ADAM TOPPING’S Chelsea Season Preview
August 22nd, 2006 by Adam ToppingChelsea kick-off the new season aiming for a third consecutive League Championship under Jose Mourinho.
Once again there have been transfers flooding in and out of Stamford Bridge over the summer. Out has gone fans favourite Eidur Gudjohnsen to Barcelona. Other players who have left the Club include Damien Duff to Newcastle, Carlton Cole to West Ham, Jiri Jarosik to Celtic, Asier del Horno to Valencia and Hernan Crespo to Inter Milan. Glen Johnson has also been shipped to Portsmouth on loan for the season.
But Jose Mourinho has added yet more World class talent to the Chelsea ranks. In Andriy Shevchenko they have landed one of the World?s most potent strikers from AC Milan. Germany Captain Michael Ballack has also arrived from Bayern Munich with a formidable reputation and in addition to that they have snapped up Ivorian striker Salomon Kalou from Feyenoord, Nigerian midfielder John Mikel Obi from Lyn Oslo / Manchester United, Portuguese goalkeeper Henrique Hilario from CD National and Dutch defender Khalid Boulahrouz from Hamburg.
The history books show that only a handful of clubs have managed to win the League Championship three times on a row. They include; Manchester United (1999, 2000 and 2001), Liverpool (1982, 1983 and 1984), Arsenal (1933, 1934 and 1935) and Huddersfield (1924, 1925 and 1926) but the bookies place Mourinho?s men as firm favourites to lift a third successive League Championship and very few would disagree.
With the addition of these new players to an already star-studded line-up at Stamford Bridge I am in no doubt Chelsea will once again be crowned Champions of England though I do believe it will be a much tougher proposition this time around for the boys from the Kings Road. Liverpool have made some excellent additions to their squad, and with Manchester United and Arsenal already boasting strong and experienced squads I think we could be in for a roller-coaster of a season and probably the most exciting title race to date yet.
Outside of those top four, it?s hard to see much of a challenge coming from elsewhere, though you do have your surprise packets, last year it was Tottenham Hotspur who have come on leaps and bounds under Martin Jol but this year I am earmarking big Sam?s Bolton Wanderers to kick on from their successes over the last couple of seasons.
I believe Newcastle will also be a tough nut to crack, Glenn Roeder has come in and he seems to have turned fortunes for the North-East outfit.
Before Martin O?Neill was appointed Aston Villa Manager I was certain they would struggle this season but I think his drive and energy will pass down through the players and you will see a much rejuvenated Aston Villa side from the one that played under David O?Leary.
After that you have the predictable mid-table merry-go-round. The Wigan?s, the Fulham?s, the Charlton?s, one minute you are pushing for a European spot and the next you are embroiled in a relegation dogfight.
Out of the newly promoted sides I think Watford will struggle, I just cannot see them surviving at all. Neil Warnock?s Sheffield United will put up a brave fight and I am certain Reading will blossom, they have some quality players and they certainly look the better equipped to stay up.
Here is the my preview of the Chelsea squad that will be aiming for a third consecutive League Championship:
GOALKEEPERS
No 1. Petr Cech ? currently recovering after undergoing a shoulder operation during the summer. Should step back straight back into the first team when fully fit and he will prove once again why he is one of the best goalkeepers in the World.
No 23. Carlo Cudicini ? Would be first choice if he were at any other Premiership club. Carlo will prove to be a reliable and useful backup should the team need him. Did you know? He is the longest serving player at Chelsea after John Terry.
No 40. Henrique Hilario ? A bit of an unknown to many. He was understudy to Victor Baia at Porto when Mourinho was in charge there. And the Chelsea manager quotes ?The best and shortest thing I can say is that he is a goalkeeper that I trust.?
DEFENDERS
No 26. John Terry ? Chelsea Captain and now England Captain. He?s an absolute rock at the centre of the Chelsea defence and the heartbeat of the team. Is he the best defender in the World? He has my vote!
No 3. William Gallas ? Willie mate.. if you are reading this.. please go and get a pen and sign a new contract! He is one of the best defenders around, extremely quick and versatile.
No 18. Wayne Bridge ? Back at Chelsea after a loan spell at neighbours Fulham the tail end of last season. Back to full fitness and looking sharp. A superb crosser of the ball and a player I admire very much. Who needs Ashley Cole when we have Wayne Bridge!
No 6. Ricardo Carvalho ? To be honest, he?s not my pick at centre half alongside John Terry but Mourinho sticks with him and well I can?t really complain with Mourinho?s tactics can I? His anticipation is amongst one of his best attributes.
No 20. Paulo Ferreira ? Gets the head down, works hard and gets the job done. Has kept young Glen Johnson on the sidelines so he?s doing something right.
No 29. Robert Huth ? Young, solid centre half. Was on the verge of signing for Middlesborough but the deal fell through. Personally I am glad to see him stay. Will prove a useful backup when needed. Watch out for his Thunderbolt free-kicks!
No 14. Geremi ? A talented player and a bit of a forgotten man at Chelsea. He could walk onto almost any team in the Premiership but chose to stick with Chelsea and fight for his place.
No number assigned. Khalid Boulahrouz ? Just signed. Can play anywhere along the backline. All I know of him is that he got sent off for Holland against Portugal at the World Cup! Just don?t do that for us mate.
MIDFIELDERS
No 10. Joe Cole ? A revelation under Mourinho. Battling back from a knee injury picked up in Chelsea?s tour of the US. Will once again shine this season for both Chelsea and England.
No 19. Lassana Diarra ? Signed from Le Harve last summer. The young French Under 21 holding midfield player, nicknamed ?Mini Makalele? is a star for the future.. lets hope he?s as good as his French colleague.
No 5. Michael Essien ? A player who shone for Ghana at the World Cup. I think he will have much more of an impact on the team this year.
No 8. Frank Lampard ? Super Frank. Super Goals. And this season will be no different for Chelsea?s midfield maestro. Didn?t live up to his billing at the World Cup but I blame Sven for that!
No 4. Claude Makalele ? One of the best in his position in the World. Though ageing will still prove a vital piece in Mourinhos jigsaw.
No 16. Arjen Robben ? Back to his best after some injury setbacks. He will surely torture defences with his skill and lightening pace. Hopefully he can learn to stay on his feet a little more!
No 24. Shaun Wright Phillips ? Unfortunate last season by not getting enough games. Subsequently dropped from England?s World Cup squad. I think he will come good this season though. Big Season for you SWP!
No 13. Michael Ballack ? Brought in on a Free from Bayern Munich and well I can?t complain. Theres no doubting the quality with the guy. His touch, skill and vision all superb. He will chip in with his share of goals too.
No 12. John Mikel Obi ? After the long legal wrangle with Manchester United Mikel as he wants to be known is finally where he wants to be. Will he be worth all that trouble? Mourinho is convinced he will be worth every penny!
STRIKERS
No 11. Didier Drogba ? Has had a rough time from the press, referees, opposition fans and at times Chelsea fans since he arrived but everytime he gets knocked down he comes right back at you ten fold. Didi?s a very strong and very powerful frontman, a handful for defenders.
No 21. Salomon Kalou ? Signed from Feyenoord. The young Ivorian will add pace and skill to the Chelsea attack. Will learn a lot from playing with Didi and Sheva.
No 7. Andriy Shevchenko ? One of the World?s most potent strikers. Hopefully Sheva will bring plenty of goals goals and more goals this season.
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August 22nd, 2006 at 1:11 pm
How is Lampard’s poor World Cup Sven’s fault? It wasn’t as if he was told by Sven to keep shanking shots into the stands…
August 22nd, 2006 at 3:14 pm
Your right Sven wasn’t totally at fault.. Lampard must accept some responsibility for his poor showing but I believe if Sven had have got his squad and tactics right maybe confidence throughout the whole England camp (not just Super Frank!) would have been so much higher, and Lampard with the rest of the England squad could have progressed alot further, possibly even went on to win the tournament but c’est la Vie England didn’t win the World Cup, Lampard didn’t play well and everyones entitled to an opinion and that’s mine!
August 30th, 2006 at 4:57 pm
it was svens tactics that gave fat frank 25 shots on goal, it was fatties poor shooting and composure that hit every one in to the back row/out the stadium.
August 30th, 2006 at 4:59 pm
giving him the WORST shots-goals ratio of the world cup, i believe he had more shots than anyone else!! if he’d have converted say 20% of the shots, we almost definitely would have been in the semi, and then anything could have happened.
August 30th, 2006 at 5:50 pm
No I don\’t think it was Sven\’s tactics that gave him all those chances! If you know Frank Lampard\’s way of playing then you would know he normally hits plenty of shots during a game and in most cases he will notch a goal or two! As for his finishing during the World Cup I\’ve already stated my opinion regarding the \’confidence\’ factor (if you could kindly refresh yourself by reading my comment above). And I couldn\’t agree more, if Lamps had taken his chances a bit better England could well have went further and we could all be sitting here discussing how Frank Lampard is one of the Best midfielders in the World. But that\’s the fine line we have between success and failure in football, whenever someone or something fails a lot of people criticise instead of looking at the big picture!
September 1st, 2006 at 6:37 pm
True. It is only because of how much blame-passing he has done that I dislike him so much. I would be saying the same thing as you if he hadn’t tried to blame anything and everything under the sun for his own poor performances. I think it really would have shown him to be a big man had he just accepted some of the blame for the poor world cup.
I’m singling out fattie as it seems to be him mainly doing the blame passing, although there has been a lot from everyone else, a large majority seemed to have been from him.
September 1st, 2006 at 6:37 pm
Plus if it wasn’t Svens tactics that got him in those positions, and he was just doing what he wanted, he needs to learn some damn discipline.