2024 is in the record books and 2025 is here, a year that would have sounded decidedly futuristic back in 1955 when Chelsea first won the First Division, the forerunner to the Premier League. For much of the past five years or so, the club’s future has not looked particularly bright but there are signs that 2025 could certainly be the best year the Blues have enjoyed for some time.
Whilst the club did win the Champions League in 2020/21, that was a success that relied on at least a little fortune and the club finished fourth in the Premier League. Since their last title win in 2016/17 Chelsea have finished as low as 12th in the table, whilst last term they ended in sixth place. Third is the best they have managed since they last won the league but there is reason to believe they could do better than that in 2025.
However, in this article, rather than looking forward to what this exciting young crop of players might achieve, we will instead take a look back at the year that was. How did the Blues get on in 2024?
Year Begins with a Win But Near and Yet So Far in Cups
2025 starts here. ✊ pic.twitter.com/uPVq1UNHhR
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) January 1, 2025
The 2023/24 campaign was not a great one by any stretch of the imagination for Chelsea. However, when we zoom in our 2024, the calendar year did at least start with a resounding 4-0 win. Admittedly it was against Preston in the FA Cup but even so, 12 months ago Blues fans were given a little bit of early year of hope.
The competition was a decent one for the club, managed at that stage (and for the whole season) by Mauricio Pochettino. They got past Villa in a replay, then beat a plucky Leeds 3-2, before defeating Leicester 4-2 in the quarters. However, Manchester City proved their undoing at Wembley in the semis, with Pep Guardiola’s men edging it 1-0.
Poch’s troops also enjoyed a January game in the EFL Cup and in this competition they would go one stage further, making it through to the final. They actually lost to Championship side Middlesbrough on the 9th of January but that was the first leg of the League Cup semis and they more than made amends in the return at the Bridge.
Chelsea booked their first visit of the year to Wembley – ahead of their FA Cup semi – by destroying Boro 6-1 in the second leg. At the end of February, they faced Liverpool, looking to claim their sixth EFL Cup title but the Reds won 1-0 after extra time. They were perhaps a little unlucky but this defeat brought a very unwanted piece of history as the club became the first to lose domestic cup finals in a row. That run dates back to the 2019 loss against City in the EFL Cup final and Enzo Maresca will be hopeful he can stop the rot should he guide the Blues to another final in 2025.
League Form Hit and Miss
Sticking with the first half of the calendar year and the 2023/24 campaign, Chelsea’s form in the Premier League was perhaps better than one might expect of a team that finished sixth. They started the season slowly but ended well to finish as high as sixth. Whilst 2024 began, in Premier League terms, with a win (1-0 over Fulham), they then lost their next two games, 4-1 at Anfield and most worryingly 4-2 at home to Wolves.
However, from that point on the Blues were superb. They lost just one of their final 15 Premier League games, ending the campaign with five straight wins. Somewhat strangely, and very painfully, the only defeat was a 5-0 thumping at the hands of Arsenal – and even more oddly that followed a 6-0 win for the Blues!
2024/25 Showing Real Promise
Cole’s 2024 in numbers. 🥶📈 pic.twitter.com/nWIm0YRRyH
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) December 31, 2024
The Pensioners ended 2023/24 in excellent fashion, FA Cup final defeat aside. With Cole Palmer having announced himself as one of the best young players in the world, many Chelsea fans harboured a sneaky feeling that they could be in for a big season this time around. As usual at the club there was more transfer activity and changes in personnel, including the manager, with Enzo Maresca replacing Poch.
The new Premier League campaign began on the 18th of August and Chelsea welcomed Man City to the Bridge. Maresca lost his first Premier League game in charge 2-0 but a real sign of things to come came a week later away at Wolves when Noni Madueke notched a treble to help the Blues to a 6-2 win. It was clear that life would not be boring watching Palmer and co!
They lost just once more over the first 17 rounds of the competition and that 2-1 defeat at Anfield was hardly something to worry about. On the 22nd of December, they were held to a 0-0 draw at Everton but they were still second in the Premier League at this stage. However, back-to-back defeats followed, including a 2-1 loss at home to Fulham when they had led until the 82nd minute. The second of these losses was Chelsea’s final game of the year and came away at Ipswich.
It was not a great way to end 2024 but Maresca’s men still went into 2025 in fourth place and they certainly have an excellent chance of claiming silverware this year.
Europe a Doddle But EFL Exit
Chelsea essentially named a second-string squad for their Europa Conference League games, with Palmer and others left out entirely. Despite fielding XIs that were very much second choice, Maresca’s youngsters made light work of their opponents in a competition that is, objectively, based on financial power, beneath them.
Of course, Man United and Nottingham Forest are proving that money is not everything; but the disparity between the players Chelsea and other Europa Conference League “rivals” like Armenians Noah, or Irish side Shamrock Rovers, can call on is huge. The Blues have a 100% record in the competition after six games, having scored 26 goals and conceded just five. They are odds-on favourites to go all the way and should certainly hope to deliver silverware.
What’s more, whilst this third-tier tournament is often derided, Chelsea can make history by winning it. If they deliver on their strong favouritism with the bookies they will become the only team to have won all major UEFA tournaments. They have already claimed the Champions League, the Europa League and the now-defunct Cup Winners’ Cup, so this would give them an unparalleled quartet of wins.
One competition they won’t be winning, however, is the EFL Cup, from which they exited the fourth-round stage. Newcastle beat them 2-0 at St James’ Park in the fourth round after they previously put five past Barrow. So, we can say that 2024 was a year in which the club definitely got better, scored lots of goals and, hopefully, laid the foundations for a serious haul of trophies in the year, and certainly years, ahead.