Last season
An absolute disaster. The 2014/15 champions suffered one of the worst title defences of all time, struggling around the relegation zone for the first six months of the season. Having released Jose Mourinho for the second time, the team steadied under the stewardship of Guus Hiddink, eventually finishing tenth. With no other success in cup competitions, including a disappointing Champions League campaign.
An absolute disaster. The 2014/15 champions suffered one of the worst title defences of all time, struggling around the relegation zone for the first six months of the season. Having released Jose Mourinho for the second time, the team steadied under the stewardship of Guus Hiddink, eventually finishing tenth. With no other success in cup competitions, including a disappointing Champions League campaign.
Backroom setup
After 12 months of turbulence, with firstly Jose Mourinho and then Guus Hiddink as managers. With the latter always a short-term replacement, the club knew that the summer was going to be crucial. With many of their rivals also making managerial appointments, Chelsea needed someone high profile. Antonio Conte fit the bill perfectly, but it will be interesting to see whether the players deal with his tough-talking technique.
Pre-season
Before entering into the International Champions Cup, set to really provide a stern challenge, the Blues took a tour of Austria to warm up. However, no-one told Rapid Wien to go easy, with Chelsea suffering a 2-0 defeat in their first game. Though this was a youthful side, it was hardly the ideal start for Conte. Nevertheless, successive strong victories without conceding would follow, beating Wolfsberger 3-0 and unknown quantity Atus Ferlach 8-0, with Pedro, Remy, Mikel and new signing Michy Batshuayi all on target.
The International Champions Cup saw the Blues pitted against Liverpool, Real Madrid and AC Milan. Though Chelsea scored early to get the best of their Premier League rivals in a feisty 1-0 win, they struggled to get to grips with a weakened Madrid side, going 3-0 down early thanks to goals from Marcelo and Mariano. Though Hazard pulled two back in the late stages, they couldn't fight back. There was better news from their final two games, with successive wins over AC Milan (3-1) and Werder Bremen (4-2) putting the Blues in a strong position for the start of the season.
Before entering into the International Champions Cup, set to really provide a stern challenge, the Blues took a tour of Austria to warm up. However, no-one told Rapid Wien to go easy, with Chelsea suffering a 2-0 defeat in their first game. Though this was a youthful side, it was hardly the ideal start for Conte. Nevertheless, successive strong victories without conceding would follow, beating Wolfsberger 3-0 and unknown quantity Atus Ferlach 8-0, with Pedro, Remy, Mikel and new signing Michy Batshuayi all on target.
The International Champions Cup saw the Blues pitted against Liverpool, Real Madrid and AC Milan. Though Chelsea scored early to get the best of their Premier League rivals in a feisty 1-0 win, they struggled to get to grips with a weakened Madrid side, going 3-0 down early thanks to goals from Marcelo and Mariano. Though Hazard pulled two back in the late stages, they couldn't fight back. There was better news from their final two games, with successive wins over AC Milan (3-1) and Werder Bremen (4-2) putting the Blues in a strong position for the start of the season.
Squad and signings
As with behind the scenes, there have been changes to the Chelsea squad, though not perhaps as many as some were expecting. There have been big money moves for both Batshuayi and N'Golo Kante, who performed so admirably for Leicester in their title win last season, both valued at around £30m, with the only exits a number of loans. However, with the aberration of last year for the Blues, I would expect to see more comings and goings from Stamford Bridge in the remainder of the window.
Tactics
Conte has been synonymous with strong physical players during his time as Italian coach, and has seemed to favour a 3-5-2 formation. Whether he will translate that to Chelsea is unclear, though his intent to keep Juan Cuadrado, who had seemed on his way out just a few months ago, perhaps highlights that he could be keeping this tactic in his back pocket if it is required. Much more will be expected of both Fabregas and Hazard as a creative force this year if Chelsea are to be successful.
Conte has been synonymous with strong physical players during his time as Italian coach, and has seemed to favour a 3-5-2 formation. Whether he will translate that to Chelsea is unclear, though his intent to keep Juan Cuadrado, who had seemed on his way out just a few months ago, perhaps highlights that he could be keeping this tactic in his back pocket if it is required. Much more will be expected of both Fabregas and Hazard as a creative force this year if Chelsea are to be successful.
Predictions
Simply, there is no way that Chelsea can be as bad this year as they were last. While form is temporary, class is permanent, and without the distraction of the Champions League this season, I would fully expect to see them challenging towards the top few places. I still feel that they are lagging slightly behind both Manchester clubs in terms of quality, but I think they will cement their place as best of the rest this season, and may put together a more cohesive push next term.
Final position: 3rd
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