On the opening day of last season, Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea beat Everton 1-0 at Goodison Park thanks to a penalty from Jorginho.
The Italian celebrated that goal with the likes of Kai Havertz, Mason Mount, N’Golo Kante, Cesar Azpilicueta and Kalidou Koulibaly, while Edouard Mendy watched on from between the posts. In the second half, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Christian Pulisic entered the fray to help Chelsea maintain their lead.
That match took place just over 12 months ago, yet all nine of the players mentioned above have since departed Stamford Bridge. Tuchel now plies his trade elsewhere too, and three other coaches - Graham Potter, Bruno and Frank Lampard - oversaw a Chelsea match last term.
This Sunday marks the start of a new era for the Blues. Mauricio Pochettino will take charge of his first competitive game as the club’s manager after agreeing a three-year deal in May. The Chelsea XI that begins this weekend’s clash with Liverpool will be virtually unrecognisable to the one that beat Everton at the start of last term.
In previous years Jose Mourinho, Carlo Ancelotti and Antonio Conte all won the Premier League title during their maiden campaigns as Chelsea boss. It will be tough for Pochettino to follow suit.
That is in part due to the strength of the division. Manchester City are the best team in Europe, as demonstrated by their treble triumph last time out. Arsenal are ready to go again after finishing just five points adrift of top spot in 2022/23. Liverpool should be much improved following last season’s dip, while Manchester United look stronger than they were in August 2022.
Moreover Chelsea have significant ground to make up. They finished a lowly 12th in what was a truly dismal performance last season. True, Chelsea ended the 2015/16 campaign in 10th and then won the league under Conte the following campaign. But even the most optimistic of Blues do not expect a repeat this time around.
Chelsea are very much in the mix for a top-four finish, however, even though this is a transition year for the club.
Their recruitment has been much more focused this summer. Christopher Nkunku and Nicolas Jackson will bolster the attack, as - in time - might teenage duo Diego Moreira and Angelo.
⚽️ Only Karim Benzema (12) has scored more goals than Nicolas Jackson (10) in La Liga in 2023 pic.twitter.com/qcNoTK4r6K
— WhoScored.com (@WhoScored) July 2, 2023
French centre-back Axel Disasi is a smart pick-up from Monaco, Robert Sanchez will be an able deputy to first-choice goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga, and 19-year-old midfielder Lesley Ugochukwu is another for the future - although Moises Caicedo, a summer-long target, would be a safer pick in the engine room for now.
Just as crucial is the fact that last season’s signings have now had time to settle in their new surroundings. Players like Raheem Sterling, Mykhailo Mudryk and Enzo Fernandez did not always show their true selves last term, but in a more stable environment they can flourish.
The biggest reason for optimism is Pochettino himself. Critics who point to his failure to win a trophy at Tottenham Hotspur miss the point spectacularly. The Argentine ensured the Spurs collective was consistently more than the sum of its parts, and he did so by promoting young players and encouraging attractive football. You cannot ask much more of a manager at any level.
His primary objective this term will be to improve on Chelsea’s pitiful attacking returns last time out. The Blues only scored 38 goals under Tuchel, Potter, Bruno and Lampard, with only four teams in the division managing fewer.
Pochettino will also seek to give his side an on-field identity while improving the club’s off-field culture. His Tottenham teams played with energy, intensity and hunger, qualities that were conspicuous by their absence at Stamford Bridge in 2022/23.
If Chelsea make the right steps in that direction, it is crucial that Todd Boehly sticks with Pochettino even if the team goes through a rough patch. After the chaos of last season, Chelsea need a period of calm.
