New Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino admits it will be a challenge for his side to compete with Manchester City next season.
City finished 45 points above Chelsea in the Premier League last season on their way to the treble, beating them four times across all three domestic competitions when they scored eight times and didn't concede once.
Chelsea sacked Thomas Tuchel and then Graham Potter in a turbulent campaign, with Frank Lampard ending the season in interim charge as they finished 12th.
The London club have turned to former Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino, who is tasked with returning Chelsea to European football, and they will hope to be challenging for titles in the coming years. Pochettino, though, accepts that they have some way to go in order to catch City.
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"I want to congratulate Pep [Guardiola] on what he has achieved with Manchester City," Pochettino said in his first press conference as Chelsea boss, praising the stability that City have given their manager over the last seven seasons.
"It's amazing to see a club gain so much stability with the tools from the manager. Chelsea in the last 10, 12 or 15 years have enjoyed a similar achievement.
"Now, we need to believe that we can also create great things. It’s going to be tough but we need to believe we can compete with a team like Manchester City."
Issuing a message to Chelsea fans, Pochettino again reiterated that his side's goal is to catch teams like City and Liverpool in offering consistent title challenges.
"I know I need to build a relationship with the fans, they know me because of my past [with Tottenham]," he said.
"I know it's going to depend on how we approach the game. The team needs to be aggressive and engage with the fans. If we create something special and the fans feel it then it's easy to be in the same direction. If we are all together then we can compete and beat these amazing teams like Manchester City and Liverpool."
