Jose Mourinho enjoyed a typical second season and his side pretty much walked away with the title with months to spare. As much as Chelsea’s own brilliant form was the reason behind it, it was also down to them not having a serious title rival throughout and how poor the top teams were last season. The Blues got some fight from Manchester City early in the season and from Arsenal in the second half, but neither of the teams were competent or consistent enough to give the Portuguese manager a scare.
So this season is about Chelsea defending their title, but also about targeting continental success. The focus this season will be the Premier League and the Blues trying to defend their title, but there is also going to be ample stress on the importance of doing better in the Champions League.
In the Premier League, things will also depend on how well clubs like Arsenal, Manchester United and Manchester City do. These sides, especially the former two, definitely look much stronger on paper and could genuinely bring out a solid fight for the coveted title.
Arsenal have all the momentum with them after a relatively successful last fifteen months where they’ve got the monkey off their back with two FA Cup wins. They look a much stronger and balanced side and with a couple of more signings, could be guaranteed title challengers. Manchester United have made some eye catching additions this season and boast a star studded line-up. They certainly promise fireworks and look like they’ll be fighting for the title this season. Manchester City have made the much talked about £49m addition of Raheem Sterling. However, that is not enough and it doesn’t look like they’re addressing the shortcomings of last season just yet. Even so, they certainly possess a squad capable of challenging for the title.
Therefore we can expect more of a fight this time as opposed to last season when the quality of the league looked supremely poor because Chelsea was the only team playing consistently well throughout the season. But it eventually depends more on the rivals than on Chelsea because keeping in mind the entire picture, the broad assumption is that it is Chelsea’s title to lose and only an extraordinary challenge from one of their rivals could stop them.
Chelsea have not lost any of their top contributors of last season – in personnel or in age – bar maybe, John Terry who is 34 now, even though it is not yet reflected in his game. Petr Cech departed, but he was a second choice goalkeeper anyway and Asmir Begovic has certainly proved in the past few seasons that he is capable of playing at a top club and is a worthy replacement as a number 2. Filipe Luis hardly contributed to Chelsea’s trophies so his departure can’t have any adverse effects for the club.
In Cesc Fabregas and Diego Costa, Chelsea have the privilege of possessing one of the most lethal duos in Europe. In Eden Hazard, they have arguably the most deadly (and enjoyable to watch) footballer in the Premier League. In Nemanja Matic, the Blues perhaps have the best defensive midfielder of the league, a player who is so supremely talented and well equipped to dominate the heart of the pitch, that Mourinho didn’t regret shelling out £21m for him (a player Chelsea had lost for peanuts a few seasons before in the lure of getting David Luiz to Stamford Bridge).
Not to mention, Chelsea have the most organized and tight defence in the league, which will only be made stronger if they can add John Stones to it.
Mourinho has depended on a core group to deliver things for him and it isn’t surprising that Chelsea haven’t been too active in the transfer market. But last season’s double winners do have some things to worry about. Who is their back-up if Hazard gets injured? Despite how well Mourinho’s medical staff has done over the last two seasons, one cannot simply refute the chances of Chelsea’s key players being ruled out for weeks due to an unwanted injury. Can one of Juan Cuadrado, Oscar or Willian replace Hazard? Are John Obi Mikel or Ramires good replacements if Nemanja Matic or Cesc Fabregas cannot play? A more pressing problem is that of a striker. Mourinho has not been linked with a move for any striker despite having an injury-prone player leading the line for the club, who actually might miss the start of the season due to a knock. Costa, as mentioned before, was key to Chelsea’s domestic success (he failed to score in the Champions League) but his hamstring proved to be a worry for the Blues towards the end of the season. The London club has added Radamel Falcao but is last season’s Premier League flop a cent percent hit under Mourinho? And if not, could Loic Remy, who himself suffered with injuries in the last campaign, do the job for the Blues?
Of course, this is being extremely cynical and there is a good chance Chelsea don’t lose even a single key player for any significant time in the upcoming season. It makes sense that a team which won two trophies last season goes with the philosophy of “why fix what’s not broken”. But Mourinho could certainly do with an upgrade or two.
The lack of transfer activity might however, be extremely beneficial for some of Chelsea’s young guns, who are usually on loan at a certain Dutch club. Kurt Zouma looks like one player who will definitely be incorporated more in the starting line-up. The 20-year-old impressed whenever he came on for the Blues last season and this season could be his time to shine as John Terry might play a veteran role, or Gary Cahill is the one sacrificed to make way for younger blood. Highly rated 19-year-old midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek is another player who might get a chance to prove himself at the senior level this season.
PREDICTIONS
PREMIER LEAGUE
The bare minimum for Chelsea is to fight for the title again. They will have to work harder this season as the summer so far has indicated that their rivals look like they’re going to make defending the title, a bit difficult for the club.
Predicted Finish: 1st
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
This is the competition where the Blues really have to do better. No one expected Chelsea to be knocked off against PSG last season, but they disappointingly were. In his third season at the club, Mourinho will certainly want to make a bigger mark in the continental competition and even a Premier League win might seem a bit damp if the club doesn’t do too well in this competition.
Predicted run: Semi-Final
FA CUP, CAPITAL ONE CUP
The club should be in the final of either of the two competitions, if not both and try to bag a trophy in at least one of the two competitions. Silverware is always good, and being arguably the strongest side in the country, a season without a domestic cup might be a bit of an underachievement.
Predicted run: Final (both competitions)
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