As the Premier League season draws to a conclusion, each and every side would be looking to bolster their squad for the upcoming season. With the campaign that Chelsea have had this time around, the end couldn’t come any faster.
The season has been nothing short of disappointing with legendary coach Jose Mourinho leaving the London club in December after a dismal start to a campaign when they had just lost to eventual champions Leicester City. They were 17th in the league and just a point above the relegation zone.
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All this happening to the defending champions is still a mystery as to how a team that just lost three games in the Premier League last season, performed so badly this time around.
With new head coach Antonio Conte coming in, these are the six things which must be done to propel the ex-champions back to where should be; at the top of the Premier League.
1) Choosing a formation and pursuing a set style of play
Antonio Conte, on the other hand, is a keen user of the 4-4-2 and 4-3-3 formations. His Juventus team were excellent users of the 3-5-2 formation, which may not be the formation he uses with Chelsea because it hasn't worked out that well in the Premier League when Manchester United tried using it.
He has used the 4-2-4 formation, which happens to be an aggressive 4-4-2 with great effect in his managerial past, but it is widely believed that he will use the 4-3-3 formation at Chelsea. Conte is a coach who loves to play good football at an intense tempo.
Chelsea are famous for “parking the bus” in crucial games while playing good football against weaker opponents. So it is generally believed that Conte would not park the bus and rather make the team play their best game just like they play week in, week out.
2) Make Stamford Bridge a fortress again
Stamford Bridge has been long regarded as a fortress. The main reason why Chelsea have been so successful all these years is because they were nearly unbeatable at home. Opposition teams trembled with fear at the thought of playing at the stadium. The atmosphere at the Bridge is nothing short of excellent.
Chelsea had never lost a game in the Premier League at home during Mourinho’s first stint at Chelsea. In the title-winning campaign of last season, Chelsea were unbeaten at home which was the major reason for Chelsea winning the Premier League with ease.
The London based club’s record at the Bridge has been mediocre this season with high profile losses to Liverpool, Southampton, Manchester City and shock losses to Crystal Palace and Bournemouth.
The Chelsea fans are used to seeing incredible football at the Bridge, and it is something that needs to be brought back. Thus, it is logical to say that Antonio Conte would be looking to make Stamford Bridge a fortress again.
3) Identifying the shortcomings and making impact signings
The midfield has been an Achilles heel for Chelsea this season, with Matic having his worst season in a Chelsea shirt. He has been a shadow of his former self while Oscar has been an anonymous player for most of the campaign.
Thus, it only makes sense to sign a powerful and versatile midfielder in Roma midfielder Radja Nainggolan. He would be a great addition to the lineup because having him in the team would mean Cesc Fabregas gets the license to go ahead and help with the attacks.
Nainggolan being paired with Matic would mean Chelsea would have a strong midfield which in turn leads to fewer goals being conceded per match. The Belgian would also be a motor in the Chelsea side, something they do not have at the moment.
Chelsea needs to sign a new defender with club captain John Terry’s exit seemingly confirmed. Antonio Conte has if reports are to be believed identified Leonardo Bonucci as his replacement. Conte knows Bonucci extremely well during his time with Juventus.
He is a centre-back who has the pace, power and reliability in his defensive game. He is also proficient in playing out from the back, which suits Conte’s playing style.
Signing a forward is also necessary so as to provide Costa a challenge. Conte has identified Gonzalo Higuain and Antoine Griezmann as potential targets, who’ve both had excellent seasons with Higuain scoring 33 goals in the league alone and Griezmann scoring 21 goals in the league this season.
4) Retaining the services of key players
Chelsea have some of the world’s best players in the world at the moment. With the likes of Fabregas, who is a World Cup winner, Diego Costa who is known for his goal scoring ability and Eden Hazard, who has been repeatedly compared to Messi and Ronaldo.
So it would be a heinous crime to let players of this level go. Though they haven’t performed at their best this season, the passion that Costa brings is an important asset to Chelsea.
Conte’s main job would be to instill passion in the club that it has been lacking this season. Chelsea just cannot let these players go. the backbone for the Italian manager's Chelsea side is already present, he just has to ensure the main players stay in the side next season.
5) Identify a captain
With club legend and captain John Terry seemingly departing at the end of the season, it would make sense for Conte to decide on a new captain fairly early. Chelsea have always had leaders in the team till now in the form of the “Old Guards” that comprised of John Terry, Frank Lampard, Didier Drogba, Petr Cech and Branislav Ivanovic.
Now that most of them have departed, or are in the process of departing the club, it is necessary to find a new man to take up the job. With John Terry captaining the club for more than a decade, the new captain would have huge boots to fill.
With Fabregas having already captained Arsenal during his stint with the Gunners and captaining Spain during the absence of other senior players, he looks the most appropriate player to take up the armband.
If Conte chooses to make a defender as captain, then Branislav Ivanovic can be considered as he is currently the vice-captain of the club. But his performances have been horrid this season, so it seems unlikely he will be chosen often next season and thus it would be unwise to make him captain.
6) The players need to step up
The most important thing that will help Chelsea improve next season would be the players stepping up. Most of this campaign, it felt like the players were still in pre-season with no motivation to work hard. They were too casual for the most part and were over confident.
Some might even argue that Mourinho lost his job only because his players failed to step up. Fabregas was quoted saying that the Portuguese trusted his players too much and were given too many holidays. He even said that it was the players that let the former manager down.
It is clear indication that the players need to start performing again to avoid another mishap of this magnitude. With this campaign coming to a close, the Chelsea stars need to look up to next season and give their all if they are to make the Blues great again.
