Finishing in what could perhaps be described as an overachieving 6th place, Chelsea certainly had an interesting season. Distinctly mid-table until the end of March, a sudden upturn in form at the end of the season, which included five wins in six matches up to the final day, saw them take advantage of faltering sides ahead of them to take the Europa Conference League place.

They also reached the final of the Carabao Cup and the semi’s of the FA Cup, which typically would equate to a decent season for the Blues.

However, it was a turbulent first three quarters of the campaign, where fans questioned both the ability of then manager Mauricio Pochettino, and the application of some of the players in the squad, including a number of games where the team were booed off the field.

Still, the aspirations were European football at the start of the season, so when all is said and done, the fans can’t complain can they?

Best result: Chelsea 6-0 Everton. (Palmer 13’, 18’, 29’, 64’, Jackson 44’, Gilchrist 90’).

Worst Result: Arsenal 5-0 Chelsea (Trossard 4’, White 52’, 70’, Havertz 57’, 70’,).

Who is Chelsea’s manager for 2024/25?

Arguably the most unproven Premier league manager heading into the new season, Enzo Maresca has taken possibly the hardest job in world football at the moment. To keep the managerial hot seat at the Blue’s seems to be nigh on impossible, but this time something seems different.

Since the Clearlake Consortium took over the club, Chelsea have been looking for a young manager who can grow with a young team and guide them through a transitional period in which they are planning for success a couple of years down the line. With Enzo Maresca, who will start just his second full term as a club head coach this year, they certainly found their young manager.

Having learnt from Pep Guardiola after taking the role as assistant manager for the 2022/23 season, he will have been taught all the tricks of the trade that lead a club such as Manchester City to such monumental success.

He took what he learned from Manchester City to Leicester in the 2023/24 season, and reaped almost immediate rewards, winning the championship. It will be interesting to see how well his vision transitions to an unstable Chelsea, but it will surely be worth keeping an eye on.

Who is Chelsea’s player to watch? Cole Palmer.

Arguably the best player in the Premier league last season, no one expected the type of level that Cole Palmer has shown over the last year or so. When he was signed for £40 million, he was immediately labeled as a waste of money, another unproven player who was doomed to fail with Chelsea.

How wrong those people were. 40 goals and assists across all competitions last season, as well as finishing runner up in the golden boot standings to former team mate Erling Haaland, and Palmer is suddenly England’s next elite talent. Thriving in what was for much of the season a struggling Chelsea side, Palmer came up with the goods time and time again.

A hat trick and 100th minute winner vs Man United, four goals against Everton, two great goals against Luton for a scrappy 3-2 win, and the list goes on and on.

He then raised his stock even higher in the Euro 2024 final, where he hammered home a superb England equalizer against Spain just two minutes after being subbed on. While England may not have tasted success this summer, Palmer is most certainly the man who can bring silverware for Chelsea, it’s just a matter of when.

Season Prediction

Having made some prudent signings to boost squad depth, such as Renato Veiga and Tosin Adarabioyo to help ease the absence of Thiago Silva, Chelsea also confirmed the signing of playmaker Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall from Leicester, their first marquee signing of the summer.

Happy to spend less this window than over the previous 24 months, it seems Chelsea have great trust in their current squad to come good, and it’s hard to argue. With brilliant talent in every position, it is simply a matter of getting them to gel, and to start playing the attractive, dominant football the fans desire.

Allegedly, the players have taken to Enzo Maresca well, and agree with his ideas and strategies. However, off the field drama has threatened to derail their harmonious pre-season, as Wesley Fofana went head to head with Enzo Fernandez after a video circulated of the Argentine singing a certain song about the french national team.

However, if that situation can be patched up, there is no reason why Chelsea can’t once again qualify for Europe through the league, as well as succeeding in the Conference league in their upcoming campaign.

They will be in a tussle with Aston Villa at the end of the season, but I think this Chelsea squad needs one more full season to click before we finally see the best of them.

Prediction: 6th.

Journalist

Harry Pascoe | Writer at Football Park

Discover Harry Pascoe, a Football Park writer sharing insightful football content every week. Explore his experience here.

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