Chelsea FC 2014/15 Season Preview – transfers, tactics, lineups and predictions

Mourinho's Chelsea V 2.0

With just a few weeks left for the 2014/15 Premier League season to begin, all the top clubs are already embroiled in a hotly contested transfer market race. With English clubs signing world class talents such as Alexis Sanchez, Diego Costa, Cesc Fabregas, Ander Herrera, Lazar Markovic, Fernando etc and many more to come, this Premier League season is surely going to be the most keenly contested and exciting season till now.

Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea side have long been tipped as favourites for the title, and almost clinched it from under Liverpool and Manchester City’s noses last season, before being undone by a disappointing set of results against mid to lower table clubs such as Crystal Palace and Sunderland. As we all know, Mourinho does not particularly take losing well, and we can be sure that this season he will try his absolute best to make amends for last season’s trophyless venture.

This article features a fan’s insight regarding Chelsea’s formations, potential transfers and loans, settling of new players etc, but obviously as every Chelsea, FC Porto and Inter fan knows, Mourinho knows best, and we should never ever doubt him.

Role of New Additions

Chelsea spent about 80 million pounds to acquire the services of Cesc Fabregas, Filipe Luis and Diego Costa, and with the return of Thibaut Courtois and Kurt Zouma to the first team fold, every department has been considerably strenghthened while keeping the net spending cosiderably low, owing largely to the princely sum acquired through David Luiz’ sale to PSG. The return of Didier Drogba on a free transfer will undoubtedly provide some invaluable experience and guidance for Chelsea’s other attacking players.Cesc Fabregas - The former Arsenal captain will be expected to replicate the role which Frank Lampard played for Chelsea so effectively in the past decade. While his creativity and goal threat cannot be doubted, he may have to prove his defensive capabilities if he wants to play in the pivot role alongside Nemanja Matic in the usual 4-2-3-1 formation. A lot will be expected from the Spaniard straight away considering his vast premier league experience, and he is a quality addition to the Blues’ ever improving midfield. Fabregas looks set to take the Premier League by storm on his return and has already scored 2 sublime goals in the pre season friendlies.

Diego Costa - The burly Brazillian born striker was a revelation for Atletico last season, as his 27 league goals helped to end Real Madrid and Barcelona’s duopoly over the La Liga, and was only bettered by a certain Cristiano Ronaldo. Powerful and full of aggression with great positioning sense, Costa is seen as an ideal Mourinho striker, and will be expected to fire Chelsea towards glory this season. Costa has taken no time to settle at Chelsea with 4 goals and 3 assists in 5 pre season friendly games.

Filipe Luis – The flying Brazillian left back had a stellar season with Atletico Madrid, contributing immensely in both attack and defence in the club’s best ever season. A fantastic crosser of the ball, Luis is one of the best attacking full backs in the world currently and will definitely prove to be a quality replacement for Ashley Cole.

Kurt Zouma – Despite his tender years, Zouma is a tank in every sense of the word. Technically gifted with massive strength and a great leap, Zouma is ideal for Chelsea and is widely expected to replace John Terry in the future, though he may have to be content with just a handful of starts this season.

Thibaut Courtois – In April last season, 4 of the biggest clubs in the world had just known their fate in the Champions League semi final draw yet the biggest talking point was whether Thibaut Courtois will be eligible to play against Chelsea or not. Speaks volumes for a goalkeeper who has just turned 22. Courtois is already considered as one of the very best goalkeepers in world football and can only get better. Standing tall at 6”6 and with mind boggling reflexes and supreme confidece, he has all the required attributes to replace the legendary Petr Cech as Chelsea’s long term first choice keeper.

Didier Drogba – The return of the ‘King of Stamford Bridge’ will undoubtedly galvanize the whole squad. Drogba has a massive presence in the dressing room and he along with John Terry and Petr Cech can nurture the younger talents at the club and instill Chelsea’s famous winning mentality in them. Depite his age, Mourinho believes Drogba can still add another dimension to Chelsea's attack.

Formations And Tactics

With an influx of experienced players, Mourinho can finally tweak his team formations depending on the opponents, unlike last season where 4-2-3-1 was the preferred formation in almost every match, due to a lack of alternatives.

4-3-3

The most flexible formation in the game, used to devastating effect by Carlo Ancelotti in Chelsea’s double winning 2009/10 campaign and also in Mourinho’s trophy laden first Chelsea stint.

A 4-3-3 system traditionally requires additional width from flying fullbacks, hence Azpilicueta should be preferred over Branislav Ivanovic in this system due to his superior pace and crossing ability, and quality crosses whipped in from both wings by Filipe Luis and Azpilicueta will surely create perfect opportunities for big strikers up front.

A midfield triumvirate of Matic, Fabregas and Oscar would be extremely efficient and effective to break down smaller resilient teams. The creativity of Fabregas coupled with Oscar’s technique and tenacity should complement Nemanja Matic’s screening of the defence perfectly.

In attack, both wide players can cut in and shoot, as they already have the support of the full backs to provide width, which is ideal for players like Hazard and Schurrle to display their shooting prowess either side of the main striker.

4-2-3-1

Last season’s preferred formation can be used alternatively for big matches. The addition of a world class defensive midfielder would make this formation perfect for Chelsea, till then Ramires or Marco Van Ginkel will have to partner Nemanja Matic in the pivot.

With 2 midfielders screening the defence, Chelsea can afford to play a high backline, adding pressure while attacking as well as defending. Normally this tactic is used by teams who depend on keeping possession such as Barcelona and Guardiola’s Bayern Munich. However those teams do not possess dogged and rugged midfielders and defenders known primarily for their last ditch interceptions like Chelsea does, which adds another dimension to how this tactic can be deployed.Oscar or Cesc Fabregas could play as the creative number 10, and the forwards can enjoy their sublime distribution. With almost all of Chelsea’s wide attacking players being good with both feet, they can easily switch wings to give opposition fullbacks a torrid time.

4-4-2

For specific physical and hard to break down opponents such as Stoke City FC or West Ham United, Mourinho has the option to play with 2 burly strikers up front, to provide a substantial aerial threat from long balls.While Drogba and Costa would be quite a similar combo in attack, they could be extremely useful as aerial threats against physical teams who park the bus. Fernando Torres could provide a different kind of threat with his lighter frame and dribbling ability while Andre Schurrle’s goalscoring exploits with Germany at the World Cup means he could be given a chance as a second striker as well. (Didier Drogba could be exclusively used for the matches against Arsenal, even when he turns 60 he’ll probably find it hard not to score against them ! )This formation also requires Chelsea’s wide men to put in a shift, and Hazard and Oscar/Willian would have to run their socks off defensively as well as there would be a deficiency in the defensive midfield department due to the nature of the formation, i.e Nemanja Matic will not play as a designated CDM but as a traditional CM alongside Cesc Fabregas.

Potential Transfers

With the addition of 4 experienced players in Costa, Luis, Fabregas and Drogba, Chelsea are now ready to compete on all 4 fronts, according to manager Jose Mourinho. However, inexperience in the midfield cost the club dearly last season, and after losing talismanic midfield general Frank Lampard, some steel is required in the middle of the park.

A world class defensive midfielder in the mould of Arturo Vidal or Paul Pogba would greatly enhance Chelsea’s balance and drive, alternative options include hijacking Arsenal’s move for Sami Khedira or even Alex Song on the cheap. The ideal fantasy signing for Chelsea in the midfield department would be Yaya Toure, considering the dynamic midfielder’s birthday issues at Manchester City, but the Sky Blues would most definitely avoid strenghtening their main title rival. Chelsea could also try to exercise their extra financial muscle to acquire univerally heralded players such as Danielle De Rossi from Roma or Ilkay Gundogan from Borussia Dortmund, however both these players have time and again established their loyalty for their respective clubs.Chelsea have earned praise from all over the world for their remarkable transfer activity since January 2013, where not only have they created a formidable squad for the upcoming season, but have also pocketed a cool £141 million from the sale of Juan Mata, Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku, David Luiz and Demba Ba, all 5 of whom were not considered as an integral part of Mourinho's plans, and were dispensable according to the Special One.

Loans : Promising youngsters like Patrick Bamford and Josh Mceachran can be loaned out to clubs based in England, preferably in the Championship, while more experienced players such as Ghana’s Christian Atsu, who impressed at Vitesse last season, can be sent to a mid table Premier League club.Outgoing : Chelsea can free up some more cash and space by selling off unused players such as Marko Marin and Victor Moses, while the search for a top defensive midfielder can be partially financed by the sale of John Obi Mikel.

Season Predictions and Conclusion

- With some mesmerising performances last season, Eden Hazard would be looking to improve his tally of 17 goals in all competitions and will be eyeing that PFA player of the year award which he narrowly missed out to the now departed Luis Suarez.

- Mourinho is not used to being trophyless and will be looking to add atleast 1 domestic cup along with the premier league title, coupled with a strong showing in the Champions League like last season.

- John Terry was arguably the outstanding defender in the Premier League last season, and will look to continue his fruitful partnership with Gary Cahill to have another defensively record breaking season.

- Diego Costa will be expected to hit the ground running straight away and fight for the golden boot along with traditional lead-setters Sergio Aguero and Van Persie.

- Just like the 2009/10 season, where Nicolas Anelka was extremely effective as a wide forward in a 4-3-3 system, Mourinho can use Fernando Torres in that role to resurrect the Spanish striker's faltering Chelsea career. Torres has a lot to offer with the ball, and is one of the better crossers in the team, however these qualities are rarely showcased due to his usual position as a central striker

- After taking a year to settle down, much is expected from attacking midfielders Andre Schurrle, Willian and Salah, whether as crucial parts of the starting 11 or as impact substitutions, these youngsters will have a big say in Chelsea’s title run.

- Last season’s best defence in the league has already been bolstered by the arrival of Filipe Luis and Thibaut Courtois from Atletico Madrid, and will be looking to set new clean sheet records. Courtois is probably the only keeper in the world who can adequately replace Petr Cech between the sticks, something which Mourinho doesn’t have to worry about for atleast the next decade.- To conclude, it would be safe to say that with the perfect blend of youth and experience, Chelsea are more than ready to embark on a potentially glorious journey across the 2014/15 season, and if all their new signings click right away, then Mourinho will undoubtedly have a hugely successful second season, as has traditionally been the case with him at Porto, Inter and Real Madrid before.

Edited by Staff Editor