Chelsea return to the best league in the world after a disappointing 2023/24 season. Their 6th place finish means they’ve earned themselves a spot in the Europa Conference League play-offs – which most fans feel doesn’t even count for European Football. For a club as big as Chelsea, it’s always Champions League qualification or bust – and the two-time Champions League winners will have to wait until next year to try their hand against the world’s best. If you ask a Chelsea fan if they think the club can win the Premier League this year, their level-headed fans will say no. Their fanatical, irrational fans will probably say no too. But finishing in the top 4 positions of the table is very possible this year, and that goal is certainly on the minds of Chelsea’s deep roster this season.
Keys to Success
Chelsea shockingly has an even deeper squad than the list below suggests, due to a bizarre transfer policy and a seemingly unlimited war chest. But delving into the nitty-gritty, 3rd and 4th string options in a squad that’s playing in a third-tier European competition probably isn’t how Blues fans want to spend their leisure time. Instead, let’s take a look at three key players, and how new manager Enzo Maresca may try to unleash their full potential.
| Position | Premier League/Knockout UECL Starter | Conference League Group Stage Starter | Backup | FA/League Cup |
| LW | Sterling | Mudryk | Neto | |
| ST | Jackson | Nkunku | Guiu | |
| RW | Pedro Neto | Madueke | Palmer | |
| CAM | Palmer | Nkunku | Chukwuemeka | |
| LDM | Caicedo | Dewsbury-Hall | ||
| RDM | Enzo | Lavia | ||
| LB | Cucurella | Chilwell | ||
| LCB | Colwill | Badiashile | ||
| RCB | Tosin | Fofana | Disasi | |
| RB | Reece James | Gusto | ||
| GK | Jorgensen | Sanchez | Petrovic |
Cole Palmer
22 goals and 11 assists in 33 matches. A headliner on several of Pitch Analytics’s Top 10 lists. Believed by many to be the coldest in the league. Do you need any more convincing that Palmer is Chelsa’s best player?
It remains to be seen whether Enzo Maresca intends to deploy Palmer through the middle in the #10 role, or on the right wing, allowing the Englishman to cut in on his lethal left foot. Surely the 22-year-old will be eager to wreak havoc against his former club, Manchester City, during Chelsea’s home opener this season.
Reece James
He joined Chelsea’s academy at the age of 6, and he’s currently living the boyhood dream of many London natives as Chelsea’s club captain. But considering the 205 days he missed during the 2023/24 season, maybe he’s living something of a nightmare? Reece’s potential as a right back is unmatched – strong, pacy, defensively sound, creative on the attack, and as determined as anyone.
Perhaps Enzo Maresca can guide Reece to a return to the form he demonstrated when Chelsea won the 2021 Champions League. Rumor is that Enzo plans to invert Reece James as something of a defensive midfielder in a 3-2-5 formation when Chelsea has the ball. This role seems to negate Reece’s best traits on the right side of the pitch, but maybe with less running, he’ll be able to keep his fitness. Time will tell.
Christopher Nkunku
The Frenchman unfortunately only featured in 11 games last season due to injury, with a meager haul of 3 goals. Nkunku is an interesting profile for a forward because he isn’t necessarily a traditional, old-fashioned #9, nor is he a classic #10, nor does he thrive on either wing. So where will the former Bundesliga star fit into Enzo’s system? If Nicolas Jackson’s finishing woes persist, Enzo Maresca will have some tough decisions to make.
Unfortunately, we’re not in the early 2000s anymore. If we were, Nkunku could rock up in a baggy, collared Umbro kit and play as a second-striker, right behind a bigger, more physically imposing #9 in a classic 4-4-2 formation with a staggered front two up top. This is the role and system where I imagine Nkunku would thrive – is it possible that Enzo Maresca finds a way to utilize his strengths in a similar fashion? In his best season in the Bundesliga, Nkunku managed 20 goals and 13 assists in 34 matches – I fear it may be now or never if the Frenchman is to replicate this form in England.
Season Predictions
4th place finish. Champions League qualification. The road to a 3rd European title begins now.