'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Chelsea are one of the most successful English clubs in the Premier League era, having won every trophy available in the last ten years. Since Roman Abramovich bought the club in 2003, its fortunes have changed drastically; the best players and coaches arrived at Stamford Bridge and made his dream of turning Chelsea into a super club a reality.
The Blues go into every season with expectations of winning the league, owing to their recent history of dominance, and this season would not be an exception.
Though there have been off-field issues, boardroom upheaval, and a Premier League novice coach's arrival, Chelsea would still begin the season as one of the strong contenders for the Premier League title in the coming season.
Here are three reasons why.
#3 The element of surprise
As stated earlier, Chelsea have a lot of non-football issues, ex-coach Antonio Conte was relieved of his duties in acrimonious circumstances, and reports indicate he might take legal action against the club.
Long-time Technical Director Michael Emenalo - who oversaw most of the club's transfer activities - departed last season for Monaco after falling out with club director Marina Granovskaia over her decisions in the boardroom.
Conte was reportedly furious with Emenalo's departure, and this was a further cause of friction in the fractious relationship between him and the board.
Plans for a stadium upgrade also means that funds for transfers are not easily accessible compared to before while, on the personnel front, it's not all rosy either, as most of Chelsea's key players are being linked with moves away from the club, with Jorginho being the only key arrival.
The relationship between the board and coaches of most of Chelsea's rivals are smooth, getting the requisite support to get players of interest in the transfer market, while the same cannot be said for Chelsea.
A lot of these factors have made people overlook Chelsea in the discussions for serious contenders for the next league champions, and not much is expected from the London Club going into the new season.
However, humans tend to use criticism and doubt as inspiration to succeed, and footballers are no exception. We have heard countless stories of football teams and players who defied the odds against them and went onto achieve greatness.
Chelsea could use their complications as motivation to surprise everyone with a strong title push, similar to the scenario in Conte's debut season, where Mourinho left a toxic dressing room behind and Conte inherited a team whose chances were dismissed at the start of the season.
He turned doubters into believers by using their underdog status as a springboard to launch Chelsea into winning the league title in record-breaking fashion, and the same could happen again this season under Sarri.
#2 Recent history is in their favour
Italian coaches have a history of doing well at Chelsea. Two of the last three Italian coaches to have managed Chelsea have won the Premier League in their debut season; Carlo Ancelotti in 2010, and Antonio Conte in 2017, while Roberto Di Matteo guided them to their maiden Champions League crown in 2012.
Both league titles were won in unexpected fashion, with Ancelotti masterminding a beautiful attacking brand of football (his team scored the then-league-record number of goals in a season which was broken by Man City last year) to halt Manchester United's run of three consecutive Premier League titles.
Conte also delivered the title in emphatic style, stringing together a joint-record number of consecutive victories, and most victories in a single season (both broken by City) en route their Premier League win.
He also had a major impact on English football, winning the league with a distinct back-three system, which was so effective that as many as 15 other Premier League clubs, as well as the England national team, have gone on to adopt some form of the same tactics.
Maurizio Sarri is an Italian coach, with an extremely high tactical acumen (which all Italian coaches seem to possess), and he comes with an aesthetic style of football which will be a treat to watch in the Premier League.
His Napoli side were one of the more entertaining sides to watch last season and, even though at 59 years, he is yet to win a major trophy in his managerial career. If history favours him like it did his compatriots, he could well be hoisted in the air alongside the most valuable domestic title in European football come May next year.
#1 Eden Hazard and N'Golo Kante seem set to stay
Eden Hazard has long been touted as the next Galactico and, with Cristiano Ronaldo's shocking transfer to Juventus, those speculations increased in intensity, with the player himself being coy about pledging his future to Chelsea.
N'Golo Kante was also a reported target of Barcelona, with rumours linking the World Cup winner with a transfer to the Camp Nou.
However, those speculations seem to have cooled off and both players seem set to remain at Stamford Bridge for at least another season, which will be extremely pleasing to Maurizio Sarri, as the duo are vital cogs in Chelsea's wheel.
They undoubtedly strengthen any team in the world and will be crucial to everything The Blues set out to achieve.
Kante's work ethic is legendary; the sheer number of games the Frenchman has played over the last three seasons without almost any break is staggering and he shows no signs of fatigue. His ball recovery and interception rates are phenomenal while he is second to none in cleanly breaking up oppositions' play.
Despite not getting as much credit and recognition as the more glamorous forwards, Kante has been the premier defensive midfielder in the world over the last three seasons and Chelsea need him in their ranks in their quest for league glory.
Eden Hazard was the PFA Player of the Year in 2015, and even though he has had consistency issues, on his day, he is easily one of the best forwards in world football and has the key to unlock any defence.
His Siver Ball performance at the 2018 World Cup was a reminder of his immense qualities and, with him in the squad, Chelsea have a genuine shot at becoming league champions again.
