Chelsea have endured one of the toughest seasons in their history.
A campaign that began with new leadership at the top of the club and a win in a tricky opener against Everton did not prove anything like as fruitful as fans had hoped.
Thomas Tuchel, Graham Potter, Bruno Saltor and ultimately Frank Lampard all took charge from the dugout for varying lengths as a squad filled to the brim with over £600million worth of talent failed to perform.
Here, Standard Sport assesses a difficult 2022-23 campaign at Stamford Bridge…
Season in one word: Abysmal.
Star of the show: Thiago Silva. Difficult to praise anyone, but the legendary centre-back seemed somewhat immune to the chaos around him.
Biggest letdown: Marc Cucurella. Didn’t come close to living up to his £62m price tag. A symbol of failings by Graham Potter on the pitch and the club in the transfer market.
Most improved player: Kepa Arrizabalaga. Spanish keeper has overcome the trauma of his early Chelsea career and won back his No1 spot from Edouard Mendy after a period of exile.
Game to remember: Two Champions League wins over eventual semi-finalists AC Milan in the space of a week made it feel like Chelsea were on the right track under Potter, but it was not to last.
Game to forget: Take your pick, but the 3-1 defeat at Arsenal at the beginning of the month was one of the low points of a dismal season.
Rising star: Lewis Hall. The versatile 18-year-old looks to have a bright future and is, arguably, the only Chelsea player to see his stock rise this season.
Manager verdict: Thomas Tuchel struggled with the ownership change, Potter looked out of his depth and things got worse under Frank Lampard.
Fans’ mood: Apathy has set in at Stamford Bridge after a period of anger, but there is optimism about the appointment of Mauricio Pochettino.
Grade: F.
