DBasia.news – Chelsea are intensively refining the squad ahead of the 2020-21 season. Hakim Ziyech, Timo Werner, Ben Chilwell, Thiago Silva, and Malang Sarr were brought in. Meanwhile, Kai Havertz is expected to arrive in the near future.
With the injection of a new line of players, Chelsea have become the top four most active club in the transfer market. Instantly Chelsea were predicted to be a strong candidate to win the Premier League.
The question arises, are Chelsea really a strong candidate to win? Will an expensive squad allow Chelsea to compete with Liverpool and Manchester City, the two clubs that have recently dominated the Premier League? What about The Blues’ chances in the Champions League?
“I think this season is too early for Chelsea to be able to compete with Man City and Liverpool. I think the two clubs are still in front,” said Julien Laurens, ESPN football observer.
But of course, Chelsea are already on the right track with all their activities in the transfer market. Because Lampard desperately needs an injection of new players considering that Chelsea missed the previous transfer window related to sanctions.
Then what are the realistic targets that can be achieved by Chelsea? With a stronger squad, finishing in third is mandatory for Chelsea. Below that would be a failure. Of course this is a job that is not easy for Lampard.
In addition to reaching third place, Chelsea also had to finish closer than the top and runners-up. Unlike last season where the points for the Blues were very far behind Liverpool and Man City. If you are able to thin the distance, then Chelsea are already on the winning track, at least for the next season.
What have been the challenges Lampard has faced this season? Frank Lampard is of course aware that at the moment he has a squad of good players, but the majority are newcomers to the Premier League. They come from different clubs, competitions and styles of play. Of course it will take time to adjust to the climate of the Premier League. It must be remembered that many players who have performed well in other competitions have failed to adapt and did not appear as expected when they arrived in the Premier League.
It is this period of adjustment that City or Liverpool do not face which will only continue what they did last season, with minor adjustments. In other words, for this season Chelsea did not actually give Lampard heavy demands to become champions. However, finishing in third place must be a necessity with the spent capital.
What could be a problem is if Roman Abramovich, the owner, immediately hopes for instant results. Understandably after missing the two transfer windows, Abramovich ended up pouring a lot of money.
Of course Abramovich wants to see his investment pay off as soon as possible. The Russian tycoon certainly has high expectations, even up to the Premier League and Champions League trophies.
Previously, it was reported that Abramivich had lost interest in Chelsea. In fact, he was rumored to be selling ownership of Chelsea. But last season without spending on players, Chelsea was able to break into the top four. The fire of Abramovich’s love for Chelsea has been burning again, which is reflected in a number of new players who have entered.
“Lampard managed to get a ticket to the Champions League. The competition Roman Abramovich has always wanted,” said Dharmesh Sheth, a journalist for Sky Sports News.
The achievement of entering the top four last season was unexpected, but Lampard was able to achieve it. Now Lampard is faced with a heavier task and burden.
“What Roman Abramovich wanted as a minimum target last season was achieved. But with the purchase of new players the scenario is different. Lampard must not make mistakes. With the money spent, Abramovich wants results and a series of trophies,” said Sheth. “Abramovich has sacked many managers who reaped better results than Lampard last season.”
“He fired Jose Mourinho twice, Carlo Ancelotti won the double in 2010, but finished second in the Premier League, was also sacked. So Lampard should have realized the challenges he is facing today are different from last season,” Sheth added.