May
31
2007
How can Chelsea improve this summer?
As part of our 2006/2007 Premiership season-end review, here’s a look at how Chelsea’s season went. Read up, then offer your own ‘expert’ advice on how Chelsea can improve this summer.
- Pre-season expectations: To win the Premiership and the Champions League.
- Season evaluation: Fans point to the injuries and say that Chelsea did quite well despite them, but injuries were not responsible for Chelsea losing to Liverpool on penalties. The Premiership? Could one defender bought in January have helped? Could a more balanced squad / Sheva on form have helped? If you look hard enough, you’ll find excuses everywhere.
- The Big Negative: Team selection - picking Essien as a center-back when he should have been driving Chelsea forward from the midfield probably cost Chelsea a few points.
- The Big Positive: Chelsea’s fighting spirit. It gave out in the end but Chelsea couldn’t have done what they did without it.
- Summer Priority: Assuming that Mourinho, Terry and Lamps stay, Chelsea’s biggest priority will be to keep the squad balanced (one more central defender and a striker to cover for Drogba and Kalou during ANC) and keeping them fit.
Chelsea had a good season - 2 domestic trophies, 3rd champions league semifinal in 4 years and runners-up in the Premiership. They have the squad to mount a serious challenge for the Premiership and will definitely do so next term.
Now it’s your turn: How do you think Chelsea can improve this summer?
Also see:
- The complete list for the Premiership 2006/2007 season reviews.
- Do you have what it takes to be a football manager?
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You were doing so well, until you made the cretinous comment about Essien being sacrificed in midfield. Do you honestly think that, if Mourinho had had a superior defender, he would have played Essien at the back for a bit of a giggle?
I actually agree with Ahmed on the Essien issue. It’s a matter of think attack or defense. Bringing Essien back took so much drive out of the midfield with the slow moving Mikel, Makalele and Ballack to produce.
With the possession Chelsea have, they would’ve been better off placing an actual defender in the back (like Man U. did when Brown was the only central defender left). It’s nok like Essien is that great a defender, so I agree Chelsea lost more than they gained from the repositioning.
We’ll see how Chelsea cope with the ANC in January…I think it’ll be really hard on them.
The season was very successful from my point of view. A domestic cup double would have any fan ecstatic and rightly so, it’s a marvellous achievement, regardless of the ‘expectations’. I don’t know about anyone else, but winning the FA Cup at the new Wembley would be more than enough for me. ‘Quite Well’ is a bit of an understatement in my eyes. 2 cups, 2nd place in the league and a 3rd semi in 4 seasons represents a bloody brilliant season, never mind all ups and downs along the way.
Good article, but I think you have to balance expectations with those elements a club cannot control.
Expectations were high at the start, but only as far as the Champions League was concerned. A final would have been an improvement; a semi would have meant no progress. While we all hoped for a 3rd consecutive title, in reality everyone knew it would be even harder this time and was probably not a certainty, especially given how Arsenal and Liverpool were expected to improve. Domestic cups were looked at as likely areas for success, but possibly disposable if we were doing well in Europe.
And then there were the areas a club cant control. Internal conflict destabilised the club, despite the best efforts of almost all concerned. Injuries ripped the heart out of defence (Cech, Terry) and attack (Cole, Robben).
As it turned out, Arsenal and Liverpool didnt improve much, Man U improved alot. Despite bad luck with injuries Chelsea held on until very near the end, only their tenacious character keeping them close until Man U hit their injury streak. Chelsea crept ever closer, but even their willpower could not overcome the ghastly injury run - Carvalho at Bolton. Man U swept past a suspect Everton as Bolton took a point from Stamford Bridge and Old Trafford’s increasing jitters were swept away too. The title was theirs, deservedly.
No mention of Sheva and Ballack then? Not really. They both had a predictable season given they were new to the frantic pace of the Premiership. It’s not often a foreign player takes the season by storm from the start of their first season. You have to go back to Arnold Murhen at Ipswich for that I think - and please dont shout Zola! at me. Remember, he took a good few months to start to turn it on.
All in all then, a season to surpass expectations; a season where pride in the team, the players and the managerial staff increased tremendously.
And so, how to improve? Tevez would be wonderful, if Mourinho considers he can fit into the team ethic. I agree with van Nistelrooy that whoever of the big three buy him will win the Premeiership - probably. Cover for the African boys is a priority so Jose may have to up his ideal squad size to more than 24!
Other than that, no serious changes. Keep on going; keep on keeping on; keep on winning.
U guyz would have lost a lot more goals if it hadnt been for essien. Chelski
is going nowhere widout a quality defender and if lampard and terry go. thats it ita all fini. gud bye chelsea and good riddance im getting bored by ur play. MONEY ISNT EVERYTHING
I would like to see a review on how Derby could improve, after being promoted, which players they might buy with the millions Billy Davies has to spend. That would be a good read for me and probably a lot of football fans.
i expect shevo and ballack to come right next season and also kaluo to have more impact. if lampard leaves fine,mikel and essein are the real talent he can be replaced.Terry must be kept he is to good to let go to some one else , they still need another centre back.but having ashley cole fit for the season will make a huge differnece.While drogba is missing , shevchenko will get to play as the front man and this will help his game u cannot forget what he has done in his career in one year to write him off is foolish.
Does anyone know if makalale has actualy asked to leave?lots of speculation, chelsa should keep him the greats of the game are ageless he could play till fourty
How can Chelsea improve this summer? Just by turning up of course.
Good luck for next season, manu have bought quality, arsenal are more experienced and liverpool will buy bcos they have money in the bank. I think chelski and moan-ninho will get found out next term, with the money chelski have spent they should have played the best football in the prem, just goes to prove that money doesnt buy you everything.
gettin a new striker which we ave with pizarro
and get a new right back DANIEL ALVES OR RICHARDS
and try to get another striker or get CRESPO back
and try to keep hold of lampard