Yeah there is a slight advantage with much less things to focus but this season is very much important for the Blues. Chelsea are very strong club and whatever things went down there over these 2-3 years wasn't good for the club but they have to turn around things now. It's a new season, clean slate and they have to make a strong structure -not only in terms of squad but also a good management and board decisions, and also minding the regulations.
Not being in any competition Chelsea should be fully focused on the Premier League while improving on what was a problem before, and indeed now a new beginning including many players who are discarded to try to rotate more it will still be the decision of the coach now, about the management and the board Indeed it must also be balanced with the same thought.
Can they make into CL? Yes - but it's tough, very tough. We all know how United improved within a year and I think Chelsea can too also, but they are in much more worse situation as compared to what United were in a year ago. Pochettino has a lot of work to do and he knows it [1] .
I won't say
yes or no because that will be Pochettino's job, of course he feels it will be very difficult if he fails in the current season. Pochettino can improve in the next season, at least this shouldn't be a protracted ugliness even though he has rotated everything.
Comparison with other teams will always be different, I think Manchester and Chelsea are different from the structure of the players.