Wednesday 27 July 2016 11:55, UK
Cesar Azpilicueta says the Chelsea squad understand they must mount a Premier League title challenge this season.
The Blues finished 10th last season after a tumultuous campaign during which manager Jose Mourinho was sacked.
Mourinho was replaced by Guus Hiddink - as an interim manager - but Chelsea still went on to record their lowest league position since 1996 and were knocked out of the FA Cup by Everton.
Antonio Conte has since arrived as permanent boss at Stamford Bridge and has already tweaked the squad, bringing in £33.2m striker Michy Batshuayi from Marseille and Leicester City midfielder N'Golo Kante for £32m.
And Azpilicueta knows Chelsea will be expected to challenge for the league championship under the former Italy manager.
"Our minimum target is to reach the top four but we have to challenge for trophies and we have to challenge for the title," he told Sky Sports News HQ.
"We are coming from a very low position and we are not happy with that. We want to come back to our real position, which is fighting for the title.
"Last season was very hard for us and our fans also but they were behind us all season. We were suffering but now is the time to start from the beginning.
"We have to show that we are back and that we can challenge for a title."
Azpilicueta was speaking to Sky Sports News HQ in Los Angeles, where three local children became Chelsea players for the day thanks to Delta Air Lines.
Chelsea teamed up with their official airline partner and the Children's Hospital Los Angeles to give the three young men a taste of what it feels like to be a Blue, as part of Delta's 'Dream Up, LA' campaign.
