Bold predictions for Chelsea and the Premier League in 2021/22

10. What will be the biggest threat to Chelsea’s season?

Abhishek: Danny Drinkwater. As long as the former Leicester man remains at the club, there is a slim chance that he might find himself back on the pitch wearing a Chelsea shirt. No one wants to see that.

Anthony: Huge squad size. I think the huge team will cause a lot discourse, which will trickle down through the entire squad. Chelsea must try to cut down this squad before the end of the window or Tuchel will have a tough time managing all these players who want to play every week.

Akshat: As is usually the case, the biggest threat to Chelsea is, well, Chelsea. We have, as Blues’ faithful, witnessed this before. All eyes will be on the Champions of Europe, whose much-awaited post-title implosion shall bring joy to those starved of silverware and success (your Arsenals and your Spurs’ of the world). Uneasy lies the head which wears the crown.

Barrett: Themselves. The Blues have a squad that should be competing healthily for five trophies this season. They should get on with it and the only thing that can stop them is themselves.

Daniel: Pep Guardiola. He’s simply too good, best manager in the league, best squad in the league. Elite front runners, elite chasers, weaknesses are few and far between. He and his Man City team are the ones to beat.

Gabe: Finishing and creating chances. No matter what the Blues do, it seems as if they always struggle to either create or put away chances. Romelu Lukaku’s arrival is likely going to help, but I won’t believe it until I see it. This team has hurt me too many times for me to blindly jump head first into the idea that it’ll be cured with one signing.

Kevin: Danny Drinkwater.

Leighton: Inconsistency. Can Chelsea win on a cold night at Watford, can we break down a stubborn defence, can we scrap a dodgy win away at St James’ Park? Games Chelsea often struggled to win in the past. These key moments in a season can defy whether or not we can challenge at the very top of the league.

Mike: The biggest threat to Chelsea’s season is the number of cooks in the kitchen. Tuchel himself has lamented the current size of his squad, revealing that he simply cannot coach more than 40 players at one time. Competition for places in the starting XI is generally a good thing, but it can also foster resentment among those players left out in the cold, as we saw at the end of Frank Lampard’s tenure. If the board is not able to sell a few expendable pieces, the camaraderie that was so crucial in last season’s run to UCL glory could be at risk.

Nate: Hakim Ziyech. I’m admittedly hedging my bets here because I’m also worried he’ll be the standout performer. That said, on a micro level, he’s capable of ruining so many promising situations by trying to be too clever or taking too big a risk. That micro problem could quickly become a macro one if he keeps doing just enough for Tuchel to pick him, and then getting complacent and wasteful as he gets comfortable. Repeat ad nauseum.

Olaoluwa: Chelsea’s decision making in the final third (not even a bold prediction at this point). Many people talk about Chelsea needing to go to a back four to accommodate for more attackers that could create more and score more. Except that the Blues’ current formation doesn’t stop them from creating quality chances. Inter Milan and Dortmund play a back three. In fact, Dortmund plays a 3-4-3, yet it created 3.1 big chances per game, 0.7 per game more than Chelsea did. Several times, the central midfielders miss a chance to spray the ball wide, play it quick to a more advanced player or dribble one too many times. Several times the attackers will stop a chance from being a clear cut chance or even a goal because of the wrong decision on the ball. The only thing that hinders Chelsea from achieving what it can this season is its decision making, especially with Hakim Ziyech injured for God knows how long.

Olly: Those snazzy blue shirts will be the end of the Blues’ title ambitions this season. Seeing speedsters like Timo Werner, Christian Pulisic, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Hakim Ziyech sprinting around with zig zaggy runs in a zig zaggy shirt … might as well blindfold the rest of the team and spin ’em around 20 times. Players will be seeing double, misplacing passes, fans in the Matthew Harding Stand: duck, because the balls will be coming at you thick and fast. Runner up: First ever instance of team wide blindness as a result of Jorginho and Thiago Silva’s new hair…

Travis: Believing that they are European Champions. Chelsea was a very deserved winner of the Champions League at the end of the day, but at the same time, it was still highly unexpected. The best thing Chelsea can do this season is to treat the CL win as a fluke. The Blues need to look at this season with a point to prove rather than as a season after the point was proven.

Yi Hao: Complacency. European Champions they may be, the Blues did not have a great end to the season by any stretch of imagination. Losing the FA Cup final for the second season in a row aside, Chelsea also required a win from Tottenham against Leicester City on the final day of the season to guarantee itself a place in the top four. Be it through a lack of proactiveness in the transfer window or overconfidence within the playing squad, the biggest threat to Chelsea this season very much exists within the club itself.

Vansh: Club World Cup. This may sound a bit weird as the CWC will be added to the trophy cabinet if Chelsea wins. However, travelling to random places to play random clubs will end up taking a toll on the squad.

Varun: Egos and complacency. Champions of Europe is a big title, one that fulfills most players. It’s the highest of highlights, so following it up can be an underwhelming task. If players lose motivation (like they have under Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte), Chelsea will be in for a terrible season. There is the fear of players becoming too big for their boots and clashing with the manager when things go wrong, and this title of ‘Champions of Europe’ leads the club to side with the players who won it, rather than the manager who masterminded it (as it has before).

What are some of your predictions for the upcoming campaign? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter!