This is the final part of this four-part series. You can read Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3
Thomas Tuchel: January 2021 to September 2022
Thomas Tuchel was officially appointed to replace Frank Lampard a day after the latter left. The German far surpassed the expectations and quickly gained adoration at the club.
Domestically, Tuchel managed his own. He was in charge for 19 Premier League games and 11 of those ended in a win, 5 in a draw and only 3 were losses. Chelsea therefore finished fourth on the table. Tuchel got Chelsea to a final by April, beating Manchester City in the semifinals of the FA Cup. However, Chelsea lost the title in a 1-0 loss to Leicester City.
As for Europe, Tuchel and Chelsea wrote quite the story as the underdogs of the Champions League. The Blues won the UEFA Champions League final against the mighty Manchester City, against all odds. To make it even more special, Chelsea ended their UCL campaign with nine clean sheets, only conceding four goals en route to their second-ever Champions League title.
Three months later, Chelsea further claimed their place in Europe by winning the UEFA Super Cup against Villarreal. Within his first eight months at Chelsea, Thomas Tuchel had won two trophies. The future was looking bright.
Tuchel began his first full season at Chelsea with a statement by winning six of their first nine games of the 2021/22 season in all competitions.
Come February 2022, The Blues had another piece of silverware to add to their collection. Chelsea had won the FIFA Club World Cup by beating Palmerias 2-1 in the final.
By the end of the season, Chelsea finished third in the Premier League with 21 wins and only 6 losses. Chelsea had also gotten to the finals of both domestic cups they participated in – EFL and FA Cups. However, they did not manage to acquire wins in either.
However, Chelsea went no further than the quarterfinals of the Champions League. They lost the first leg to 3-1 Real Madrid and were close to turning things around in the second leg, but a 3-2 win for the Blues just wasn’t enough.
Tuchel finished the season with only one trophy, but it appeared that Chelsea was heading in the right direction. It looked like the right decision to go forward with Tuchel, however, under the new ownership, a lot changed.
Following only seven games, in which Chelsea had won only thrice, the club parted ways with Thomas Tuchel.
Graham Potter: September 2022 to April 2023
Graham Potter was the first manager to be hired under the new ownership – Todd Boehly with BlueCo.
Within Potter’s first four months, Chelsea had a record of 8-3-4. The majority of the poor results came from the Premier League, with the most significant loss coming from a third round EFL Cup clash with Manchester City that ended 3-0. Positively, the UCL wins saw Chelsea finish top of their group.
Potter’s next few months were troubling. In January and February, Chelsea only won once in all competitions. March saw better results, with no losses. One win in particular was the second leg of the UCL quarterfinals against Borussia Dortmund where Chelsea turned around a first-leg loss to a second-leg win to take them through to the semifinals.
However, following a 2-2 draw to Everton and a 2-0 loss to Aston Villa along with no clear identity in style of play, Potter’s time at the club was over. His five-year contract with the club came to an early end at the start of April 2023, after only a few months at Stamford Bridge.
Bruno Saltor: April 2023
Bruno Saltor stepped up as interim manager as the club sought a solution. Saltor was in charge for only one game, which ended in a draw against Wolves in the Premier League.
Frank Lampard: April 2023 to June 2023
Frank Lampard made a return to Chelsea when Boehly appointed the Englishman as caretaker manager until the end of the season. The club was yet to decide on who would head the club in the next season.
For the nine Premier League games Lampard was in charge, Chelsea won only once, losing six. Chelsea also lost both legs of the UCL quarterfinals 2-0 each to Real Madrid.
The Blues finished 12th in the Premier League, following 11 wins, 11 draws and 16 losses. Chelsea only managed to score 50 goals in all competitions. Their top-scorer – Kai Havertz – scored seven goals in the Premier League.
The 2022/23 season was Chelsea’s lowest-performing season in nearly three decades. Before this, 1995/96 was the last time Chelsea failed to finish in the top half of the league table. The 2022/23 season was also the club’s lowest league finish since ending the 1993/94 season in 14th.
Mauricio Pochettino: July 2023 to present
Mauricio Pochettino was appointed head coach shortly before pre-season. After a very successful pre-season spell, this almost entirely new team with its new manager looked to have a bright future.
However, the 2023/24 season has proved to be anything but bright for the Blues. In 25 Premier League games so far this season, Chelse has won 10 and lost 10. Under Pochettino, the Blues have been very inconsistent.
Currently sitting 11th in the Premier League, the fight to stay within the top half is proving difficult. Moreover, they recently lost to Liverpool in the EFL Cup final, despite the Reds playing with a depleted squad.
The FA Cup is Chelsea’s only shot at silverware this season. Pochettino will be aiming to lead his Blues to victory. Winning the FA Cup will allow Chelsea to play in Europe again, giving them a UEFA Europa League berth in what will be the first under a new format.
Carlo should never have been let go.