I would say that a couple of seasons in order to return to the race for the title, but there are no guarantees of obtaining. I don't follow them much, they look like a dark horse right now - why don't they surprise everyone?
Well they cant and isnt it still too early to even consider them as dark horse ? I mean the league hasnt start yet and even if it does, I dont think Chelsea will instantly shock us by winning their first game against Liverpool because I still think Liverpool is way better than Chelsea
The only dark horse that I'd even consider is probably Newcastle, this team got the potential to win the league but City is obviously still going to be the biggest obstacle
At the moment, bookmakers see contenders for the title like this:
Manchester City 1.73
Arsenal 6.00
Liverpool 9.00
Manchester United 12.00
Chelsea 13.00Newcastle United 15.00
Tottenham Hotspur 41.00
If you take away City and Tottenham, then all teams have about the same chances (I think Arsenal's quotes are just a tribute to the previous season).
Quotes for the game Chelsea - Liverpool are as follows:
2.92 - 3.45 - 2.42
As you can see, there is no clear favorite here, and if Chelsea suddenly starts the season with a win, it will not be a surprise.
In general, I believe that if, for some reason, City collapses, then Chelsea, along with the rest of the teams, will have a chance at the title.