Chelsea have no excuses: it’s Premier League or bust

Chelsea have strengthened nearly every area of the team and are looking for more.

It’s been a while since Chelsea have splashed the cash to bring a multitude of superstar players. Memories of the 2004-05 season come to mind as Roman Abramovich helped usher in a new era with signings such as Arjen Robben, Didier Drogba, Petr Cech, Ricardo Carvalho, and others.

From that point forward came the most successful periods in the club’s history. Five Premier League titles, Champions and Europa League victories and multiple domestic cup wins have raised their profile as one of the most prominent clubs in the sport.

Fast forward to now and Chelsea find themselves retooling their squad in order to challenge for top honors. As of writing, Timo Werner, Hakim Ziyech, Thiago Silva, Ben Chillwell and Malang Sarr have been brought in, the latter going out on loan for first-team minutes. And still, Chelsea are still looking for a first-choice goalkeeper while Kai Havertz seems to be a matter of when not if he’ll join.

Should they get those deals over the line, then the Blues will have strengthened every area of the squad with a mix of high-profile names and shrewd signings – veterans and wonderkids. It’s like 2004-05 all over again.

This all brings us to Frank Lampard, manager and club legend looking to bring Chelsea into the next glorious era. Having finished his first season as Chelsea boss, Lampard will know the pressure is on him to achieve higher than fourth as the club did this past campaign.

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They overcame the loss of Eden Hazard and a transfer ban to secure Champions League status. But it’s how you finish that matters and the inconsistent end to the league season coupled with defeat in the FA Cup final leaves a sour taste.

Lampard’s second season could be a glimpse into a bright future for both him and the club. His exciting attacking and flexible style has helped talents like Christian Pulisic, Mason Mount and Tammy Abraham flourish.

With additions such as Werner and Ziyech, the attack looks on paper to be one of the league’s best. The gap between England’s top two in past seasons – Manchester City and Liverpool – seems to have decreased significantly thanks to Chelsea. The financial muscles have been flexed, meaning the goal for the upcoming season is clear: Premier League title or bust.

Let’s not kid ourselves, there are still questions and concerns with this team. Starting with the obvious, their defense was terrible in shipping 54 goals, one less than their worst ever in a Premier League season. Moreover, the 54 goals conceded are the most in the top half and earned a measly 9 clean sheets, ranking 12th in that regard.

That, in part is down to the disappointing play of goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga, the most expensive goalkeeper in history. It’s gotten to the point where Willy Caballero may start the opening game against Brighton Hove & Albion on September 14th.

Whether Silva has enough in the tank to cut it in England (he turns 36 in September) we’ll all know pretty quickly. His leadership and know-how could spur the likes of Andreas Christensen, Fikayo Tomori and Kurt Zouma to raise their game. It’s clear this department has to improve immeasurably in order to become a serious title contender.

The most intriguing aspect of this team is their midfield. As mentioned, Mount was spectacular as well as Mateo Kovacic at times. Jorginho struggled and was caught out of position at times at the base which brings us to N’Golo Kante.

The Frenchman, now 29 has struggled to find the form that made him the all-conquering destroyer under Antonio Conte. Rumors are that the Italian wants him at Inter Milan, but Lampard will feel his talent and ability is too much to let go.

The impending arrival of Havertz would give them great dynamism as a number 10 or the most advanced in the 3-man midfield. Don’t forget about young Billy Gilmour who shined before going down due to a knee injury.

One thing that shouldn’t go without saying is the 12 losses Chelsea had last season. Of the dozen, 5 defeats came from the “top 6”, with Liverpool and Manchester United doing the double. Chelsea will feel confident of having better results against them as they have bolstered their team more notably than their rivals.

All in all, this upcoming season will answer many questions of both Lampard and this talented squad. The 29th Premier League campaign can’t come soon enough.