After winning the UEFA Champions League and Super Cup, here are 3 bold reasons why a revitalized Chelsea squad is finally ready to win the Premier League title.
With the exit of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo from La Liga, The Spanish league has seen a drop in its level of competition. Meanwhile, the English league has increased its difficulty for teams to succeed. As seen in the last UEFA Champions League, two English teams are capable of ousting everyone out to reach the final.
Furthermore, this can be a problem for Chelsea; today, the Premier League is just bigger and better.
The Blues have to worry about talented teams like Manchester City, Liverpool, Manchester United, and even a team like Everton is starting to make noise recently. At the present time, England is the place to be for challenging and competitive club football.
Here are three bold reasons why Chelsea will edge out every other championship contender in the Premier League.
Thomas Tuchel's brilliance
Football fans surely won't forget where Chelsea was last year. The club's former manager and legend Frank Lampard, was sacked as the club looked utterly lost during the early part of the Premier League season, sitting at ninth place on the table.
Despite spending over $292 million in transfer fees for world-class players such as Kai Havertz and Timo Werner, the club's performance did not live up to the abundance of cash spent last summer.
Tuchel's plans to revolutionize a talented squad were evident as soon as he arrived at Chelsea's training ground. The team managed to garner 18 clean sheets in 23 matches since the German took charge back in January.
Today, Chelsea currently embodies the essential philosophies brought by the German tactician. A current observation is that the Blues seem to be motivated on the pitch compared to Lampard's managerial tenure with the club.
Tuchel somehow brought a winning culture to Chelsea, based on their recently accumulated trophies and performances against top-tier English clubs.
Via Sports illustrated
“We want to be the team that nobody wants to play against in any competition and we want to play like it on Sunday.”
“This is very important to have this attitude. It’s normal that things don't go in your direction in 90 minutes so you have to be able to fight through difficult moments. This is what we do to overcome these moments,”the German stressed.
Even a championship-caliber team has its own ups and downs. This is why Tuchel's mentality is an essential factor that aids the club in digging deep and maintaining greatness throughout the season, despite different challenges along the way.
Aside from that, Tuchel's intense leadership is seen during matches. He constantly scolds players whenever they make mistakes, encourages the squad to give their best, and visibly engages with the entire team— constantly on his feet, shouting different instructions.
Given the Premier League's tough level of competition, Tuchel is the right man to lead the Blues in reaching the pinnacle of English football.
Romelu Lukaku's return
Chelsea's Champions League-winning squad can be considered as a stacked lineup. However, throughout the season, the Blues experienced problems in attack.
Timo Werner had a puzzling debut season for the club. Despite having his own shining moments, the striker's performance was quite inconsistent.
With the return of superstar Romelu Lukaku, Chelsea has the opportunity to utilize a consistent attacking option. The Belgian previously led Inter Milan to win the Serie A title last season.
Lukaku's impact on the team has been evident; he managed to score three goals to start the season while performing consistently in his short stint with the club. It's been a while since Chelsea has had a dynamic striker similar to Lukaku, and wearing the number 9 won't be much of an adjustment for the Belgian.
Via Ap News
“The English game is different,” he said. “It’s not something new, it’s just getting back here and adapt to my teammates. Whatever game plan that the coach has, I can adapt myself and help the team.”
“With the Belgian national team we play in the same system, so that’s already a good thing,” he said.
Belgium's all-time leading scorer is also aligned with Tuchel's philosophies.
“There is a good intensity. The coach (Thomas Tuchel) is very clear with his ideas,” Lukaku said. “Everybody wants to work hard and to keep improving and most importantly win. Those things really fit with my ambitions.”
This isn't a knock on Timo Werner at all; the German is one of football's most promising players today. But, as of now, Lukaku is just better and deserves more minutes.
Lukaku's consistent and deadly attacking style will show throughout the season, and it will be a crucial factor in allowing Chelsea to win the coveted English trophy.
A unified core
Another achievement of Thomas Tuchel is that he unlocked the full capability of the squad's young core.
Mason Mount's breakout season was crucial for the club, as well as Kai Havertz's eventual return to form. Reece James has also seen a significant jump in playing time, and his best performance as a Blue would be his defensive masterclass against Raheem Sterling in the Champions League final.
Additionally, Eduoard Mendy builds on his wonderful season, continuously racking up clean sheets and tremendous saves.
Tuchel may have motivated these young players from the jump, as he shared in April that the existing young core can be an advantage against strong teams.
Via football london
“When we need to turn it around we cannot rely on the biggest experience, but we can rely on a hard-working young group and hopefully we will stay adventurous and brave enough to accept a big challenge, it will be a big one coming,” the German shared.
True enough, this young core was one of the reasons why Chelsea was able to take down giants like Real Madrid and Manchester City in the Champions League.
Apart from having young guns, leadership and experience are still essential for a championship team to succeed. Chelsea doesn't lack in that aspect. Team captain Cesar Azpilicueta has been a vocal team captain who knows his role and performs it at the biggest stage.
N'Golo Kante's immense Champions League performance is also an example of existing leadership in this team. The Frenchman was spectacular; he defended consistently and created multiple attacking scenarios for the team. He was recently nominated for the Ballon d'Or 2021 award, proving that his impact translates to the team's overall success.
With the right blend of experience and intensity provided by Chelsea's existing leadership, together with an effective young core, and a superstar return, no Premier League team is as complete as Chelsea.
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