Former Ghana coach Avram Grant says Chelsea are now more respectful of achievements that do not involve winning the league, despite remaining an ambitious club.
The Blues, who are known to be big buyers in the transfer window, have turned to their academy stars due to the transfer ban the club have been forced to operate under.
The London-based outfit have not won the league title since Antonio Conte lifted the league in his first season as Chelsea manager in 2016 and Grant remembers a time when second place was not good enough for any manager at Stamford Bridge.
“I left after we finished second in the league and runners-up in the Champions League [in 2007-08]”, Grant told The Athletic.
“Ancelotti left after finishing second place in the table [in 2010-11]. It wasn’t enough. I remember telling Chelsea to not take second place for granted, to think about the 10 per cent needed to finish first next time.
“You can’t regard second as nothing.
“Since then, they haven’t finished second again. Last season, they were happy with third and winning the Europa League.
“When [Rafael] Benitez did that in 2013, everybody said: ‘This is not for Chelsea. The title is what we want.’
"Now I think Chelsea is more realistic. They are still a very ambitious club but they respect achievements more.”