Chelsea FC: Few things to watch out for

Chelsea FC: Few things to watch out for

9 years back when Roman bought Chelsea, not many would have predicted how quickly Chelsea football club would become a global force. The club has become a major player on the domestic and European game. Last season certainly added more value to this club when they beat all odds to be crowned the European Champions. Things are have changed since then. Di Matteo has been handed full control of the club, talented players such as Hazard,Marin have joined the club. Surely one must reckon Chelsea to be a genuine title contender and a club who can stop the ongoing domination of the Manchester Clubs in the league.

In this article I look at the possibility of Chelsea regaining their top spot in England and a few things Roman and co have to keep note of.

1. Keep hold on the sacking button Roman: Over the years one thing Chelsea have been really criticized for not only by others but also sometimes their own fans is the constant sacking of managers. Since Roman took over the club in 2003 there have been a total of 7 managers that have been a part of this club in 9 years. Apart from Jose no other manager has actually had a decent run at Chelsea with the likes of AVB and Scolari managing to lose their job within 7-8 months. The problem with Roman at times is his desire for instant success and failing to get that leads to an early exit. Surely Roman should know that in order to get good success you need a good manager-player relationship, something which the club has been lacking. Now with Di Matteo in charge their is a sense of respect around the players and the coaching staff for the Italian manager. The Chelsea legend who won the FA Cup with the club both as a player and manager is a highly respected figure in West London and his last season heroics just adds a lot more to his illustrious career.


2. Roman’s new Obsession- (Barcelona style): Last season Villas Boas was brought in to implement this change of style. As we all know what followed next was a series of failures which ultimately led to the sacking of the Portuguese manager. Now many would agree to the fact that AVB got Chelsea playing to a similar “Barca style” football yet it usually ended in a disappointing result. Villas Boas failed because he tried to do too much too soon. He had a group of players who just could not fit into that system very well. His 3 year project at the club ended in just 7 months. Now we all know what followed, AVB out and Di Matteo in.

Who's the real "Tiki-Taka" Expert?

Di Matteo was given the manager’s job yet don’t forget however that Roman’s aim was to bring Guardiola to Stamford Bridge. The Spaniard who created arguably the greatest club side in world football was the most sought after person after he resigned as Barcelona’s head coach and Roman knew there can’t be a better man for the job than Guardiola. So ultimately when Guardiola entered into his sabbatical Roman handed over the job to Di Matteo. Last season under Di Matteo, Chelsea reverted back to the deeper defensive unit, compact midfield and counter attack mentality which had served the side so well in previous seasons. Amazingly it led to Chelsea to a double winning season. Di Matteo knew he did not have the right players to continue the way Villas Boas had left the club and tactical changes were necessary. The problem Di Matteo might face this season is that Roman might not expect him to stick to his usual last season tactics and he would want to see tiki-taka football played at Stamford Bridge.


3. Striker Dilemma: I don’t think many would dis agree to the fact that if it wasn’t for Drogba we would have ended up trophyless. His Champions league winning penalty got us the most coveted cup in club football. The news that followed broke many hearts. Didier Drogba decided to join Shanghai Shenhua. In Drogba Chelsea lost their most influential and dominant forward, a player arguably the best forward in England for the past five or six years and who when asked upon, especially in finals, has come up with the goals again and again. In Drogba, Chelsea not only had an excellent forward but also an amazing team player,leader and a game changer. His amazing ability to defend during set pieces and key moments added an extra edge to the Chelsea side. His strong built and the way he bullied defenders was extraordinary. With Drogba leaving the club, Chelsea are now left with 3 genuine Center forwards: Fernando Torres,Daniel Sturridge and Romelu Lukaku.

Should we trust Fernando?

A. Fernando Torres: Once the most sought after strikers in the world, Fernando Torres has lost his charm,finishing,pace since he has joined Chelsea. Yes to some extent we can blame our midfield for not providing those excellent through balls and one touch passes that he got at Liverpool with Gerrard and Alonso(Just in case I am nowhere comparing Lampard and Gerrard) but his lack of confidence and poor first touch and finishing at times did not help him settle in very well and he was mainly found on the bench during key games. Now the positives are that we have made a couple of key signings in Hazard,Marin and Oscar (most probably). The positives these guys provide is that they can provide those excellent passes, quick feet, good vision something we lacked last season in Malouda, Kalou and Lampard. The question still remains can Torres still be trusted or does Di Matteo need to get into the transfer market.

Sturridge: The questions remains..

B. Daniel Sturridge: Played mostly as a Right Winger last season under Villas Boas, Sturridge failed to adapt to that role and was later on just a replacement for Ramires. Even though he managed to find the back of the net 15+ times last season which is pretty good for a winger his level of consistency was pretty low. Criticized quite often for not passing the ball and being selfish at times lost him his place in the playing XI. I honestly think if he is given a more Central role probably as a back up striker for Torres he can settle in pretty well. But is he willing to be a back up option? He is 22 years old and wants to make a big name for himself. I honestly don’t think he will prefer being a backup option for anyone now. With the midfield all packed up with new wingers coming in the only option he is left with is a striker’s role and if Chelsea fail to assure him a regular first team spot I fear we might be losing one of our most prized youngsters.

C. Romelu Lukaku: Next in line is the young 19 year old Center forward from Belgium. Touted by many to be a player similar to Drogba, Lukaku has all the qualities that can make him a star in near future. He has age by his side, physically strong, good pace and decent ability to finish all that he can improve and work on a lot more. Last season Lukaku failed to make an impact with only a couple of starts to his name and one can’t blame Di Matteo or AVB for that seeing the amount of pressure that was their last season. So a new season and a new beginning? In my opinion if Chelsea do manage to lure in a good Center Forward this season the best option for Lukaku might be a good loan deal preferably a Premier League side as it would help him adapt to the PL.


In my opinion I would want Chelsea to get into the transfer market and buy a well proven striker. 3 reasons-

1. Torres just cannot be trusted all by himself. If he fails to deliver yet again we might be under a lot of pressure.

2. Sturridge’s future is in a big doubt and Lukaku is not experienced enough.

3. Almost every top club has a good striker partnership. Madrid- Benzema and Higuain, City-Balotelli,Aguero,Dzeko, Arsenal- RVP,Giroud and Podolski. So we need to have a good squad depth to challenge for the big trophies next season.

#Shikharr( @ShikharrC )

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