5 reasons why Chelsea can win the Champions League this season

Chelsea have started this season on a roll and are unbeaten in both the English Premier League and the Champions League till now. Domestically they have been so dominant that their are comparisons being made to the 2003-04 invincibles of Arsenal.But Jose Mourinho is building a team to rule not just England but the whole of Europe.Here are 5 reasons why The Blues are well equipped for Champions League glory for the second time this decade

#1 Diego Costa

The £32 million summer signing from Atletico Madrid has hit the ground running in English Football having scored 11 goals in 11 Premier League appearances. Seeing the way Costa has settled into the Chelsea side and got under the skin of opposition defenders, the transfer fees is a bargain.

Chelsea also have an attacking arsenal that comprises of Eden Hazard, Cesc Fabregas, Oscar & Willian to provide high quality service for Diego Costa and the Spaniard has also shown he does not require too many chances to find the back of the net.

The biggest question mark over Diego Costa is his fitness. But if Chelsea can keep him on the field once the knockout stages start, they will be among the favourites for the Champions League Crown along with the likes of Bayern Munich and Real Madrid.

#2 Mourinho\'s Single Game Tactics

Jose Mourinho is a genius when it comes to setting up his teams against quality opposition. He has done it numerous times in the Champions League during his time at Chelsea and during victorious campaigns in Europe at Porto and Inter Milan.

The “Special One” knows how to nullify attacking threats and that is exactly what Chelsea will need to do during the knockout stages when they face other European heavy weights.

To win the Champions League, Chelsea will face opposition of the calibre of Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Real Madrid, etc. at some stage of the competition and will have to deal with the likes of Messi, Ronaldo, Robben and the numerous other talented attackers these teams have at their disposal. But Mourinho is a master at setting up a team to frustrate the opposition in one-off ties.

He will paint Chelsea as the underdogs in the media before such matchups, get under the skin of the opposing manager and setup a team to stop the opposition from playing to their strengths. The end result could very easily be a Champions League victory at a 3rd different club for the Portuguese manager.

#3 Squad Strength

Petr Cech can’t get a game for Chelsea. Who would have imagined that a few years ago!

The Blues have capable replacements all over the field who can come in and do a job and that might just prove to be the difference when it comes to the final third of the season and games come thick and fast.

In attack, they have Loic Remy, Didier Drogba & Andre Schurrle all of whom are proven goal scorers and would be first choice in most teams in Europe. Diego Costa is the undisputed starter in attack but should his hamstring injury prevent him from taking the field, all three are able replacements.

Similarly, at the back Thibaut Courtois’ form in goal has meant that Petr Cech, still one of the best goalkeepers around, has to settle for a place on the bench. There are quality replacements and internationals in most other areas of the field too.

Apart from the quality in depth already available to Jose Mourinho, there are also rumours that Chelsea will add a name or two during the January transfer window which will make their squad even deeper and impervious to injuries. This might prove to be an important factor in April and May when they are battling teams unable to replace tired/injured stars due to a lack of options.

#4 Defence

It is no secret that Mourinho builds his teams from the back and Chelsea are no different. The Londoners are extremely difficult to break down.

In Thibaut Courtois, Mourinho has one of the two best goalkeepers in the World along with Manuel Neuer at his disposal. The Belgian has been an ever present in the Champions League and Premier League since returning from his loan spell at Athletco Madrid over the summer.

In front of the Belgian shot stopper, the centre-back pairing of John Terry and Gary Cahill has been rock solid with the formidable Branislav Ivanovic and César Azpilicueta on either side of the English duo. They also have Nemanja Matic playing in the holding role just in front of the back four and the Serbian has been a revelation since resigning for Chelsea in January this year.

In the 5 Champions League games so far, The Chelsea rearguard has conceded just 2 goals and only one of them was at Stamford Bridge, while scoring an astonishing 14. Teams will find it incredibly hard to break down the Chelsea back four come the knockout stages and that gives them a great chance of avoiding conceding away goals which often proves to be the undoing of teams in the latter stages of the Champions League.

#5 Champions League Pedigree

A lot of the players in the current Chelsea squad have already lifted the “Big Ears” once in 2011-12 when Roberto Di Matteo was at the helm. During that campaign they put up stellar performances to win against heavily fancied teams like Barcelona and Bayern Munich and that experience will hold them in good stead when it comes down to the business end of the tournament.

Gary Cahill and John Terry played a major role during that campaign and DIdier Drogba, Petr Cech and John Obi Mikel are also some of the survivors from that squad still at the club.

Even new arrivals like Cesc Fabregas, Diego Costa and Thibaut Courtois have experienced big nights in the Champions league even though they are yet to lift the trophy. Fabregas played the final with Arsenal in 2006 and took part in multiple semi-finals while at Barcelona. Costa and Courtois were the loosing finalists for Atletico Madrid against their city rivals Real last season.