Chelsea: Why 2018/19 Has Somehow Turned Into a Good Season for the Blues

It wouldn't be Chelsea if their season was not littered with devastating lows as well as incredible highs. The Blues have now secured Champions League football for next season, and could even do so as the third-best team in the Premier League this season.

Nobody really knows how, but Maurizio Sarri's men have managed to find a way to dine at Europe's biggest table, and that means this has been a good season for Chelsea.

The club's ambitions have changed drastically throughout the season. They began on the hunt for the top four, then changed to potentially winning the title, then back to the top four. At one point, the goal was even "let's just make sure we don't drop to seventh".

Now the season is almost over, and everyone involved at the club can move on and be thankful that they have saved themselves from another season of Europa League football. They are a ​Champions League side once again, which brings about a huge boost in revenue as well as a stronger lure when it comes to the transfer market.

Top players want Champions League football, and they can get that at Stamford Bridge. That may not be enough to keep ​Eden Hazard around, but it will go a long way to helping secure a suitable replacement (assuming the impending transfer ban is frozen).

There have been plenty of problems this season, such as Maurizio Sarri's unwillingness to alter either his personnel or his tactics, but they could soon become positives. Sarri has a season in the ​Premier League under his belt, and has learned how the world works in England. He has seen who in his squad is worth keeping, and who needs replacing.

There have even been signs that his inflexibility is starting to fade. Both Callum Hudson-Odoi and ​Ruben Loftus-Cheek have made significant breakthroughs into the side towards the end of the season, and many fans will agree that the side is far better with the pair involved.

Ruben Loftus-Cheek,Callum Hudson-Odoi

Plus, let's not forget about developments away from Stamford Bridge. Youngsters like Fikayo Tomori, Mason Mount, Reece James, Tammy Abraham and Ola Aina have all impressed out on loan, and they all look ready to make their mark on the ​Chelsea first team. The squad, as a whole, is stronger than it was at this stage last year, although Hazard leaving could spoil things.

Winning the Europa League would certainly be a fantastic finale to a great season but, with Champions League football wrapped up, it's definitely not the be-all and end-all.

It's been a bumpy road, but Chelsea have made it to the end relatively unscathed. It may not live long in the memory, but this season has been exactly what Chelsea needed it to be. The ends have justified the means. They are back amongst Europe's elite, and now it's time to continue moving forward.


Source : 90min