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Why Chelsea Are One Of The Favourites To Win The Premier League

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Why Chelsea Are One Of The Favourites To Win The Premier League

In January Thomas Tuchel replaced Frank Lampard has Chelsea manager. In just 8 months he not only won the Champions League, he led the Blues to a top 4 finish and also turned them into serious title contenders.

Tuchel has achieved all of this with the same squad as Lampard and this summer has not as yet made any significant signings and has set about trimming his squad. Deals for Olivier Giroud and Fikayo Tomori to AC Milan, Tammy Abraham to Roma, as well as Victor Moses’ transfer to Spartak Moscow has raised around €75 million. This money will seemingly go towards the imminent signing of Romelu Lukaku from Inter Milan and the likely addition of Sevilla central defender, Jules Kounde.

 

Competition For Places

Chelsea are on of the favourites to win the Premier League because they have a talented squad and competition for places is fierce. Admittedly, Edouard Mendy is unquestionably Chelsea’s Number 1 and Kepa Arrizabalaga is seen as a back-up, with the addition of Marcus Bettinelli on a free transfer from Fulham this summer to possibly challenge the Spaniard for the Number 2 spot. Mendy is a good, if not elite, keeper, but his consistent performances have given his defence a degree of confidence and reassurance that was missing when Kepa was between the sticks.

Last season, Tuchel chose to select defenders who were previously out of favour under Lampard and it instantly shored them up at the back. The inclusion of defenders like Marcos Alonso and Antonio Rudiger, along with Ben Chilwell returning from injury were key in reducing the number of chances Chelsea conceded. The emergence of Reece James as an international-quality full back also added further quality to their back line which is capably led by club captain, César Azpilicueta, and further supported by experienced internationals Andreas Christensen, Kurt Zouma and Emerson. Tuchel has developed a confidence that these players have when they are selected and long and being able to call on reliable squad players is essential in such a long and demanding season. If Kounde joins from Sevilla, then he will provide Tuchel with a very pleasant selection headache, as the Chelsea defence certainly doesn’t lack quality or depth.

Midfield is also another area where Chelsea are blessed with an embarrassment of riches. World-class talents defensive-midfielders such as N’Golo Kante, Jorginho and Mateo Kovacic, provide both extra cover to the Blues’ defence, but also give the attacking midfielders the freedom to roam forward at will. The young, energetic attacking midfielders will prove a handful for any opposing team, with Mason Mount (22), Kai Havertz (22), Christian Pulisic (22) possessing the kind of speed and skill that can instantly turn defence into attack. The pre-season form of Hakim Ziyech is also encouraging, as he struggled last year after a couple of injuries marred his debut season. The midfield contains a good balance of defensive, holding players and exciting, creative talents that can all contribute to making this another title-winning season. We haven’t even mentioned other squad players like Callum Hudson-Odoi, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Ross Barkley who might be called upon during the season if Chelsea are competing across a number of different tournaments.

After his €53 million move to Chelsea, Timo Werner’s goal return last season was often criticised. However when you look at his overall contribution to the side throughout the season, he should be relatively satisfied with his first season in English football. Indeed, Werner was the first player to record double figures in both goals and assists in his debut season since Eden Hazard in the 2012-13 season. The young German forward can look forward to playing alongside Romelu Lukaku this season, with less scrutiny and pressure on his shoulders with the Belgian’s arrival.

The Blues’ greatest title rivals this season are clearly the reigning champions, Manchester City. Guardiola’s squad lack an elite-level forward and their proposed move Harry Kane has currently stalled means they will at least start the season with only Gabriel Jesus spear-heading their attack.

Chelsea are the favourites to win the Premier League, given the current transfer situation, but of course anything can happen in football and the arrival of Harry Kane (or even Lionel Messi!) to the Etihad would change the landscape considerably.

 

Do you agree that Chelsea are the favourites to win this season’s Premier League? Let us know what you think!

 

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Drew is a lifelong sports fan from Bristol who currently lives and works in Hong Kong. He has a keen interest in football, rugby, cricket, F1 and NFL.

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