade later.
The new Chelsea boss has earned the respect of Pep Guardiola for the football he had Napoli playing. This alone would excite those at Stamford Bridge. He has a philosophy of playing entertaining football, commonly known as ‘Sarriball’.
Chelsea’s Immediate Concerns That Sarri Must Address
Sarri will want the Chelsea squad to start afresh, although he does not have a huge amount of time with them. They have already jetted off to Western Australia and played a friendly with Perth. Now, they will head across Europe for the International Champions Cup tournament.
The former Napoli boss would have liked to have his players already in the door by then. However, unless a deal as quickly as Jorginho can happen, it would appear unlikely at this stage.
Many names have been linked with a move to West London, but it remains to be seen how quickly, and easily, those deals can be made.
The new boss will have a huge task on his hands with trying to keep some of the Blues’ stars. Their failures from last season will not have given him an easy time at the helm.
The likes of Eden Hazard, N’Golo Kante, Thibault Courtois and Willian have all been linked with moves away. If Chelsea are to improve on last year, these men need to be at Stamford Bridge, if not suitably replaced.
If Sarri heads into the upcoming season without doing either, the Blues could be facing a complete disaster once again.
Prediction For Chelsea’s 2018/19 Season
Ever since the arrival of Roman Abramovich 15 years ago, Chelsea have been expected to challenge for title honours.
The club would be expected to challenge for the Europa League, whilst a fourth-placed finish is a must. Another year of no Champions League football will not go down well for the Russian owner.
Chelsea will find it difficult to compete this season, as the chaos over the summer has not helped. Liverpool, Manchester City, United and even Arsenal have all strengthened around them. It remains to be seen if Tottenham Hotspur will but it would be likely.
If the Blues do not add significantly as well as addressing the concerns, they could easily finish outside the top four once again.
Chelsea will scrape it, but only just.
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