FACTS About Chelsea F.C: Titles, Managers, Top Players and Trophies

Chelsea was founded in 1905 by Gus Mears, an English businessman. Photo: Logos-world

While Chelsea was a reasonably consistent club for most of their history, people nowadays usually associate them with the football juggernaut they've become at the turn of the century; not much of a surprise, considering the club won the majority of their silverware in that period. Chelsea has won League titles, FA Cups and League Cups. They've also found success in Europe, becoming the only British club to win all three major UEFA trophies: the Cup Winners' Cup, the Champions League and the Europa League.

History of Chelsea

Chelsea was founded in 1905 by Gus Mears, an English businessman who had earlier bought the Stamford Bridge athletics stadium with the plan of transforming it into a football ground. His original idea was to rent it to an existing club, but after a deal with Fulham FC was halted, he got the idea to start a new club, Football Histrory.org cites.

First league title

Their first League title in 1955 was a shock for everyone, especially considering the club had finished in the bottom half of the league for most of the previous seasons. This unexpected success was not enough to turn their fortunes around, however, and the club soon returned to mediocrity.

The mid-60s caught Chelsea at the height of their popularity, with many big-name celebrities becoming regular guests at Stamford Bridge. For the first time in their history, the club was seen as an actual contender. After securing their first League Cup in 1965, they followed it up with two more "firsts" by claiming an FA Cup in 1970 and a Cup Winners' Cup in 1971.

How many league titles has Chelsea won?

They are presently England's third-most successful club in Europe, with six trophies in total. Photo: Premier League

Chelsea won their first European title in 1971, defeating Real Madrid to win the European Cup Winners' Cup. In 1998, they won the same trophy again, followed by the UEFA Super Cup later that year. In 2012, Chelsea won the UEFA Champions League, becoming the fifth English team, the first and only team from London to date, to win the competition. In 2013, Chelsea won the UEFA Europa League and became the fourth club to win all three main UEFA club competitions. Due to a change in competition dates, with the final of the Champions League being played a week after the Europa League final, Chelsea held both the Champions and Europa League trophies simultaneously, the only side to ever do so. Chelsea once again lifted the Europa League trophy in 2019. They are presently England's third-most successful club in Europe, with six trophies in total.

Who are Chelsea managers?

Photo: Daily Mail

The first manager of Chelsea Football Club was John Tait Robertson, appointed in 1905. The current manager is former player Frank Lampard, appointed in July 2019, as reported by Talk Sports.

Chelsea have had 28 permanent managers (of whom four also served as player-manager), and nine interim managers. Roberto Di Matteo has served as both interim manager and permanent manager.

Chelsea's first-ever manager was Scottish wing-half John Tait Robertson, who continued to play for the club until he resigned a year later. David Calderhead is Chelsea's longest-serving manager, holding the position from 1907–33, spanning 966 matches. Chelsea's shortest reigning permanent manager is Danny Blanchflower, who was in charge of 32 games. Statistically, Chelsea's least successful manager is also Blanchflower.

The first manager under whom Chelsea won a major trophy was Ted Drake, who guided the club to the league championship in the 1954–55 season. Drake led Chelsea to its first league title in 1955, while Sexton managed the club to their first European honor, a UEFA Cup Winners' Cup triumph in 1971 and Vialli guided Chelsea to win the 1998 UEFA Super Cup.

Mourinho has won the most domestic titles, whereas Ancelotti led Chelsea to their first league and FA Cup "Double". Di Matteo won the first UEFA Champions League for Chelsea in 2012. A year after, Benítez led the club to win the UEFA Europa League, becoming the first club to hold two major European titles simultaneously and one of five clubs, and the first British club, to have won all three of UEFA's major club competitions.

Chelsea’s five best players of the 2019/2020 season

Photo: Chelsea

Mason Mount

Due to the inability to add new players to the squad, Chelsea turned to its “loan army”. Certain players who had impressed on loan were recalled to replace the loss of new signings, according to The Pride of London.

Unsurprisingly, Mount was recalled following a successful spell under Lampard where Derby County narrowly lost the playoff final to Aston Villa. He has enjoyed another productive season so it’s no surprise that he has featured in all but one of the 36 Premier League games so far. With seven goals and four assists, he has been Chelsea’s most productive midfielder this season. His versatility and impressive energy levels also make him such a key component of the team.

Mateo Kovacic

The Croatian was on loan when the ban was pronounced but there was still a possibility of him being signed permanently. Chelsea opted to buy him and what a signing he has proven to be.

Mason Mount’s arrival freed him of almost every attacking burden which has brought out the best in him. He now majorly occupies a deeper role partnering either Jorginho, N’Golo Kante, or both. His dribbling, ball progression and press resistant abilities have been a joy to watch throughout the campaign. Kovacic currently leads the team in dribbles per game, dribbling success rate and passing accuracy.

Willian

Perhaps the biggest beneficiary of Hazard’s departure, Willian took over the Belgian’s jersey number as well as his status as Chelsea’s go-to man. While he may not have hit the heights set by Hazard, he has certainly impressed in what has been his best season personally to date.

His 11 goals are only bettered by Abraham while he tops the assists charts for the Blues. His time in West London looked to be over but his performances this season might just cause a change of heart among the Chelsea board.

Cesar Azpilicueta

Captain Fantastic! Another solid season from Chelsea’s most consistent player in recent times. He has played more minutes than any of his colleagues which underlines just how vital he has been.

Azpilicueta has played at left-back, right-back, center back and even wing-back this season. This versatility gives the team much needed tactical flexibility. His offensive contributions have also gone up a notch this season with four goals and seven assists in all competitions

Christian Pulisic

The American did not have the best of starts to life in West London as he struggled with injuries in earlier parts of the season. Since managing to stay fit, he has proven to be a real spark in Chelsea’s attack.

In his eight games since the restart, he has scored three times and assisted one while also winning two penalties. At only 21 years of age, he currently possesses the best minute per goal involvement ratio of any Chelsea player this season. He has weathered the initial storm of his Chelsea career and is set to be a major part of Frank Lampard’s project going forward.

What trophies has Chelsea won?

Chelsea is the only London club to have won the UEFA Champions League, and one of four clubs, and the only British club to have won all three main UEFA club competitions.

Frank Lampard – Chelsea – Tactical Analysis (Pre-Season 2020-21)

Photo: The Mastermind Site

System of play: 4-3-3

Frank Lampard operated primarily in a 4-3-3 system in 2019-20, as he did with Derby County the year before. The former Chelsea player/legend did however utilize the 4-2-3-1 as his most common second choice and with Havertz, Werner, Ziyech and Mount all capable of playing as a ‘number 10’, Lampard might opt for the 4-2-3-1 on a more frequent basis in 2020-21.

Beyond all the new signings, another interesting point of contention will continue to be how to get the best out of N’Golo Kante and Jorginho. Maurizio Sarri was lambasted throughout 2018-19 for his use of Kante as an ‘8’, only for Lampard to do the exact same thing to no criticism whatsoever. The Blues could opt for a double-pivot, but then it becomes increasingly difficult to fit both Jorginho and Mateo Kovacic into the lineup. The Croatian was one of Chelsea’s key players in 2019-20 and arguably their most productive in central midfield; while the Italian international hardly ever misses a beat in build-up phases. So with Frank Lampard already preferring the 4-3-3 and even more central midfield options available this season, the British manager may stick to the same approach in 2020-21. This formation has some holes, but it allows Chelsea to get the best out of Jorginho, who might falter more often without the extra support a 4-2-3-1 can provide. It also allows the Blues to operate with an overlapping fullback approach, something that was crucial to their play in 2019-20.

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