That’s it! It’s finally over. Chelsea FC do not have to kick another ball in this 2015/16 campaign after drawing with Leicester City 1-1 on Sunday.
What a relief. After the most disastrous season in recent memory, Chelsea FC can finally move on and turn their attention to a new era. The Blues welcomed Leicester City to Stamford Bridge and battled to a 1-1 draw to finish the campaign.
There were smiles aplenty just before kick-off. Chelsea formed a guard of honour for the newly-crowned Premier League champions. They then remained in position for Claudio Ranieri as he was presented with an award on the field by Carlo Cudicini to celebrate his success.
The first-half was one that very much reflected the atmosphere. Both sets of fans were enjoying themselves in the sun, making fun of Tottenham Hotspur, and the standard of football screamed an end-of-season procession.
It was only in the second half when the deadlock was broken. Nemanja Matic was brought down by Jeffrey Schlupp in the penalty area. Cesc Fabregas then cooly slotted the ball into the back of the net.
Leicester stepped up their game after that and equalised through an impressive strike. Danny Drinkwater unleashed a belter in the 82nd minute to bring the Foxes back on level terms. That is how it would end.
Youngsters Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Tammy Abraham were afforded well over half an hour of game time in a move that pleased fans. Fikayo Tomori, meanwhile, was handed his first-team debut with 30 minutes on the field. Having just been named as the club’s young player of the season, the Canadian will be looking to use this as a springboard for bigger and better things next season.
On that note, next season is firmly where every Chelsea fan’s eyes will be fixed. This has been an abominable 10 months or so for the Blues and all associated with the club will want to leave this in the past.
Antonio Conte is taking over in time for the 2016/17 campaign and a major overhaul is expected. Once EURO 2016 reaches its climax, it will be all hands to the pump at Stamford Bridge as the management endeavour to turn this squad around.
No-one can guarantee that the Blues will be back challenging next season. However, the minimum expectation is that the players are in prime condition to give it their all from the first game in August.
Next: Antonio Conte: the perfect path forward for Chelsea FC
As we enter the off-season, be sure to bookmark the Pride Of London. We will be breaking down the season and looking ahead to the new era. We will be keeping you abreast of developments in EURO 2016 and the Copa America Centenario. Of course, we will keep you in touch with your dose of juicy, crazy and downright bizarre transfer rumours. Furthermore, there may be a a few tricks up my sleeve to get everyone involved.
Bring on the summer.