Well to say Chelsea's league performance was poor last season would be an understatement. Having started the season with Andre Villas Boas in charge, Chelsea began the season incredibly poorly. A major reason for this was AVB's desire to rid of leaders like Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba. Upon the departure of AVB, Chelsea were in massive trouble in the Champions League as they saw themselves 3-1 down to Napoli (who had already knocked Manchester City out of the Champions League). Villas Boas' replacement, Roberto Di Matteo was put in charge for the rest of the season and when the 2nd leg of this Napoli tie came around, Di Matteo masterminded a 4-1 victory (A.E.T). Chelsea went on to beat Benfica, Barcelona and Bayern Munich in last season's Champions League campaign and were the eventual winners of the competition. Di Matteo also led Chelsea to glory in the FA Cup, beating off strong opposition like Tottenham and Liverpool on the way to doing so. Chelsea qualified for this season's Champions League by winning it, despite not finishing in the top 4, much to the surprise of the general public who could not have seen this happening when Villas Boas was in charge.
Manager: Roberto Di Matteo
Many people think Di Matteo had an 'easy' job to do last season, as he came in and had a settled squad that he didn't have to make any changes to. However, I would strongly disagree with that point. Di Matteo came in at Chelsea when they're backs were against the wall, they seemingly had no luck and the squad was looking demotivated. When Di Matteo arrived he built his side around the experienced players such as Terry, Lampard and Drogba which was a necessity as all 3 are known to have big egos. When a manager wins a Champions League, critics usually stay reserved but since Di Matteo got the Chelsea job permanently, it seems to me that the pressure is far greater this season than it was for Villas Boas last season. Whilst I believe Di Matteo is a very good manager his Chelsea side were very hard to watch. Often Di Matteo took the 'Park The Bus' mentality and used Didier Drogba as a target to hold up the ball and allow the quicker players to join the attack from their defensive positions. This tactic may be flawed this season as Drogba has left and Torres isn't quite the same presence and whilst this tactic worked against the 'Bigger' teams, I can't see it breaking down the likes of Stoke City at the Britannia Stadium where 3 points are a must.
Chances Of Being Sacked: 6/10.
Di Matteo has earned himself a bit more time than previous Chelsea managers by completing Abramovich's aim of winning the Champions League. But, Di Matteo did not do it in the 'Total Football' way which Roman wants. With Pep Guardiola currently taking a one year break from management, he could be Roman's target should he not rejoin Barcelona. This leaves the chances of Di Matteo being sacked, who has a two year contract, quite high for me as his Chairman is one who is quite impatient should anything go wrong.
Captain: John Terry
Having been proven 'Not Guilty' in a trial to decide whether he used racially abusive language towards QPR defender, Anton Ferdinand, John Terry will not have been spending this summer thinking about football as much as he usually would. Having nearly cost Chelsea in their Champions League semifinal when he appeared to dig his knee into Alexis Sanchez's back and got sent off, John Terry seems to many as a player who is past his best. Terry's commitment to Chelsea and leadership can't be called into question but he has come victim to many jokes as he got kitted out on the Champions League final night (when he was suspended) just to lift the trophy with Frank Lampard. I see the time for Chelsea to move past Terry being very soon as he has lost a lot of the defensive ability he once had and he will attract a lot of extra and unneeded attention to Chelsea for the coming season.
Summer 2012 Window:
IN:
Oscar (£25 million, from Internacional)
Having recieved the Number 11 shirt, last worn by Didier Drogba in the Champions League final, it is evident to us all that Chelsea hopes are high for this 20 year old Brazilian. Oscar, who was linked with Barcelona and AC Milan this summer, has impressed greatly for Brazil at the Olympics, looks to me like a wonderful football player. Having scored his first goal for Brazil in a 4-3 friendly loss against Argentina, Oscar has shown that his game is not solely dependent on his passing ability. Whilst I feel Oscar won't instantly break into the Chelsea first team this season, one thing I know is he will impress us fans who want something a little bit different and exciting to join the Premier League.
Thorgan Hazard (undisclosed, from Lens)
Thorgan Hazard, brother of another Chelsea summer signing, Eden has been labelled 'The best U-19 player in the world'. Whilst I have not seen too much of Thorgan, I have heard he is of a similar mould to Eden. Known as a creative No. 10, with an exceptional touch and excellent dribbling abilities, Thorgan may find himself in the shadow of his brother for a lot of this season. Should he play part this season, I can't see it being a major role and may act as cover for an injury crisis.
Eden Hazard (£32 million, from Lille)
With his brother also at Chelsea, I can't see Eden Hazard struggling to settle into London. I personally see Eden Hazard as a better version of last summer's star signing Juan Mata. With pace, a fantastic eye for a pace and a sublime touch, I can see Hazard ripping up the Premier League this season. With Chelsea having to fight off competition from title rivals Manchester United and Manchester City this summer, Hazard announced via his own Twitter Account who he was going to join. I was disappointed he didn't join Manchester United as I can see him being a similar miss to the magnificent Ronaldinho. Expect many goals and assists this season and even at £32 million I think we may all see the Belgian as a bargain by next summer.
Marko Marin (£7 million, from Werder Bremen)
This signing was announced prior to the start of the summer and this is the transfer out of all Chelsea's buys that has been somewhat 'forgotten'. As a player who can play on either wing, Marin provides a great level of cover for the Chelsea wingers. His electrifying pace may leave many defenders for dead this season and his end product is very, very good too. I would label him Chelsea's worst signing, which is more a compliment for the other signings than a criticism of him. I can see Marin and Torres linking up extremely well this season as the two compliment each other's games perfectly.
OUT:
Didier Drogba (Free, to Shanghai Shenhua)
Salomon Kalou (Free, to Lille)
Jose Bosingwa (Released)
Thibaut Courtois (Loan, to Atletico Madrid)
Romelu Lukaku (Loan, to West Brom)
Jacob Melis (Free, to Barnsley)
Possible XI
Rumours are currently linking Chelsea with many new players. Some of these players may break into the first team and the development of some youngsters may mean Di Matteo doesn't line up like this. Here is some reasons I don't think he will.
Has John aged to the point where he is now Terry-ble?
Taking the evidence of last season's Champions League where John Terry was off the pitch for most of the Champions League semi final 2nd leg and he also missed the final. These were two of Chelsea's best performances all season and I think the partnership of Cahill and Luiz suits Chelsea better for games where they need to push up. Whilst John Terry has been a great servant to the club, I feel it is time for him to move aside and do what is best for the club who are clearly looking to the future with their young stars. And with recent controversies between Terry and brothers, Rio and Anton Ferdinand, John Terry may fall victim to hostile atmospheres a lot this season.
Is Frank's Lamp out?
Villas Boas was a firm believer that Chelsea had to move past the slowing Frank Lampard. Whilst Villas Boas' arguments that he put forward in favour of this idea were completely valid, I do feel Lampard adds a lot more to the Chelsea side than meets the eye. With claims that Frank Lampard is just a goalscoring midfielder being proven completely incorrect in last season's Champions League final, where Frank conveyed an ability to get stuck in and a better passing ability than he is credited for, I think Lampard has shown that he is not a liability. Although, Lampard's age may be catching up on him, as he seems unable to last as many games as he has been in the past, I see Lampard's leadership ability being key to Chelsea due to the fact that Terry may not be the regular fixture in the side he once was.
Chelsea just aren't right at right back.
With Chelsea's waste of £16 million, Jose Bosingwa, having departed Chelsea on a free transfer this summer, Chelsea return to search for the one position in their team which has been very weak since Portuguese international, Paulo Ferreira, fell short of his peak. Having been heavily linked with 22 year old, Marseille right back Cesar Azpilicueta all summer, I remain unsure as to how much serious interest Chelsea have in this highly talented right back. However, I see the possibility of Inter Milan right back, Maicon, joining Chelsea as one far greater. Maicon, who is now 31, seems as a player, who never recovered from the day Tottenham's Gareth Bale gave him the toughest game he's ever had to face. Should he work with Di Matteo, I can see the Brazilian returning to the player he once was and may just provide a good balance with left back Ashley Cole, as the two seem very keen to get forward as much as possible.
Key Player: Fernando Torres.
(Gary Neville's reaction makes this goal even better)
Fernando Torres took a lot of criticism last season, especially after his trip to Old Trafford where he played extremely well but missed a key opportunity in the match. I can't argue that the Spaniard didn't deserve this harsh treatment, as the £50 million signing seemed to be turning out as a 'flop'. However, Torres' fortunes seemed to be turning towards the end of last season, when he scored a key goal against Barcelona in the Champions League, that set Chelsea on their way to winning the competition, he also collected a medal when Chelsea won the FA Cup and when he continued this form on to the European Championships, where he won the competition with Spain and also got the Golden Boot, it became clear to us all that the Torres of old was well and truly back. Having started this campaign off with a goal against Manchester City in Chelsea's 3-2 defeat, I think Torres could be influential for Chelsea this season and may be in with a shout for Top Scorer this season.
Torres to finish top scorer: 10/1
Prediction: 3rd
With the recreated belief in this Chelsea side following Di Matteo's arrival and their Champions League victory, expect Chelsea giving a very strong title push this season. Expect big wins for Chelsea in games between the 'Top 6' but also expect an inability for them to break down the 'weaker' sides. I see this weakness as one which will cost them a top 2 space but I don't think it will be strong enough to see them finish outside automatic qualification for the group stage of the Champions League as they did last season. However, should the creative talent of Eden Hazard and Juan Mata be strong enough for Torres to finish top scorer this season than I do see Chelsea with a reasonable chance of winning the league, don't write them off just yet!
Chelsea to win the league: 9/2
(Odds via. Skybet on 12/8/12)
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