Previewing Chelsea’s season following an exciting transfer window

Chelsea will begin its season on Monday night when the Blues travel to play Brighton, but how can we expect the season as a whole to go?

This is all a complete and utter shot in the dark. I could sit here continuously singing the praises of the new pieces and suggest Chelsea could be title contenders or I could say the pieces will need time to gel and suggest that the Blues may struggle to reach the Champions League places. However, I do think that the truth is somewhere in the middle. So, let’s dive into the season preview because there’s a lot to digest.

Starting with the concept that Chelsea was level on points with Manchester United at the conclusion of the previous season—finishing fourth—the Blues should be in contention to finish in the top four once again. How much of that 33-point gap to Liverpool and 15-point gap to Manchester City can they close? Keeping up with the rampant Man City, or the inspired Liverpool, is going to be a big ask. Those are the largest questions plaguing Frank Lampard, but when you spend more than £200 million in a transfer window, trophies need to be won. Looking at you, Man United.

Starting in goal, the Blues need their No. 1 to be better. Kepa Arrizabalaga really did not have a good season in between the sticks last year and with the Blues supposedly looking elsewhere for help at the position, this remains the Achilles heel of the squad. Had one of the world’s best shot-stoppers found their way to the Bridge, we could be talking about a squad capable of running away at a canter with the title and potentially challenging for European football’s top prize too. If Arrizabalaga—or whoever No. 1 is come the thick of the season—steps up, there is no reason the Blues will not be in the conversation for the Premier League title at the campaign’s conclusion.

Chelsea’s defense has undergone a complete overhaul this offseason, as well. Thiago Silva and Ben Chilwell headline the newcomers to the Blues’ back line. These two join Cesar Azpilicueta to create a defense fully capable of shutting down players when Chelsea does get pushed back out of possession. Antonio Rudiger, Reece James, Kurt Zouma, Marcos Alonso, Andreas Christensen, Emerson and Fikayo Tomori (if he isn’t loaned out in the coming days) all represent options to complete Lampard’s back four. What was a gigantic hole in the squad last year has been strengthened immensely, and it’s no secret the squad fills a giant void with those moves.

Chelsea’s cream of the crop is going to be its midfield. Already possessing N’Golo Kante, Billy Gilmour, Mason Mount, Jorginho, Ross Barkley and Mateo Kovacic, there’s been a lot of new additions to the side. Kai Havertz and Hakim Ziyech headline the newcomers in west London. Two very creative minds in world football paired with two of the best defensive midfielders in Europe in Kante and Kovacic just seems irresistible.

On the wings, Chelsea has seen quite a few departures over the course of the summer. With Pedro moving to Roma and Willian shifting to Arsenal, Christian Pulisic and Callum Hudson-Odoi are the only remaining natural wingers. Yes, both Havertz and Ziyech can play out wide, but they’re better in the middle of the park. Werner can also play on the left wing, but he’s also better elsewhere: leading the attack. Pulisic ended last season strongly after being mostly pedestrian before the lockdown break. If he can continue to impress, there should be no doubt about the success the Blues will have with creating chances.

Werner is likely to be the one leading the line for the Blues if Pulisic can lock down the left winger spot. The German’s pace and clinical finishing are going to be very important for the club because it’s something that neither Tammy Abraham or Olivier Giroud possesses. His composure and general skill is almost unrivaled in the Chelsea squad.

Lampard is going to have all the weapons he wishes at his disposal going forward. He possesses the ability to role out a line-up that looks as good as any English side and therefore, there’s going to be a lot of pressure on the historic No. 8. If Lampard can guide this team to trophies and a title fight, it can be constituted as a success. However, spending the GDP of a small island in the Caribbean on players means there’s going to be high expectations.

All in all, what can we expect out of this Chelsea squad and its ability to push for silverware? Well, the squad finished fourth last year and has had upgrades all across the pitch. This should be a team capable of delivering trophies and fighting for titles, if not winning them. Lampard’s no longer running a Premier League daycare; if Chelsea is out of the title fight heading into April (assuming there’s no 5-month long pause this time) and the Blues complete the season without silverware, this will have been a complete mishap of a season.

Feel free to tell me why I’m an idiot and to let me know what you think the expectations for this squad are. Whether silverware finds its way to Stamford Bridge or not, this could be a season that makes or breaks Lampard’s career as Chelsea manager. His name will either be up in lights, or dragged through the mud.