Chelsea previously finished 10th in the Premier League a decade ago but remarkably claimed the championship just a year later with new manager Antonio Conte at the helm. After ending the last season in the same mid-table position, the club faces another season under new leadership with Xabi Alonso. Fans are left wondering if the Blues can replicate their past success.

The Premier League standings for Chelsea in the 2025-26 season mirror their mid-table performance under interim manager Guus Hiddink ten years prior. The current season’s stats show only one additional goal scored and one extra conceded compared to the previous decade, resulting in an identical goal difference and a marginal increase of just two points from their 2015-16 tally.

Years ago, few would have believed that after finishing 31 points behind champions Leicester City and lagging behind teams like Southampton, West Ham and Stoke, it would be Chelsea who lifted the Premier League trophy the following season.

During that earlier campaign, Chelsea’s tactical approach shifted significantly after a 3-0 defeat at Arsenal early in the season forced Conte to adopt a back three formation. This strategic change led to a remarkable winning streak of 13 consecutive matches.

Under Alonso, Chelsea might also consider this tactical switch. The new manager previously led Bayer Leverkusen to an unbeaten Bundesliga title in the 2023-24 season, utilizing three at the back.

For Alonso’s squad, repeating a points increase of 43, which topped the Premier League history for a title-winning season, would be a major challenge. However, they may not need to achieve such a feat.

With Arsenal is expected to launch a stronger title defense than Leicester City did a decade ago, especially considering that last season’s points total was one of the lowest to win the Premier League since that historic campaign.

The competitive threshold for becoming champions has notably decreased over the past few seasons compared to the stringent requirements during the Guardiola-Klopp era, where even reaching 97 points wasn’t sufficient in the 2018-19 season. Consequently, Chelsea may not need to attain the same 93 points that secured their title under Conte.

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Chelsea finished 10th in the Premier League 10 years ago but incredibly were champions of England just a year later under new manager Antonio Conte.

After finishing in the same position last season, with no European football again and a new manager in Xabi Alonso, can the Blues repeat the feat?

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Chelsea’s Premier League record in 2025-26 is almost identical to when they finished mid-table under interim manager Guus Hiddink a decade ago.

With just one more goal scored and one more conceded, they finished with the same goal difference and just two points more than they did in 2015-16.

Few would have imagined back then that after finishing 31 points behind champions Leicester City and below the likes of Southampton, West Ham and Stoke, Chelsea’s players would be the ones lifting the Premier League trophy the following season.

After starting the campaign playing a back four, a 3-0 defeat at Arsenal in just their sixth game saw Conte switch his side to a back three. The impact was tremendous as they won their next 13 games in a row.

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It’s a tactical switch that the Blues could make this season as well under new manager Alonso, given that his Bayer Leverkusen side won the Bundesliga unbeaten in 2023-24 playing three at the back.

Improving the club’s points tally by a whopping 43 points again is undoubtedly a huge ask for Alonso’s squad, given that it is the biggest points increase that any side has achieved to win the title in Premier League history.

But they may not need to.

While Arsenal will likely mount a stronger title defence than Leicester City, the Gunners’ points tally last season was the second-lowest to win the Premier League since Claudio Ranieri’s side 10 years ago.

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The bar to become champions has dropped in the last couple of seasons from the dizzying demands of the Guardiola-Klopp era – where even 97 points wasn’t enough in 2018-19 – so Chelsea might not need to reach the 93 points they achieved under Conte.

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