Chelsea will win the Premier League in 2021/22 because of their tremendous 20/21 season and the acquisitions that they will make this summer. The Blues pulled off the greatest coup by winning the most prestigious prize in Europe for any club: the Champions League trophy. While winning the Premier League is a top achievement, it pales in comparison to winning the UCL Cup. All indications are that the Chelsea hierarchy will back new manager Thomas Tuchel in the transfer market this summer. If so, that spells big problems for all the top Premier clubs. Here’s why.
The Chelsea team in their past season was a tale of two seasons. At the outset, they fell off and did not recover and it cost former manager Frank Lampard his job. Then, under Thomas Tuchel and his revised formation and revised lineup, they went on to gain Champions League qualification (with some help from Spurs) for 2021/22. They needlessly lost the FA Cup final due to poor team selection at the keeper position by Tuchel, yet, they then went on, after qualifying for the Champions League to best Manchester City in the biggest match of all, the Champions League final. Say what you will about domestic titles, the championship of Europe is the top prize and Tuchel took it back to the Bridge. Bravo.
So why will Chelsea win the Premier League in 2021/22? Clearly, the competition will still be formidable with powerhouses Manchester City and Manchester United still in the league and who will likely have added major pieces to their squads. But, all that notwithstanding, Chelsea will beat them all next season for the following reasons.
First, after Tuchel’s hiring, the Blues were about as good a side as there was in the Premier League. The change in formation and insertion of players (some of whom were on the bench) who fit that architecture turned the Chelsea defense into an almost impregnable fortress. It was a smothering, suffocating defense that racked up clean sheet after clean sheet. It was immense as it stifled side after great side in the Premier League and the Champions League. The good news is, nothing will drastically change this summer to alter that situation. Most, if not all of the vital component parts will be back in the team in August.
Next, Chelsea seems determined to bring in a couple/few players to enhance the squad. The positions most noted are striker, defensive midfielder, and central defender. As has been written previously in this space, none of these positions are especially weak at all. Yet, Tuchel’s disinclination to use certain individuals likely indicates that players whom he feels don’t fit his system may be offloaded this summer and replaced by others he deems more suitable. This makes sense, as far as it goes. Yet, should Tuchel for some reason falter completely in the early stages of next season, his choices to offload and his additions may be totally antithetical to the designs of the next manager. Yet, that’s another story for another day. The hope here is, they work.
Third, if, in fact, Tuchel’s additions do fit into his scheme nicely, then added to the already formidable talent that exists on the side, the Blues should be on their way to multiple titles. Additions that are being mentioned include Erling Haaland, the magnificent goal machine striker at Dortmund (Note: he is worth whatever price the Blues have to pay in the transfer); Achraf Hakimi, the terrific fullback/winger from Inter Milan; Declan Rice, the outstanding defensive midfielder from West Ham; and, Niklas Sule, the huge central defender from Bayern Munich.
Should Chelsea acquire two or three of the above-mentioned talents (especially including Haaland or another top striker, which is key), they will most certainly challenge for the Premier League title in 2021/22 and beyond. All this bodes well for fans of the Blues worldwide. The team is a Champions League winner as currently constituted. What else can they achieve if they add a couple/few top players to this already magnificent squad? The answer is, the sky is the limit.
It will be tremendously interesting to see who Chelsea acquires in the summer window to improve the squad. Any of the above additions will spell trouble for Premier League and all other opponents, for certain. Can’t wait to see whom they bring in. Can you?