Chelsea haven’t won a Premier League title since 2017, that was five years ago, and it could be extended to a sixth year without a domestic title if they fail to overcome Manchester City, Liverpool and their other rivals next season.
The task is down to Thomas Tuchel, who has already enjoyed European triumph with Chelsea having won the Champions League in 2021, but the domestic silverware still eludes him.
Tuchel has lost two FA Cup finals and a Carabao Cup final, adding to his wait for a trophy in England.
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The 2022/23 season brings new challenges and fresh chances of winning silverware, including the Premier League title. They were 19 points off of Pep Guardiola’s champions last term, but it’s a new era at Stamford Bridge.
Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital have taken over and there is a new level of optimism, a new outlook. A restructure and rebuild both on and off the pitch has started to be carried out, which has seen Thomas Tuchel already be backed in the summer transfer window with the additions of Raheem Sterling and Kalidou Koulibaly.
Chelsea are currently out in the United States for pre-season. The mood in the camp is positive and Tuchel has the keys over who stays and goes, which saw the departure of Romelu Lukaku after just one season at the club despite his club-record £97.5 million transfer last summer.
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It’s a clean slate for the Blues, but they’ve proven they can win on the highest level, it is now a matter of consistency. That is what is in the way of them winning the Premier League again.
The manager is ready. That has been highlighted in his approach and demands to his squad. It may be a ‘transition period’ for Chelsea, but the German wants no excuses. He wants his side to be ready on 6 August to play Everton in their Premier League opener.
He said earlier this month: “I don’t want to use it now to put everything already in perspective.
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"I want to be ready when we play Everton (in the first game of the season).
"I want to win and I will demand it from myself, my team and all my players. The team will be strong.
“I am not ready to use it as an excuse even though it is maybe true that we are in transition. "We can, I can focus, I think the team can focus on what makes us strong and we can take it step by step and work out how to win games.”
Tuchel’s mentality has rubbed off on his players. Kai Havertz knows what the current squad are capable of, and they are setting their standards to the absolute maximum.
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He added: “We are a special group. We see that in the changing room away from the pitch and on the pitch.
“We have a lot of young players who are roughly the same age. We have a lot of experienced players and we all fit together very well. It is hopefully going to be a special year for us.”
Chelsea conquered Europe in 2021. They conquered the World in 2022 at the Club World Cup. The next step is now conquering England in 2023. That would be some statement from the Blues, and the perfect first season for the new owners.
Topics: Thomas Tuchel, Kai Havertz, Premier League, Chelsea
Matthew Debono