Is Chelsea the team to beat ?

Just a keen observer or is there more to him than what meets the eye???

Youth & Chelsea never went hand in hand, so it should have come as a surprise to see The Blues investing heavily on highly rated young talents to replace what they lost, which is one man, Didier Drogba. But this is one blue chapter which will not elaborate on the Ivorian who gave his heart and soul before leaving Stamford Bridge and did make it count for his owner on his last outing.

3 games into the season, 9 points…I never watch 3 Chelsea games in a row but for once watching Chelsea FC was not a pain let me tell you. Does the shadow of the herculean Drogba remain? Is Chelsea still in Jose Mourinho hangover? And most importantly have they found a ‘Hazardous’ solution to their boring workman like approach? But first lets start with an Italian guy who is very un-Italian in his approach to the game…

Roberto Di Matteo, born in Switzerland, represented the Italian national team but his Swiss birth brings out the humble character in contrast to what should have been a flamboyant Italian. His playing career were small time clubs FC Zurich and Aarau in the Swiss league and then a 87 game stint at Lazio before the midfielder ended up playing 119 odd games for his current employers Chelsea. His managerial career graph was steady and nothing to jump up about before he got the caretaker manager’s job on Villas-Boas’s rather unceremonious departure. Even then no one would have predicted him at the helm come the new season but for a certain UEFA Champions League trophy in Roman Abromovich’s hallowed cabinet of desires which apparently sealed his job. But even then fans and critics alike must have thought ‘would he last 6 months before the Russian owner goes looking for a big character replacement?’. On the basis of the survival football Chelsea played last season maybe the hounds would have been forgiven their howls.

Switching to Chelsea as a team and what they have done in the latest transfer window. Yes, they have spent heavily like they always do but not on players who are already in the big leagues, not on another Torres or a Shevchenko for that matter. They are a team whose rebuilding was long overdue, but no big name, flamboyant, prodigal manager got that chance which Di Matteo stumbled upon, call it chance, call it destiny but i will still disagree with you by saying ‘He knew what he was doing or is doing’. Winning the Champions league was One man’s destiny and it certainly wasn’t Di Matteo’s. But now the question is has he utilized that opportunity?

Hazard, Oscar, Marin(e)…separate words sound straight out of an US action flick. But put them into a team that was aging and you just get refreshed by the sudden wave of youthful exuberance. Eden Hazard, 21 year old attacking midfielder/winger, by birth Belgian was bought for £32 million from French Ligue 1 side Lille. I won’t spend words on his background details before he joined Chelsea because I am sure it has been covered ample times. But what I saw has left me completely floored to the boy’s capabilities with a ball and without it. Oscar Dos Santos Emboaba Junior, phew! i wish Brazilians had smaller names. £20 million on the next Kaka? or is it? well that remains to be seen. But Oscar is a highly rated attacking midfielder bought from his home country club Internacional and has shone plenty of times for the Brazil youth side and yes he’s in line to take Kaka’s position for sure. Marko Marin is a 23 year old Yugoslavian born German International who was signed from Werder Bremen for a reported bargain price of £7 million. A third attacking midfielder for a Italian coach’s team goes a long way to show that his ideals are as un-Italian as possible and certainly a new chapter is about to be penned in Chelsea’s history which will probably not have the mention of Jose Mourinho, the special one’s style, his contingent of players of which there are very few remaining. Yes, this is a new Chelsea in the making and football fans will like what they see as the season progresses.

Hazard holds the key to a potential 5th league title in Chelsea’s history!

For once the season has started of perfectly and most importantly in some style for The Blues. Di Matteo has gone for attack as the primary option with 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3 as his preferred formations in the three league games that Chelsea has played. It’s a bit odd to see Chelsea going for two attacking midfielders/wingers constantly switching positions and putting the opposition in complete confusion on who to track and who to mark. Hazard and Mata have struck up a rhythm that could annihilate opponents week in week out. In the previous game vs Reading, Chelsea’s attacking movement was pristine and clean to watch, which could never have been said in previous years. Also a lone striker is no the only outlet for Chelsea to find the net!

Against Newcastle in Gameweek 2 of the Barclays Premier League Chelsea was carried smoothly by Hazard and a certain Fernando Torres who seems to have found his non-existent goal touch again, 2 back-to-back goals and an assist bode quiet well for a team which spent £50 million on him but opponents beware! To top that, Hazard, who has being of particular interest to me because of his pseudo – Cristiano style, had ticked almost all the boxes which I have for a player when I consider them against the class of the Portuguese except his scoring ability. But he ticked that off by scoring against Newcastle.

What we can expect from Hazard then? Mind boggling trickery which is not just mindless like Nani’s but has a consistent end product like an assist or even a goal. His touch is clean and the skills are situation based and not meant on showboating. He’s a brainy player in a younger mould of a Cristiano or Messi but has a long way to go, so I will not force either of those tags on to him. He has the likes of Torres and Mata for support and of course the old guard Frankie. But the Belgian has being one of those instant impact players that had become almost non-existent in the best league in the world before Sergio Aguero made his debut for Manchester City.

Spanish mates who complete Chelsea’s ‘Garden of Eden’

No Chelsea manager in the last 3-5 years have spent a transfer treasure chest and lasted long enough to bear it’s fruits. Roberto Di Matteo has an £80 million problem or solution on his hands and he needs to strike up the right balance. For now his formations seem quite set, but he also has the added pleasures of Marko Marin and Oscar to be added to the fray. Both players for now would seem as impact substitutes and bit part players but Oscar who got a substitute appearance against Reading showed some flashes of brilliance and first touch link up play with the aforementioned trio. He is a sure fire replacement for the aging warhorse Frank Lampard. Marin’s injury means he has to wait before he can have a similar impact as his fellow summer signings but expect him to do so as well.

A flair player, a playmaker & El Nino firing again with confidence makes Chelsea ‘the team to beat this season‘. But a susceptible defense which has being shaky to say the least could be Chelsea’s downfall. Maybe with the attack more or less sorted Di Matteo could look at bolstering the defense and striking up the right balance there as well and he’s already doing so with the signing of Cesar Azpilicueta added to the Chelsea backline. Drogba’s shadow taken care of! Mourinho hangover’s gone! Maybe letting the players take charge when they are on the field instead of forcing your character on to them is also a way to managerial success. Solid backstage rehearsals and then let it play out like a dream on stage, that seems to be the RDM way.