Season 2012-13 : A look at our prospective playing XI

Chelsea have been very active in this transfer season, already signing two players and looking certain to sign more. However, our squad is strong enough right now to take on strong rivals in all competitions. Surely the signings of new players would add to our strength, but let's take a look at what our playing XI could be with the players that we have at our disposal right now. 

The goalkeeper position requires no discussion. Petr Cech will be our main goalkeeper. He has already proved during last season that he is not yet past his prime and can still protect the goal against strong attacks.

Our defence too is pretty much solid. Ashley Cole will continue to be the first choice left back. Roberto Di Matteo may play Ryan Bertrand sometimes to allow Ashley to rest, but Ryan certainly won't be replacing him full time this season. For the two Centre Back positions, Chelsea have a choice between John Terry, David Luiz and Gary Cahill. Branislav Ivanovic also prefers to play as a CB, but until Chelsea buy a good RB, he won't be shifted to the centre. John Terry's position in the squad is as good as comfirmed. Luiz and Cahill will be competing for the second CB spot. Roberto Di Matteo might play them both together to allow Terry to rest sometimes. Sam Hutchinson may also be an option for some matches. As things stand right now, Ivanovic will continue to play as a right back.

The midfield is Chelsea's main strength next season. With a variety of options available, we can expect Di Matteo to use rotation in this area. Almost all our midfielders, with the exception of Michael Essien, are in tremendous form. Raul Meireles seemed to be out of form at the end of last season, but his performances in the Euros have restored the faith in him. Kevin De Bruyne and Josh McEachran are young players and may be loaned out but even with them out of the picture, Di Matteo will have 10 first team midfielders to choose from with a maximum of 5 spots up for grabs. Frank Lampard may be asked to play a deeper role next season. He is most likely to be positioned as a defensive midfielder alongside either Ramires or John Obi Mikel. Meireles and Oriol Romeu are also players who can play in this position and may feature in some matches. Juan Mata, Marko Marin and Eden Hazard are most likely to form our attacking line but Malouda will be competing for a place too. In the event of an injury, Ramires or Meireles will move into an attacking position.

Our attack will be led by Fernando Torres next season. His form last season was a point of worry for Chelsea, but that won't be a problem next season. He showed with his performances in the Euros that he is ready to lead Chelsea's attack next season. Daniel Sturridge is going to be the second choice striker but Di Matteo may play him often as he is a remarkably talented striker and can threaten defences with his pace and dribbling skills. Romelu Lukaku although talented, is not yet ready for first team action. Also he won't be happy with being the third choice striker at Chelsea and so we can expect him to be loaned out next season.

With a team this strong and more additions certain to be made, Chelsea is set to be a major threat to every football team in Europe once again. If, as the reports say, Chelsea buy players like Hulk, Jovetic and a good Right Back (Maicon, Debuchy or Azpilicueta), our team would be strengthened immensely and there would be back up players available for almost each and every position. Hulk and/or Jovetic could play as a second or back up striker. Hulk also plays well on the right wing and he would strengthen our midfield even more. His passes are usually spot on and would help in creating scoring opportunities for Torres.
Roberto Di Matteo will certainly use all the players at his disposal effectively and we can expect him to win trophies for us next season. 

KTBFFH.!

  

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