CHAPTER Willian eludes Crystal Palace's Jordon Mutch during Chelsea's 2015 Premier League clincher CHAMPIONS OF ENGLAND Fans packed Stamford Bridge on May 3 2015 The home stadium of the Chelsea Football Club FC was rocking Chelsea midfielder Eden Hazard had scored on a header just before halftime That was all the team needed to beat Crystal Palace 1 0 Chelsea had clinched its first Premier League championship in five years New Arrivals Chelsea is one of the richest clubs in English soccer The team won three Premier League titles between 2005 and 2010
EUROPEAN SOCCER The European Soccer season is broken down into different levels of competition It can be confusing to keep track Here's a handy guide to help you follow the action League Play The 20 best teams in England play in the Premier League Teams play all league opponents twice each season for 38 total games The three teams with the worst records are relegatedor sent down to the second division which sends three teams up to replace them the next season The Premier League debuted in 1992 93 It replaced the Football League First Division 1888 1991 as England's top league European Play The top four teams in the Premier League qualify for the Union of European Football Associations UEFA Champions League This annual tournament involves the best teams from the top leagues throughout Europe The Champions League started in 1992 It replaced the European Cup a similar tournament that began in 1955 The next three teams in the Premier League qualify for the UEFA Europa League The Europa League is Europe's second tier tournament It runs in a similar manner to the Champions League but crowns its own winner The Europa League debuted in 1971 as the UEFA Cup but was renamed in 2009 Domestic Cups Almost every English team is eligible to play for the Football Association Challenge Cup FA Cup The tournament typically includes several hundred teams including the professional teams from the Premier League Founded in 1871 72 the FA Cup is the oldest soccer tournament in the world The League Cup is a similar tournament It involves teams from only the top four divisions in England
Chelsea's attack improved with Diego Costa's arrival from Spain But then the Blues hit a bit of a drought The team still had some great players such as defender John Terry forward Didier Drogba and midfielders Hazard and Willian But the club hoped some new stars could inject new life into the team Before the 2014 15 season Chelsea signed midfielder Cesc Fàbregas and forward Diego Costa Both players came
