English Premier League Preview – Chelsea F.C.

We at 32 Flags are previewing every team in the English Premier League, two teams a day until the beginning of the season. Get ready as we preview your favorite team or maybe we can help you pick a team to root for if you are undecided so far. Today, we’re covering Chelsea.

Chelsea F.C.

Founded – 1905

Last Year Position – 3rd Place (Champions League)

Transfers In (As of 8/7) – Cesc Fabregas, Diego Costa, Filipe Luis and Didier Drogba

Transfers Out (As of 8/7) – David Luiz, Ashley Cole, Frank Lampard, Samuel Eto’o, Demba Ba, Romelu Lukaku

Projected Finish (Voted among 32 Flags staff) – 2nd place

Rivalries – West London Derby with QPR (11/8 and 5/9), Arsenal (10/4 and 4/25) and Liverpool (11/8 and 5/9)

Famous Supporters – Former President Bill Clinton, Sir Michael Caine, Will Ferrell and Gordon Ramsay among others

 

Chelsea fell just short of winning the EPL title for a fifth time. In their first season in the second reign under Jose Mourinho, Chelsea competed with Manchester City and Liverpool for the top spot in the EPL but fell to 3rd place after some tough losses late in the season to Crystal Palace, Aston Villa and Sunderland.

They still comfortably placed in Champions League and used the money to strengthen the squad. For a team who has recently been a target for overspending, Chelsea has been keeping to a budget over the summer. They spent big but they also sold big. They sold David Luiz, Romelu Lukaku and Demba Ba for a total of 82 million pounds and bought Cesc Fabregas, Diego Costa and Filipe Luis for a total of 75 million pounds so they’re actually making money. They got rid of players like Ashley Cole, Frank Lampard and Samuel Eto’o, who demanded large wages and used that to sign Didier Drogba back to the team on a free transfer. Now Drogba is likely to demand large wages too but at getting rid of three of those players makes up for it.

Chelsea is set up for a title run. They are likely the favorites to win along with Manchester City. They will probably be in a two horse race for the title this year. In the end, I believe Chelsea falls just short and that might be because of Frank Lampard’s contributions on loan at Manchester City this fall before he goes to NYCFC permanently. It will be an intriguing storyline to follow in the first few months of the season.

If you want to compete against us and other fans, feel free to sign up for our fantasy EPL league at http://fantasy.premierleague.com/my-leagues/259028/join/?autojoin-code=1087976-259028. We will give prizes for the best team name and the winner of the league. The more people who sign up mean the better the prizes so sign up and tell your friends.

About Phillip Bupp

Producer/editor of the Awful Announcing Podcast and Short and to the Point. News editor for The Comeback and Awful Announcing. Highlight consultant for Major League Soccer as well as a freelance writer for hire. Opinions are my own but feel free to agree with them. Follow me on Twitter and Instagram @phillipbupp

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