2012/2013: 3rd
Transfer(s) In: Andre Schurrle (Bayer Leverkusen, £18 Million), Marco Van Ginkel (Vitesse Arnhem, Undisc), Mark Schwarzer (Fulham, Free), Jose Mourinho (Real Madrid, Free), Willian (Anzhi Makhachkala, £30 Million), Samuel Eto'o (Anzhi Makhachkala, Free)
Transfer(s) Out: Marko Marin (Sevilla, Loan), Gael Kakuta (Vitesse Arnhem, Loan), Oriol Romeu (Valencia, Loan), Ross Turnbull, Florent Malouda, Yossi Benayoun, Paulo Ferreira, Rafa Benitez (All Released), Romelu Lukaku (Everton, Loan)
Transfers Review:
If I look back to my Chelsea season review post from a couple of months ago, I said that Chelsea's squad were already good enough to challenge for the title. All they required was a manager that could gel the players together properly, and, most importantly of all, was stable in his job. Unfortunately for Chelsea, that has rarely been the case. However, there has always been a place at Stamford Bridge for Jose Mourinho. Maybe not in Roman Abramovic's house, but certainly among the Chelsea fans at Stamford Bridge! Provided Mourinho stays at Chelsea for the foreseeable future, I see no reason why Chelsea cannot see some of the success that the former Madrid manager brought to the club nearly a decade ago.
All of Mourinho's aquisitions look like shrewd purchases, with both Andre Schurrle and Marco van Ginkel ones for the future. Schurrle will certainly be used in the upcoming season, having proven himself in a quality German league. He will certainly add a little width to the attacks, aiding Chelsea's 'Holy Trinity' of Oscar, Hazard and Mata to create more for the front man. Having a back-up goalkeeper of Schwarzer's quality is rare in the Premier League, with the vast majority of second string goalkeepers eventually searching elsewhere for first team football. His advancing age means that a long term purchase he is not, but he will certainly be useful in the short term. Though Abramovic used his Russian connections to snare both Willian and Samuel Eto'o from Anzhi Makhachkala, the manager will be pleased to have players of that quality. Mourinho will also be glad to have rebuffed the advances of Barcelona for David Luiz. The enigmatic defender was a core part of Chelsea's European success last season, and Mourinho will want him to be at the heart of his defence this season.
However, none of these was the prize that Mourinho most coveted. The long-standing spat between Wayne Rooney and new Manchester United manager David Moyes alerted Mourinho to the possibility of signing the England international. This was only made more likely after Moyes's rather ill-concieved comments to the media, in which he clearly indicated that Rooney was considered 'second-fiddle' to Robin van Persie. Initial bids of £30 and £35 Million were both rejected by the current Premier League champions, leading Mourinho to insist that Rooney pushed his way away from United. This did not materialise, leading Mourinho to turn his attention to the experienced Eto'o. I think that Eto'o is a good signing for Chelsea, but Rooney could have been this season's Robin van Persie signing, moving the title race in Chelsea's favour.
Pre-Season:
Chelsea, in preparation for the upcoming season, started their pre-season with a tour of Asia, where they took part in three exhibition matches. Whilst they were good in terms of marketing the brand in Asia, they did little in terms of match fitness or training, as they were all walkovers. Beginning with the match against the Singha-All-Stars, with entirely changed side to include the youth, they still ran out comfortable 1-0 winners. The next two games were even more emphatic. Against a Malaysia XI, Chelsea dominated to win 4-1, before rounding their tour off with the most convincing win, an 8-0 triumph over the Indonesia All Stars.
Returning to Europe, they took part in the International Champions Cup, after a brief stop in America for a friendly against Inter Milan. A comfortable 2-0 win over the Italians, made even more so after Hugo Campagnaro was sent off just after half time, will have been doubly pleasing for the ex-Inter boss Mourinho. In the International Champions Cup semi final, they faced the other side of Milan, with the same result. Goals from the impressive Kevin de Bruyne and Andre Schurrle set up a meeting with another of Mourinho's ex-clubs, Real Madrid, in the final. Unfortunately for Chelsea, they came up against a rampant Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese forward scored twice to condemn the Blues to a 3-1 defeat, a match that Mourinho labelled as 'perfect' afterwards. This defeat, he claimed, allowed them to change what was wrong before the start of the season.
Key Players:
Put quite simply, they are not named the 'Holy Trinity' for nothing. If I had to choose one, based solely on last season's form, Juan Mata would be him. His vision and passing ability are both superb, and he really came to the fore last season, finishing the season with the most amount of goals created in the Premier League. Eden Hazard will also be critical to Chelsea's success this year. After a positive first season in England (the kick on the ball boy excluded), the Belgian will want to kick on and add a few more goals to his game.
At the back, David Luiz is also going to be essential to Mourinho's plans. Whilst he has often be criticised for his defending, he found the perfect balance between attack and defence for much of last season, often sitting just infront of the back 4. His determination, passing and strength will also be key assets to Chelsea keeping clean sheets this season, and he would have been an enormous miss had he decided to join Barcelona.
Key Fixture Dates:
26/08/2013: Manchester United vs Chelsea
21/09/2013: Chelsea vs Fulham
27/10/2013: Chelsea vs Manchester City
21/12/2013: Arsenal vs Chelsea
18/01/2014: Chelsea vs Manchester United
01/02/2014: Manchester City vs Chelsea
01/03/2014: Fulham vs Chelsea
22/03/2014: Chelsea vs Arsenal
Top Goalscorer:
If things stay as they are, Fernando Torres would be my pick. The Spaniard showed glimpses of his old form last campaign, illustrating on occasions why the Spaniards hold him in such high regard with the nickname 'El Nino'. A regular starting berth under Mourinho could see Torres re-gain his Liverpool form, but how many times have we said that about Torres at Chelsea when a new manager comes in?
Prediction:
Chelsea are certainly title contenders this season, and I would expect that to be up with the Manchester clubs throughout the year. In terms of squad, both quality and depth, they probably lose out to Manchester City but beat Manchester United. The advantage that they hold over the pair of them, and one I believe is critical, is that although they have changed their manager, it is almost as though they haven't. This will allow them to make the transition into the Premier League much more quickly than either of their rivals. In Mourinho, they arguably have a finer manager than either of the Manchester clubs. For this reason, I believe Mourinho will bring league glory back to Stamford Bridge this season.
Chelsea 2013/2014: 1st
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