The second part of my team preview! Please comment and get involved down below!
Cesc Fabregas
Age: 27
I think this will prove to be our best signing of the summer, by some way. I actually criticised our signing of Fabregas when he first arrived amid a flurry of media speculation but, within 25 minutes of watching him in pre season, my Dad remarked that he hadn`t realised ‘just how good that Fabregas guy is`. He`s a real orchestrator and, against Sociedad, everything came through him. He rotated through the midfield in that game, starting in an advanced number 10 position before dropping back alongside Matic in a deeper holding role that I think we will see him operate through the majority of this season. That combination promises to be versatile, quick, powerful and an entry/exit route through which our football must flow. Fabregas was out-classed at Barcelona by the greatest midfield of recent times and he`ll be the main man at Chelsea just as he reaches his theoretical peak. A top player and, when fit, a certain starter.
Nemanja Matic
Age: 26
Probably my favourite Chelsea player at the moment, Matic will be just as important to our season as Diego Costa and Eden Hazard will be. I dubbed the middle of the park as the ‘Spider`s web` when I first saw Matic play and his uncanny ability to break up play and re-distribute the ball is systematic and oh so efficient. Mourinho`s transfer activity has been astute and he`s addressed the flaws in our team by introducing world class talent to the ranks; Matic is one example of that. He isn`t what you would call an ‘aesthetic` player but I can`t emphasise just how good the guy is. His balance for a big guy is exceptional and he is just so good at reading the game and breaking up opposition attacks. His position in the berth of the midfield is all but secure.
Ramires
Age: 27
I still stand by what I said last season; Ramires is in the wrong sport. He`s a fantastic athlete with an engine that runs all game, every game and he`s been driving our play for four years now. He had a brilliant season when we won the Europa League but last season represented a slight dip in form. He gives possession away too easily and, with Fabregas in the team, that sort of carelessness will have to go. He`s decent in front of goal and chips in with 6-10 goals a season but I think his position is under threat this year. We probably have the most complete midfield in the Premier League and, although versatility is definitely one of the Brazilian`s strengths, he`ll be hard pushed to take Fabregas or Matic out of the team. Certain aspects of Ramires`s game need fine-tuning and this must happen quickly; he won`t be happy to bench-warm and a player of his quality shouldn`t have to.
John Mikel Obi
Age: 27
The Nigerian international is probably the most divisive player ever to play for Chelsea. Dissertations have been written on whether he`s a deep lying playmaker or a handbrake and the Vital Chelsea forum has dedicated itself to ascertaining that without any conclusive agreement reached. I stand on the ‘handbrake` side most of the time; I feel he slows the game down too much and he isn`t suited to Mourinho`s style of quick, direct, counter-attacking football. However, his power in the middle of the park can`t be ignored and he`s had some fantastic games against teams like Barcelona, where he just sat and broke up play. He is simple and effective on the short pass and a Mikel/Matic combination is about as powerful as you can get. I think Mourinho will use him, albeit sparingly, against top opposition.
Eden Hazard
Age: 23
The young Belgian international was in electrifying form last year, ending up as Chelsea`s top goal-scorer from midfield while he also collected the player of the year. He had a quiet World Cup, by his standards, but he`s still ranked as one of the best players in the world. His effortless ability to skip past players, drive forward with the ball and pick out a pass from any range makes him one of the top midfielders in the Premier League. I had a conversation with a good friend the other day about who will be the next player to break the world transfer record. If Hazard can improve his goal-scoring tally, reproduce the scintillating form he showed last year but on a more consistent basis and generally improve this year then I think Chelsea will have a battle to keep Hazard on our books. Nonetheless, he`s almost certain to start the season as our number one left-sided midfielder
Oscar
Age: 22
At the beginning of last season, Oscar was electrifying. Buoyed by the support of his manager, who had proclaimed him his first choice number ten, Oscar formed a solid partnership with Hazard and William. However, the number of games that the Brazilian has played over the past three years along with the heavy weight of expectation on his young shoulders meant he fell off toward the back end of last season. He`s looked less than convincing during pre-season and I could actually recommend Chelsea giving him a break, like they did with Juan Mata two years ago. That worked wonders and Oscar looks very tired and short of a yard of pace; we need the kid firing on all cylinders as our link-up between the midfield and Diego Costa. Fabregas could slot into a number 10 role for the time being and this would give Mourinho the chance to experiment with his midfield options.
Willian
Age: 26
I don`t think people realise just how good Willian is. He`s a real technician and he links the play so effectively that many people don`t even realise he`s doing it. He`s lightning quick across the ground, skilful on the ball and a great passer. Often over-shadowed by Hazard, Willian would be our main creative outlet if it weren`t for the Belgian`s omni-presence and, in his first season in the Premier League, he adapted very well. His performances should continue to improve and the abundance of attacking talent at Mourinho`s disposal means all the players should up their game to compete. The only thing that Willian must add to his game is goals; he was prolific at Shakhtar Donetsk but only managed 4 goals last season.
Andre Schurrle
Age: 23
Schurrle almost appears as if he was custom built for the Premier League. He`s very, very fast, strong and able to take a player on. He played a cameo role last season, often coming off the bench but his ability in front of goal makes him a favourite of Mourinho`s. He was one of only three players to score a hat-trick for Chelsea last year and he`ll be looking to build on an excellent World Cup campaign, where he provided the assist for Mario Gotze`s tournament winning goal. There are persisting rumours that Schurrle is wanted by Atletico Madrid but Chelsea would be foolish to let the German go; if Schurrle can re-produce the form he`s shown for Germany in the Premier League then he`ll have a major part to play in the re-development of Chelsea`s team. I also wonder what sort of a role Schurrle could play as a forward, playing off Diego Costa or instead of Diego Costa.
Mohammed Salah
Age: 22
Signed from FC Basel in January following the departure of Juan Mata, Salah hit the ground running in West London. He impressed against Arsenal, scoring his first goal for the club, before scoring another against Stoke. He`s had a pretty good run in pre-season due to his lack of involvement in the World Cup, meaning he`s had lots of time to impress Mourinho and the coaching staff. He`s been on the score-sheet and involved with good attacking play but he`ll struggle to break through a stacked line of world class attacking midfielders. I can envisage Salah as an impact substitution as his electric pace will put the fear of God into tired opposition legs and he`s pretty good in front of goal. It`ll be good to see how he develops this year as Mourinho has personally tipped him to succeed. He may well start tomorrow as the players in those roles i.e. Schurrle, Willian, Oscar may not be fully fit.
Diego Costa
Age: 25
It is now obvious to everyone that Costa was far from full fitness at the World Cup. He looked tired and short of a yard of pace and many Chelsea fans were having premature doubts about his acquisition. However, his form in pre-season has at least quelled some of these worries for now. Although he looks about 15 years older, Costa is actually pretty young, which means he could be Chelsea`s number one for a few years. He was killer for Atletico last season, driving them to the La Liga title before moving to West London for £32 million. He`s looked dangerous in pre-season, notching up four goals including an impressive double in eight minutes against Real Sociedad last night. I was really impressed by his physical presence; he reminds me of Drogba with the way he bullies defenders. However, he has to control his temper. There were several incidences on tour where he squared up to defenders for, more often than not, innocuous looking challenges. The British media are usually looking to persecute us for something and Costa looks pretty street-wise, meaning he`ll get crucified if he steps out of line. He`s bound to get sent off at some point, such is his temperament, meaning we`ll be left worryingly short up front. I think Costa will be a success in the Premier League; he`s very powerful, technically sharp and doesn`t waste many goal-scoring opportunities he`s been tipped to be top scorer by Christmas but he needs to actually be eligible for games. He needs to calm down and desperately avoid picking up a serious injury.
Fernando Torres
Age: 30
What can be said about Torres that hasn`t already been said? The biggest waste of £50 million ever? Probably a little harsh but Torres simply isn`t up to the task of leading the line for Chelsea. He works very hard for the time and always puts himself about but he`ll be playing second fiddle to Costa this season. The sale of Lukaku meant that Torres was always going to stay this year and the return of Didier Drogba means Torres must now fight to be second choice. For a striker, Torres is actually a very good crosser of the ball and Mourinho deployed him out on the left during pre-season. He looked pretty good out there and caused our opposition some problems but he faces the prospect of Eden Hazard and Andre Schurrle in that position. If Costa gets injured, Torres will have to step up to the plate- and I`m not sure he can.
Didier Drogba
Age: 36
The oldest player in Chelsea`s first team squad but a hero and CFC legend, Didier has returned on a season long contract. He`s still a presence going forward and a real leader in the dressing room but I don`t expect him to feature that much. He was always the big game player and I look forward to seeing if he can re-produce that sort of form against the big boys [particularly Arsenal hahahahahaha] but he`ll be a motivational player as opposed to the out and out goalscorer we are so used to.
My Burnley preview to come next.
Up the Blues!
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