If you think back to late May of 2021, there were not many people who thought that Chelsea would end that year on top of the world.

But the Blues did just that, stunning Manchester City 1-0 in the UEFA Champions League Final, and then winning their first FIFA Club World Cup with a 2-1 win over Palmeiras.

With that season still fresh in Chelsea fans’ heads, last year must have been a nightmare.

Roman Abromovich had to sell the team, and Todd Boehly came in and immediately spent more money on the Chelsea squad than some countries spend in a year. He also sacked Thomas Tuchel, then hired Graham Potter, sacked him, brought in Frank Lampard, then brought in Mauricio Pochettino.

Oh, and Chelsea finished 12th in the Premier League.

Yikes.

So it can’t be worse in 2023-24 for the Blues, right?

Right?

Action Network oddsmakers have Chelsea with the fifth best odds to make a swift return to the top four of the top flight, and there are many people who think that is a realistic goal in Pochettino’s first year. With all the money spent by Boehly, that might be the least the players should achieve. 

“It’s going to be a challenging season because of different responsibilities,” former Chelsea hero Gus Poyet said. “Chelsea need to maintain a certain level for the manager this season. If you play for a top 6 club like Chelsea, you need to win all the time, or take it when you lose and move on to the next game to make sure you don’t lose two in a row.

“There are plenty of new young players that need to grow up very quickly at Chelsea. Forget everything that happened before, now they’re at Chelsea they need to win – that’s the bottom line. So, if the new midfielders click well, it’s a plus. When I was in the tunnel at Chelsea, I looked around at the players and I saw Dennis Wise, Roberto Di Matteo, I’m there and I’m happy – we want to play. If on top of that you’ve got Giafranco Zola, then I wish the opposition all the best. That’s the feeling I want the new midfield to have. You want them to feel that they’re going to be ok playing with each other before every game.

“I don’t know if the players feel that togetherness, but the connection between the players is what made our squad play naturally, and I want them to get that, because the midfield trio of Kante, Kovacic and Jorginho played with each other for many years so it’s a big change.”

It may be a blessing for Chelsea to have no European football, as the Blues try to build a cohesive squad. Poyet thinks Chelsea should just be trying to focus on getting back into the Champions League this season, and then build on that, much like Manchester United is trying to do this year.

“I think top four should be the aim for Chelsea,” Poyet said. “If you had asked me this question maybe a couple of years ago after winning the Champions League, I would say they needed to win a trophy, because that’s the usual for Chelsea. Now after last season which was very complicated, and all the changes that have been made in the summer, it is difficult to say to Pochettino from the beginning to win a trophy.

“But I’m sure he will have to aim for that. In regard to the Premier League, they need to finish in the top 4. With the money they’re spending, they need to be in the Champions League for sure.”

Prediction: 

Mauricio Pochettino will have Chelsea fighting for trophies, and should have the Blues right in the mix for top four. If everything goes well, Chelsea finishes fourth: more realistically, the Blues finish in a Europa League place, either fifth or sixth.

Top 4 odds via Action Network 

Manchester City 1/16

Arsenal 1/3 

Liverpool 2/5

Manchester Utd 8/13

Chelsea 13/8 

Newcastle 13/8 

Tottenham 4/1

Brighton 13/2 

Aston Villa 9/1 

West Ham 33/1