Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel feels the upcoming season will be one of the hardest the club has had to face.
The Blues came away empty-handed last term after taking out the Premiership/FA Cup double the campaign prior and Mikel is well aware that there is much more competition in England now, making it a hard task to win silverware.
"It will be tough to win a trophy this year, I think this will be the toughest season Chelsea will have," he told the Evening Standard.
"Everywhere teams are spending money or getting better. But Chelsea are tough, too.
"We know we need to improve but the most important thing is that we know we can improve. We should not be afraid."
