Of all the ‘Big 4’ clubs, next season should be the most interesting for Chelsea. After all, they have a new coach in Big Phil Scholari and it looks like they will have a new team as well. But can Roman’s Blue Army still compete at the top?
As of this writing, no big names have come out of Stamford Bridge, but the likes of Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba could well end up elsewhere at the start of the season, which would be a tremendous blow for Chelsea. These two players have been instrumental to their success in recent seasons and keeping them would be a bigger coup than bringing in any of the global superstars Chelsea have been linked with. The reason is that they’ve already been proven in the team and in the Premiership and you know they’ll do the business over the course of a season.
Last season saw some notable flops at Chelsea, most notably Florent Malouda, who came over from Lyon and never reached the heights expected of him. If he considers that he was supposed to be a replacement for Arjen Robben, then it further highlights just how disappointing Malouda really was. However, a big plus for Chelsea was the emergence of Micheal Ballack as a true Premiership star. His first season was a disappointment with so many fans expecting great things from the German boss, but particularly towards the end of last season he proved to be one of the best players in the league. If Chelsea can get a good season out of him, then he will make the difference in his success.
Who does Chelsea need to bring? Well if they lose Drogba they certainly need a striker to lead the line. Chelsea may be able to return to a 4-4-2 system for the first time in many years if Big Phil plays the kind of attacking football we expect him to play. If this is the case, two big-name strikers may be required depending on whether Anelka is up to the job. Deco is a name that has been closely linked to Chelsea and his arrival would be a huge blow to both Chelsea and the Premiership.
As much as I can see Chelsea football shirts reclaiming the golden Premiership badge making the right signings and landing on their feet this year, I can also take the view that they got it all wrong and slipped down the Premiership pecking order. If I had to make a prediction, I would say that they will finish third or fourth in the Premiership, but they will have a huge impact on the European stage. However, I am fully prepared to be wrong on this one.