Last Season Summary
It was a tale of two halves for the Blues, one filled with frustration, the other marked with celebration. Frank Lampard‘s managerial experiment did not go to plan. Chelsea were sputtering along in the season’s first half and, with all the new toys brought in to play with like Timo Werner, Hakim Ziyech and Kai Havertz, big things were expected after a season in which they were unable to conduct any transfer activity. But club legend Lampard simply could not get the job done. Once the calendar flipped to 2021 and Thomas Tuchel was brought in, Chelsea began to find their way and had just enough time to edge out Leicester City for the fourth and final Champions League spot, though by winning that competition shortly after the league’s season ended, the Blues would have earned their place in the tournament next season regardless. While the new additions struggled at times to provide the impact that was expected of them, strides were seen in talent already on the roster in the developmental growth of figures like Mason Mount and Christian Pulisic. Both, at times, looked to have taken that big step toward locking in regular playing time, and for the most part, Mount appears to be an established first-teamer. Pulisic, meanwhile, still has some hurdles to leap before claiming such status.
What mattered most for Chelsea, though, was appointing Tuchel and turning the season around. He set a club record by going undefeated in his first 14 games in charge, and the Blues have a long list of respected managers to give that accomplishment real weight. Another stat that told the story for Chelsea’s season was who led the club in goal-scoring in league play. If you told me over Christmas last year that Frank Lampard‘s Blues would be led by Jorginho in the goal-scoring department by the end of the season, but would still finish top four, make the FA Cup final and win the Champions League, I would clap back by saying “that is simply impossible”. And yet...So, while Chelsea can look back on the season as a “success” it was not by any means a cakewalk and from a fantasy perspective, players were not necessarily putting up numbers you would expect from a top 4 side.
Summer Subtractions
Olivier Giroud - Let’s face it, Giroud has a place among FPL legends. Not for being consistently among the biggest producers by the end of every season, but for having the ability to always score goals at crucial times. It seemed for years at Chelsea, he would spend 75 minutes on the bench, come on for 15 minutes and score. He had several gigantic scoring moments for Arsenal during his playing days there. Even with France’s international squad, Giroud would find ways to have an influence despite being lower in the pecking order. He has now moved on to AC Milan.
Fikayo Tomori - The young center back made only one appearance in league play for the Blues last season after managing to make a bit of noise the season prior, in which he featured 15 times. He, too, moves to AC MIlan with Giroud, after having recently played there on loan last season. Thomas Tuchel still has plenty of veteran mouth to feed at the position, with César Azpilicueta, Antoino Rudiger, Andreas Christensen, Kurt Zouma and Thiago Silva still on the squad for now. The even younger Marc Guehi, who played on loan for Swansea last season, is another center back that departs, heading a few miles down to road from Stamford Bridge to join Crystal Palace.
Summer Additions
As of this writing, Chelsea have yet to bring any new players in. That certainly does not mean they are actively pursuing them. In fact, the Blues are doing their level best to make a very big splash by talking Borussia Dortmund into a transfer of probably the highest-rated striker on the planet in Erling Haaland. His latest transfer fee attempt being in the neighborhood of £130m. That is probably more money than the entire roster of half the teams in the league. Timo Werner‘s first season as the spearhead of Chelsea’s attack was a mixed bag result, finding himself on occasion playing behind or to the side of another striker. With the departure of Giroud as well as the likely departure of Tammy Abraham, Chelsea’s complete shopping wish list may not be known, but they are certainly gunning for a big name forward. Also, for those of you with a penchant for the nostalgic will be excited to hear that Eden Hazard has been rumored to be in line for a return to the Blues after a not-so-successful run with Real Madrid.
Club Needs
What the club may need now, more than anything, is to figure out the right chemistry with the personnel they already have, because if you look at their roster, you could make a case that, on paper, this is a team that can challenge for the title. However, last season was a seemingly-never-ending turnstile of players coming in and out of the XI while Frank Lampard was in charge. Tuchel looks to have addressed that need in the five months he has been at the helm. Other than a big forward signing, there are no pressing voids in the squad. But that has never stopped Chelsea from shopping before, scooping up prospects from around the globe and have them develop somewhere in the system.
They could also stand to ship some players away. Kepa has been a stain on the roster since his failed time as the Blues #1. Hakim Ziyech‘s first season was not a success, and the club are looking to sell him. What’s to become of figures like Ruben Loftus-Cheek or Ross Barkley? Another loan spell somewhere else, perhaps? Can Callum-Hudson Odoi make another impression on the wing? Because the Blues are loaded up on forward-thinking midfielders and wingers that deserve to be playing regularly somewhere, if not at the Bridge.
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Position Battles
Which brings us to the biggest question for the Blues...who is going to get regular playing time, or are we in for another season where too many players are entering and exiting a starting role and putting fantasy mangers off from adding them to their roster. It is no wonder that Edouard Mendy was one of Chelsea’s most rostered players in FPL. He could cover clean sheets from what was a pretty good defense without the worry of a position battle. The same should be true as this season starts. Chelsea may be looking for a backup, but no plans to replace Mendy.
The defense should be pretty set when the season starts. Playing a wingback formation with three center backs is what carried the Blues to a top 4 finish, a spot in the FA Cup final and, of course, the winning formula that landed them another Champions League Trophy. Ben Chilwell and Reece James look set to occupy the wings, with Marcos Alonso spelling Chilwell here and there on the left, and a few options to fill in when need be for James on the right, including Hudson-Odoi, who saw some time there last season. In the middle, you have cagey veterans Thiago Silva, Antonio Rüdiger and César Azpilicueta seemingly first choice after being the trio that helped shut Manchester City down on their way to that CL trophy. Silva, at the age of 36, seems least likely to hold a job down all season, with Kurt Zouma probably the highest on the depth chart looking to break into the XI.
At the base of midfield, things appear rather settled. N’Golo Kanté, one of the very best, along with Jorginho, are set it and forget it midfielders that may not garner much FPL appeal, but score big in most other fantasy formats. There is no reason to think they will not spend another year as the two key staples in that area of the pitch, with Mateo Kovacic providing cover for either when needed.
The big question that could make or break how the Blues do this season is what shape and what players will occupy the three positions highest up the pitch. For years, we were accustomed to seeing a classic winger formation with a central striker supported by two attackers out wide - the 5-2-3. What Tuchel did was change the front three shape a bit to where the “wide” attackers took a more narrow shape, which is where the likes of Kai Havertz and Mason Mount were best utilized. So it was more of a 5-2-2-1. Because of the recent success this shape has given Chelsea, it will likely be the most common one used as the new season begins, which really spells trouble for someone like Pulisic, who is really suited for a wider role. The US international is going to really have to make the most of what opportunities he is given going forward, because he will have to play well enought to force Tuchel to accommodate him.
Fantasy Take
Last season was just plain weird from a fantasy perspective when talking about the Blues. When FPL first launched last summer, and leading up to Week 1, all I could think was “man, Werner is cheap. In fact, all of Chelsea’s assets seem to be underpriced, because surely one or two will emerge as fantasy beasts and make a mockery of their price tag, and yet...that did not happen. Goals were spread so evenly across the squad that no one player really earned a long-term run in an FPL team. So they went from a team oozing with “value” to a big club that I could simply ignore because no one player was a fantasy essential. Will that be the case again this season?
The rational part of the brain would have to conclude “no”. In all likelihood, there is a double-digit goal-getter in this side that will make his season-starting price tag look silly. If Haaland comes in, certainly he would be the candidate. But he will surely go for at least 10m in price. Mason Mount and Kai Havertz (7.5m and 8.5m, respectively) look to be the best bets for now to at least match their value, if not, exceed it by a considerable margin.
Chelsea’s defensive record may make having someone from the back a “must” in the FPL game, but given a tough opening run of fixtures, folks appear set to try and get away without representation there. That should change once that opening five games is out of the way. It may come down to your funds but Chilwell would seem the best asset from the back at the 6m tag, with Reece James offering the most upside at the 5.5m price.
Final Takeaway
FPL - Mount is the only Chelsea player currently rostered by as much as 20% of managers, so there is thankfully little pressure to try and roster the right one to begin week one with. Sure, it is a tasty matchup with Crystal Palace, but the Blues then have to take on two London rivals, Arsenal and Spurs, as well as a trip to Anfield in three of the next four games. This looks like a classic wait-and-see game. I can picture around Week 5, folks getting that itchy wildcard finger, and seeing the fixtures brighten up for Chelsea...that is when you want to get in on the bandwagon before everyone else does.
Draft - Were I drafting today, I would have to avoid Timo Werner, because the Haaland rumors are strong, and if they don’t bring him in, another big forward will certainly be brought in to challenge Werner. But someone else in your draft will reach for him like he is the unquestioned nailed-on starter. Could he emerge as being just that? Sure. But I cannot risk a high draft pick or tons of auction budget on that risk. Ziyech and Pulisic will both be drafted in just about every league they are in, but unless you are getting them in rounds later than expected, they seem risky as well. Again, Kante and Jorginho in the middle will be set-it-and-forget-it plays, and I do expect one of the better defensive records in the league this season from the Blues, so if you feel like you might want to grab a defender or Mendy a round earlier than they are generally going, it is a prudent move.
