THE VITALS:

Team: Chelsea

Brand: Nike

Era: 2019-20 (Used for the final home game of the 2018-19 Premier League season and then during the 2019-20 Premier League season until 30^th June 2020 and also used for the 2019 UEFA Super Cup Match)

Name/Number: -

CONDITION: VERY GOOD

This shirt comes to you in very good condition with the coming away of the hem really preventing the shirt from being considered excellent in condition. There is also some very small cracking to the Yokohama Tyres decal and some very light wear and pulls to also be mindful of.

DIMENSIONS:

Size: Small

Pit to Pit Measurement: 18.0 inches

Shirt Length: 27.5 inches 

Made by Nike in their ‘Dri-Fit’ range of shirts which they introduced in 2019; the dimensions of this shirt lend themselves to an excellent size small fitting football.

DESCRIPTION:

Nike’s third presentation of Cheslea’s home shirt was an altogether different shirt from its predecessors with the red accents ditched from the 2018-19 season and instead, a navy pattern which paid homage to Stamford Bridge was emblazoned across the sleeves and the main body to create an especially unique aesthetic to end the decade of the 2010’s. This would also be the last Chelsea home shirt to use the Yokohama Tyres main shirt sponsor – however, both the shirt and sponsor would see an abrupt end to its use during the campaign as the 2020/21 season home shirt would be used in all competitions for the rest of the season from 1^st July 2020 following the restart of European football in view of the Coronavirus pandemic. In the shirt’s final appearance on 25^th June 2020 – Chelsea would enjoy a 2-1 win at home against Manchester City. This would also be the first Chelsea home shirt to be worn at senior level for academy graduates – Reece James and Mason Mount.

Still, despite a transfer embargo, appointing a new manager and losing their most prized asset in Eden Hazard, Frank Lampard would enjoy a fine debut season in the Chelsea hot-seat – guiding the club to a 4^th place finish and a place in the 2020 FA Cup Final. What’s more, ‘The Blues’ would also experience a 6 match winning run in the league for the first time since the 2016-17 season and only missed on 3^rd place by goal difference and the UEFA Super Cup on penalties.

THE SEASON:

Maurizio Sarri would last just one season in the Chelsea hot-seat after guiding the club to the Europa League and a 3^rd place finish as well as a runner-up berth in the League Cup in 2018-19; he elected to take the vacant Juventus job. Moreover, Eden Hazard would leave the club as their record transfer sale when he joined Real Madrid to £103,500.00 in July 2019 with the club having to endure a transfer embargo in the summer of 2019.

In a deviation from the norm; Chelse would invest in a youthful and untested coach for the first time as club legend – Frank Lampard was given the reins after he nearly led Derby County to the Premier League in 2018-19. During his time with Derby, he was able to help cultivate Chelsea academy talents – Fiyako Tomori and Mason Mount before they returned to Stamford Bridge along with Lampard ahead of the 2019-20 season, while Tammy Abraham, who enjoyed a stunning season to help Aston Villa get promoted back to the Premier League (at Derby’s expense ironically) also returned to Chelsea after his most recent loan spell and Matteo Kovacic’s loan from Real Madrid was made permanent.

The same couldn’t be said for Gonzalo Higuain, who returned to Juventus to reunite with Maurizio Sarri after his brief loan spell in 2019, while club captain – Gary Cahill would end his long standing tenure with the club when his contract ended and David Luiz’s second stint with the club also concluded when he moved to Arsenal in the close season.

The Frank Lampard era would begin as the Jose Mourinho era did in 2004 – with an opening day of the season, Super Sunday clash with Manchester United! Lampard and Chelsea would suffer a humbling 4-0 defeat at Old Trafford on 11^th August 2019. The club would only muster two league wins in their next five games; culminating with a 2-1 defeat to Liverpool on 22^nd September 2019. Their form would dramatically improve from that juncture with Chelsea beating – Brighton, Southampton, Newcastle United, Burnley, Watford and Crystal Palace in succession, marking the first time they won six games in a row since the 2016-17 season! Their remaining eight games of the year in the league would yield five defeats and three wins. While two of those wins were away against Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal respectively (the 2-1 win at the Emirates being their final game of the 2010’s); their patchy form meant they went in 2020 in 4^th place and seven points adrift of Manchester City 3rd place.

New Year’s Day of 2020 began with a 1-1 draw away against Brighton, and after the 3-0 win over Burnley on 11^th January 2020; Chelsea would go winless in their next four games when they played – Newcastle United, Arsenal, Leicester City and Manchester United. Lampard would enjoy a moment of personal glory when he completed the double over Tottenham Hotspur who were managed by his former manager – Jose Mourinho, and then after beating Everton 4-0 on 8^th March 2020; the Premier League season would be abruptly halted following the Coronavirus pandemic which became a global later that month.

In May, the green-light was given for ‘Project Restart’ to go ahead in June 2020 and Chelsea resumed their final nine games of the season from 4^th place and they carried their solid Pre-Covid form into the restart when Aston Villa and Manchester City were beaten in succession. West Ham United would stun ‘The Blues’ 3-2 on 1^st July 2020, and then defeats to Sheffield United and Liverpool would allow Manchester United to go ahead of them on goal difference ahead of the final day of the season. Chelsea would defeat Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-0, however, after 3^rd place Manchester United defeated 5^th place Leicester City – Chelsea would finish in 4^th place; only missing out on 3^rd place on goal difference.

Chelsea would not be participating in a second consecutive EFL Cup Final as they were eliminated by Manchester United in the Fourth Round.

Their journey in the FA Cup however would yield a third appearance in the final in four seasons where an epic cup run saw them eliminate Nottingham Forest, Hull City, Liverpool, Leicester City and Manchester United in the semi-final before they were beaten 2-1 in the final on 1^st August 2020.

On 14^th August 2019, Chelsea would participate in their fourth UEFA Super Cup, however, they would have to settle for being runners-up for the third time in a row when they were beaten by Liverpool on penalties after a thrilling 2-2 draw unfolded over 120 minutes in Istanbul.

Chelsea would return to the UEFA Champions League – this time as Europa League champions where they were drawn in a compelling group alongside – Lille, Valencia – who were Europa League semi-finalists in 2019 and Ajax who themselves were semi-finalists in the Champions League in 2019. After being beaten 1-0 at home by Valencia on Match-Day 1; Chelsea would go unbeaten in their remaining five outings and also took part in one of the most exciting games of the tournament when they battled to a 4-4 draw at home against Ajax on Match-Day 4. A Match-Day 6 win over Lille would enable them to qualify ahead of Ajax where they met Bayern Munich in the Last 16.

This rematch of the 2012 Champions League Final and the 2013 UEFA Super Cup played the 1^st Leg at Stamford Bridge on 25^th February 2020 when Bayern prevailed 3-0 and then the delayed 2^nd Leg which was played in Munich on 8^th August 2020 ended 4-1 in favour of the hosts.

The notable players that season were:

Michy Batshuayi, Olivier Giroud, Tammy Abraham, Willian, Pedro, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Christian Pulisic, Billy Gimour, Mason Mount, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Mateo Kovacic, Jorginho, N’Golo Kante, Emerson, Marcos Alonso, Cesar Azpilicueta, Reece James, Kurt Zouma, Antonio Rudiger, Fiyako Tomori, Andreas Christensen, Kepa Arrizabalaga, Willy Caballero