It was a long and grueling season for Chelsea fans.
Many were probably just waiting for the season to end, given the painful times they endured.
However, there was at least a ray of light.
Chelsea had an incredibly busy summer transfer window.
Firstly, there was a change in management.
Mauricio Pochettino, who previously managed Espanyol, Southampton, Tottenham, and PSG, took the helm.
After a dismal season under Graham Potter and interim manager Frank Lampard, Chelsea appointed Pochettino, known for developing young players, in hopes of a rebound.
There were indeed numerous player changes.
Starting with the departures:
Kai Havertz was sent to Arsenal, and Mason Mount transferred to Manchester United.
Kante and Koulibaly headed to the Saudi league, while Pulisic and Loftus-Cheek moved to AC Milan.
The club's legend Azpilicueta was sent to Atletico Madrid on a free transfer, and goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga was loaned to Real Madrid.
Additionally, many players, such as Hudson Odoi and Aubameyang, who no longer had a place in the team, were let go.
There were also many signings.
From Brighton, they brought in Caicedo and goalkeeper Sanchez, once again adding Brighton alumni to their squad.
They also signed Axel Disasi and Ugochukwu from Ligue 1 to increase squad depth, and successfully acquired Christopher Nkunku, who had been excelling in the Bundesliga.
They signed Nicolas Jackson from Villarreal as their front-line striker, and notably, they made the best signing of the season, acquiring the young talent Cole Palmer from Manchester City.
Expectations were quite high at the beginning of the season.
A young and energetic squad, led by a coach specialized in developing young players, and the newly signed high-profile players, raised hopes that they would at least qualify for the Champions League.
But that was before the team started to crumble early in the league.
Contrary to the expectations, many problems erupted simultaneously.
Firstly, injuries.
Both the captain and vice-captain, who were key players, fullbacks Reece James and Ben Chilwell, started to suffer frequent and long injuries.
This was a concern since pre-season, as these two players are critical in terms of skills but are too prone to injuries.
This season was no exception.
Christopher Nkunku, who was expected to bring vitality and decisiveness to the front line, also went down with an injury.
His injury was so severe that he almost didn't play at all this season, and the Bundesliga sensation gathered dust in the storeroom.
Similarly, young talent Romeo Lavia, acquired for a hefty sum, made only about 20 minutes of appearances this season, causing disappointment.
With key resources sidelined due to injuries, the spots naturally fell to players who were relatively lacking in skills.
Early in the season, even the substitute players were injured, resulting in center-backs playing as fullbacks and so on, just to fill the gaps.
Consequently, a significant drop in performance followed.
Particularly, Nicolas Jackson at the front, and Mudryk and Madueke on the wings, were criticized throughout the season.
Chalobah, Disasi, and Colwill, who covered for the missing fullbacks, also showed disappointing performances.
The biggest contributor to this decline in performance was none other than the manager, Pochettino.
Although it was his first season, and while early struggles and squad management difficulties due to injuries are understandable, he made decisions that were hard to comprehend, even considering those factors.
For instance, the midfield configuration.
He often used Caicedo, Enzo, and Gallagher as the three midfielders, but the roles he assigned them raised questions.
Ideally, Caicedo should play a defensive role, Enzo should control the play from the back, and Gallagher should focus on pressing and attacking from the front.
However, Pochettino sometimes deployed them oppositely, using Gallagher as a deep-lying playmaker and Enzo in an advanced position.
Given the strengths and weaknesses of each player - Gallagher in pressing and finesse,
Enzo in passing and movement - this configuration made little sense.
He might have had his reasons, but they were neither understandable nor effective.
The build-up was not systematized, leading to frequent mistakes in the initial build-up phase, and the side wingers were often isolated while attempting to break through.
As a result, they struggled against teams they should have easily beaten, like Nottingham, Brentford, Burnley, and Sheffield, both at home and away, causing their league position to fall below 10th place at one point.
Had it not been for veteran Thiago Silva's solid defense and Cole Palmer's performances, arguably the best signing of the EPL this season, Chelsea's tough times could have been even worse.
Cole Palmer was indeed the best acquisition and a reliable pillar for Chelsea this season.
Initially playing as a winger or false nine, Cole Palmer started to shine explosively when assigned a free role as an attacking midfielder. He participated in the build-up from the third line, distributed balls to wingers infiltrating from the sides, or carried the ball himself after receiving it on the flanks.
Sometimes he moved to the center, showing decisiveness in front of the goal, providing a much-needed rain to Chelsea's goal drought.
Despite 9 penalty goals, scoring 22 goals in his debut season for Chelsea, and in the EPL, made him the team's top scorer and a strong contender for the league's top scorer alongside Haaland.
(Penalty goals should not be underrated.)
Additionally, he recorded 11 assists, achieving a 20-10 season,
and his total of 33 offensive points surpassed the best season record of Chelsea legend Frank Lampard.
Towards the end of the season, there was a glimpse of hope for Chelsea,
who had been expected to be bleak.
With Cole Palmer's stellar performances, the backline build-up also stabilized,
and Madueke started to break through with his dribbling, opening up routes.
Nicolas Jackson, too, scored consecutive goals in the latter part of the season,
contributing to Chelsea's four-game winning streak in the league.
Their league position, which had been below 10th, rose to 6th, within reach of Champions League qualification, and they finished the season on a higher note.
Although Manchester United's FA Cup win means Chelsea will participate in the Europa Conference League next season instead of the Europa League, the team's improved performance by the end of the season offers hope for the next season.
Despite firing manager Pochettino after a generally dreadful season, Chelsea now needs to find a new manager. With a squad still filled with young and high-potential players, the choice of manager will significantly determine their direction next season.
At the end of a long and arduous tunnel, Chelsea finally saw a ray of light in the 2023-2024 season.
