Season Preview - Chelsea

Chelsea are a team that have consistently finished in the top 4 and despite having an overly harsh owner, Chelsea seem to have found managerial stability in Jose Mourinho. Last season Chelsea managed to come 3^rd in the league which seemed a tad unfair as they may feel they should have had more points and they could also argue about some of the decisions that went against them. However, Chelsea did have their fair share of luck (Slippy G, Tim Howard own goal etc.). This season though, Chelsea are hoping to finish above Liverpool and Manchester City and claim that top spot, something that doesn’t sound too farfetched given their performance in the transfer market thus far.

Transfers

Last summer Chelsea made arguably their biggest mistake of the season, letting Belgian star Romelu Lukaku go out on loan to Everton, leaving them with only Eto’o, Torres and Demba Ba left up front. In terms of incomings, Chelsea had a pretty decent window. They managed to bring in Samuel Eto’o, Andre Schurrle, Marco Van Ginkel, Christian Atsu, Mark Schwarzer and Willian. Most of those players had a part to play in the season (Van Ginkel and Atsu soon found themselves out on loan to Vitesse, a popular destination for unwanted Chelsea players.)

This season has been completely different though. In terms of outgoings, Frank Lampard, Ashley Cole, Samuel Eto’o and David Luiz all left the club, leaving some fans disappointed considering players like Lampard and Cole have been key figures at the club for quite a while now. In terms of new signings though, Chelsea have had a fantastic window, one so good Mourinho claims that no more signings will be taking place as all of his targets have been signed. Chelsea can now boast they have a quality forward as they brought in Diego Costa, a player familiar to Chelsea fans after the controversial penalty he took in the Champions League. They also brought in the experienced Filipe Luis and former Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas, both of them looking to elevate Chelsea up to greater heights. In terms of youth, Chelsea also brought in promising starlet Mario Pasalic who will spend this season on loan at Spanish side Elche. The return of Drogba is not only a shrewd move but one which should boost moral considerabley given his legendary status.

Predicted Lineup

Chelsea have a fantastic squad, with a good mixture of youth and experience. I expect big things from Chelsea this season. Whether it is a cup trophy or the Premier League I seriously do expect and think that Chelsea will have at least one piece of silverware come this time next year.

Squad Depth

Another thing that Chelsea have in abundance is squad depth. They have a fantastic 2^nd choice keeper in Courtois, A good defender in Ivanovic, an array of midfielders such as Schurrle, Matic and Mikel as well as a quality reserve striker in Romelu Lukaku. With such a packed squad, I don’t think any Chelsea player will be left struggling for fitness and with this squad; they could go far in the Champions League, as they will be more than capable of playing 3 times in the space of 8 days.

Final Predicted Finish: 2^nd.

Even though all I have done is rave about Chelsea in this article, I still feel that they are just not good enough to take on Manchester City. I feel that the title race will be as close if not even closer this season and Chelsea could see themselves miss out on the league by a very small margin, even goal difference. Luckily, Chelsea will probably improve on last season and finish above Liverpool, a feat that may not be too difficult given the departure of Suarez to Barcelona and the new demands put on a wafer-thin Liverpool squad.

Predicted Key Player: Eden Hazard.

For the first time writing these season previews, I have put the predicted key player as a midfielder. This is because I simply don’t think Costa has the work rate to constantly assist and score, but Hazard does. Hazard became one of the best young talents Chelsea have ever had last season as he scared Premier League defenders with his tricky dribbling and lightening turn of pace. I expect no less from the Belgian superstar and think that this season, Hazard could see his name next to a PFA player of the year award.

Coming up… Crystal Palace

By @nathan_said