As the last remnants of the Chelsea faithful filed out of Stamford Bridge on Tuesday night, the air was thick was the scent of anticipation. A summer of waiting, of watching, of controversy and international failure was finally coming to an end and it appeared, to all who were at the Bridge last week, that Chelsea had come out of the other end in a strong position. We signed well and early, beating off stiff competition for our three key targets which Mourinho had so emphasised. The new boys, along with the return of the king, have impressed through pre-season, chipping in with goals, assists and general attacking bravado. Nonetheless, this season represents one rather large selection headache for the Special One. I`m struggling to think of more than 4/5 players who I can safely say have their names pinned to the drawing board in Mourinho`s head. It is a good dilemma, let us not fool ourselves, but a troublesome one nonetheless. Do we opt for youth and creativity or the tenacity and strength of experience? Do we place our trust in the old guard who have unswervingly served Chelsea for so many years or do we enter this Premier League season with a fresh-faced outlook? For me, there are more selection dilemma`s than immediately meet the eye. In this preview, I will look to run through the majority of the squad, their respective chances of making it into the starting eleven and then I will look ahead to the whole squad`s chances of lifting some silverware after the relative drought of the 2013/2014 season.
Petr Cech
Age: 32
One of the great stalwarts of our time, Cech has served Chelsea with an irresistible level of panache and aplomb over the last 10 years. He was a founding member of the original Mourinho team in 04/05 and has been relatively unchallenged in the 10 years since that time. However, the arrival of Thibaut Courtois after three successful spells on loan at the La Liga champions, Atletico Madrid, means that Cech, despite being arguably the 3rd best goalkeeper in the world, is under threat. It would seem ignominious at the least to discard of Big Pete after a generation of servitude but the nasal cry of youth is ringing in Mourinho`s ears. It pains me to say it but I feel Courtois will be our number one next season; period. Real Madrid and PSG are said to be monitoring the situation closely and I think Cech will look to move away from the Bridge as opposed to playing second fiddle to the young Belgian upstart.
Thibaut Courtois
Age: 22
Arguably the best young goalkeeper in the world, Thibaut Courtois received a rousing reception from the Matthew Harding stand last Tuesday night. He looked composed, confident and technically sound behind a strong back four and his aerial ability is on a par with the likes of Manuel Neuer and Cech. He was instrumental in helping Atletico to the La Liga title last year and his recall to the Chelsea ranks can only be for one real reason. He pulled off an absolutely remarkable save against Werder Bremen in pre-season, diving low from a point blank header and almost punching the ball away with remarkable agility for a lad who stands at 6ft 5 inches. That, for me, sealed the deal. I think the young Belgian will start as Mourinho`s number one and, at 22, he could be our number one for another 15 years.
Branislav Ivanovic
Age: 30
One of the lads whose places is arguably under threat this season following the arrival of Filipe Luis from Atletico Madrid. Ivanovic was an ever-present during our double winning seasons under Carlo Ancelotti and Andre Villas Boas/Robbie DiMatteo and his strength and ability on the ball has been key to Chelsea`s success. He also contributes important goals, heading the winner against Benfica in the Europa League final in 2013. In most teams, Ivanovic`s talents would be indispensable but Chelsea have six top quality defenders competing for four spots in the back line. However, I think we could see more of Brana partnering Gary Cahill this season; John Terry was exceptional last year but I predict a slight decline in form from the captain. We have two excellent full backs in Cesar Azpilcueta and Filipe Luis and I think Brana could slot in to the hole. His marauding runs at full back last year usually ended in sinking disappointment and I feel his power may be better suited in the middle.
Gary Cahill
Age: 28
Cahill took a lot of stick from England supporters this summer as a result of our dismal performance in Rio but Cahill`s success at Chelsea can be attributed to one key factor; his fantastic partnership with John Terry in the middle of defence. He`s powerful, good in the tackle and has a keen eye for football but looks shaky when he doesn`t have an equally good defender alongside him. I think he will continue to be a starter in the Chelsea eleven but I`m hoping to see him develop into more of a leader this year. The decline of John Terry is inevitable and someone needs to step into the gap; Cahill has been bred for that and Mourinho places a lot of trust in the ex Bolton international. His form and relationship with Courtois will be key to our success.
John Terry
Age: 33
John Terry`s form was one of the great revelations of last season but I`m not sure if he`s capable of sustaining it. We have already seen two high profile casualties in the form of Frank Lampard and Ashley Cole with another possibly on the way in Petr Cech. If JT is to continue to compete at the highest level, he needs careful management and selective game play. He`s a leader who relishes the big occasion and I feel we need him against top opposition as he inspires the team and brings a level of confidence to the team. However Chelsea must learn to survive and flourish without him and, off the back of last season, we often struggled when JT wasn`t in the team. This weakness must be removed if we are to compete on all fronts.
Cesar Azpilicueta
Age: 24
The unsung hero of the Chelsea team last year. The Spanish international actually had a relatively good World Cup in comparison to his Spanish team-mates and, last year, the fan favourite kept the great Ashley Cole out of the Chelsea team in only his second season in the Premier League. He`s highly rated by Mourinho for his determination and athletic ability, two key attributes that any top full-back must have. His unorthodox style on the ball led to initial criticism but he managed to win over both Benitez and Mourinho and his relationship with the right-sided midfielder will be key this year. I can`t see him being dropped from the team, especially after his superb form last year, and his ability to surge down the wing while keeping his flank secure makes him another selection headache for Mourinho.
Filipe Luis
Age: 29
Our most recent acquisition from Atletico Madrid and a player who really impressed me in the second leg of our Champions League tie last year. He looked, for want of a better word, awesome. From what I`ve seen of him so far, he is accomplished on the ball, potent going forward and skilful at reading the game. I haven`t been overly impressed with his ability to defend, however. He was at fault for a couple of pre-season goals and I doubt Mourinho missed that. The subject of his purchase was broached at length of Twitter and descended into an argument between the virtues of Luke Shaw and Filipe Luis and, at the moment, I`m not convinced about his place in the starting eleven. Against Burnley, I think Mourinho may opt for the back-four that was so good last season.
Kurt Zouma
Age: 19
An absolute beast and a signing that could prove to be instrumental to Chelsea`s prolonged success. Zouma is a real handful at the back and it looked as though his presence intimidated plenty of defenders in pre-season. Having watched a little of him at St Etienne, his aerial ability is very impressive and he`s strong in the tackle. It was intimated to me that we would see Zouma back out on loan but that would leave us pretty short-staffed at the back. I think we could see some more of Zouma partnering Ivanovic and Cahill at the back while the tutelage of John Terry will be key in the young French international`s development.
Nathan Aké
Age: 19
Last Tuesday, we named a very strong team against a decent Sociedad outfit. The only real surprise was the inclusion of Nathan Aké at full back. Without wanting to exaggerate, I thought Nathan was our best player in the first half. He really made me sit up and take notice and, since then, there`s been plenty of interest surrounding his potential role in the set-up. The lad has been on the brink of breaking into the first team for a couple of years and this could be his year to make an appearance. Chelsea arguably have five players who could play at full back, including Aké, so it`s a tough ask but the fans would love to see some home-grown talent plying its trade.
I`ll write my midfielder and striker preview this afternoon and look to preview Burnley this evening!
Up the Blues!
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