Road to Redemption: How Chelsea can get back to former glory

The glory of the "Abramovich era" seems to be fading fast and hard for Chelsea. From being a domestic mainstay and heading towards European dominance, Chelsea have lost their way over the past four years. The club has failed to qualify for the Champions League twice in the last three years and are far from sure of qualifying this year too.

A team that once had the likes of Frank Lampard, Didier Drogba, John Terry, Ashley Cole, Michael Ballack and Petr Cech playing together are now left with just two bona fide superstars in Eden Hazard and N'golo Kante. The worrying results have come along with worrying transfers too, with Diego Costa being the last impactful star purchase. A purchase made almost 5 years back. With Hazard seemingly on his way out as well, let's take a look at some small but meaningful steps Chelsea can take to get their stock back up to the top domestically and resume their quest for European domination.

#5 Hire a technical director

Marina Granovskaia has had a major say in Chelsea's transfer policy from the beginning of the 'Abramovich era'. But since her appointment as Abramovich's official representative in 2010 and her subsequent elevation to the Chelsea board, she has become the most powerful figure at the club. She has done a tremendous job over the years and Chelsea's impressively low net transfer spend compared to their domestic rivals are a testimony to her business prowess.

However, she has had the expertise and judgement of former technical director Michael Emenalo at hand. He was a calming influence between Granovskaia and Chelsea's high profile managers. Antonio Conte had publicly lamented his absence during the Italian's second season in-charge of the Blues. Since his departure in 2017, Chelsea's investment in new players has been questionable at best with the likes of Morata, Barkley and Giroud failing to impress.

The next available transfer window will be crucial for the club's future with Hazard's impending exit and a transfer ban looming. While Granovskaia is undoubtedly one of the best business minds in football, she could use a true footballing expert to help with footballing decisions. Emenalo himself is available, having recently been sacked by Monaco. But a club like Chelsea should have no problems in attracting other brilliant minds in football if they so wished to.

#4 On-field Leadership

Having skilled players who can outplay the opposition is key to winning football matches but it is equally important to have leaders on the field who can shepherd their teammates through different situations. Emotions run high in football and at various times players need to be motivated and admonished. Some may require guidance or calming down. The presence of players who can speak with both their personality and their football elevates the whole team and can be the difference in crunch situations. Chelsea had an abundance of such players in John Terry, Didier Drogba, Frank Lampard and Petr Cech.

The only player who fits that mould in the current team is Cesar Azpilicueta. It is no surprise that Maurizio Sarri's major concern with his team this season has been their lacklustre second half performances and a lack of fight after going a goal down. While Hazard can single-handedly change matches with his dazzling skill, he has not proven to be an effective leader under duress. David Luiz is a great communicator and a prominent dressing room personality, however his questionable decision making on the field detract from his leadership. Meanwhile, club captain Gary Cahill has been all but frozen out by Sarri.

Irrespective of whether he fits into Sarri's playing system, Cahill must be involved in the training sessions, team meetings and in the dressing room as a leader. Even without playing, he is too valuable a resource to be simply wasted away. Meanwhile, Chelsea should look to buy somebody in the mould of Virgil Van Dijk or Fernandinho as a long term solution.

#3 Bolster Defense

Sir Alex Ferguson once had said,

"Offense wins games defense wins titles"

A rock solid defense is a prerequisite to emerge from the brutality of the English Premier League on top. No attack however spectacular can win titles in England without a reliable defensive unit to back it up. Look at what the arrival of Virgil Van Dijk has done for Liverpool's title hopes. Everybody lost their minds when Manchester City spent over €200 million on their defense before last season. Not only did they win the Premier League in record-smashing fashion, but are in the running to complete an unprecedented 'quadruple' and repeat as Premier League Champions this year.

Azpilicueta is a reliable leader who gives his best for each game irrespective of the position he's required to play and is an asset to Chelsea. However he does leave a little to be desired as opposed to natural full backs who are either quicker or can put in devastating long balls. Meanwhile Marcos Alonso's honeymoon period at Chelsea has come to a grinding halt as his defensive frailties are being repeatedly exposed in a four man defense. Alonso is a great wing back who thrives ahead of a three man defense but as a pure full back he is a liability. David Luiz can be spectacular at times and his passing is invaluable to Sarri's playing style. But he is too error prone and is frequently caught out of position during opposition counter attacks. His qualities are superb, just not what is needed from a centre-back.

Youngsters like Emerson and Christensen need to be given more chances to see if they can be consistent starters for Chelsea. If Christensen can step up he could form a formidable partnership with the increasingly impressive Rudiger. Even if Emerson impresses, Chelsea should definitely look for a natural full back in the market considering their increasing importance in football.

#2 Player Rotation and Management

When veteran players fail to elevate a struggling club's fortunes, it is a good idea to promote exciting young talents into the starting lineup. Not only does it provide an opportunity for the youngsters to showcase their capabilities and grow, it also keeps the veteran players on their toes. Knowing that their place in the starting lineup is not guaranteed without consistently good performances will prompt them to work harder and both situations can only benefit the club.

Chelsea's academy has always produced talented youngsters, most of whom are loaned out, creating Chelsea's infamous 'loan army'. Very few are kept in the club's squad and even they hardly see much playing time. This has been a frustrating experience for youngsters like Callum Hudson Odoi and Ruben Loftus Cheek who despite impressing at almost every given opportunity find themselves behind the likes of Pedro, Willian, Barkley and Kovacic.

Chelsea should learn from past mistakes like letting Lukaku slip away. Or at least borrow from recent trends with players like Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford turning out to be match winners for their teams. Hudson Odoi and Loftus Cheek need to be given chances to prove their mettle and deserve the same patience afforded to Willian and Pedro. Once that is done Chelsea will have a better idea if reinforcements are needed and where.

#1 Managerial Policy

One of the most underrated factors in a club's success is the synergy between the club hierarchy and the manager. It is important that both are at the same page not just in the direction the club needs to take, but also the ways of going about it.

For years Chelsea have relied on a 'hire and fire' policy while bringing managers with pragmatic and result-oriented working styles. In Maurizio Sarri the club has gone with a manager who has a particular philosophy and prefers to play within his own system. Such managers are the ones enjoying the most success in recent years. However the cost is that the results aren't immediate.

Chelsea need to either fully embrace their own departure from tradition or steadfastly stick to it. Being on the fence about this is about the worst thing the club can do. Considering he did not even have a proper pre-season to work with his players, firing Sarri at the end of just one season would benefit nobody.

Edited by Kingshuk Kusari