Am I the only one in thinking that Chelsea are going to have two to three top or world class players in every position (barring full backs probably), who will simply not play every game causing disharmony on the training ground and in the dressing room?
And ultimately a lack of match fitness for the players concerned? They have a squad of about thirty players who will be used to playing every game for their clubs, not being squad rotated like they will be next season and certainly not playing under a manager as egotistical as Mourinho.
I can't help but think that last season was not as satisfying for Chelsea as their first title triumph was. Firstly, too much of a walk in the park, secondly, losing in the Champions League and FA Cup to their bitterest rivals lately in Barcelona and Liverpool; also count Lampards ordinary form compared to his superhuman consistency the year before.
Added to all this are the murmurings about Abramovich going over Mourinho's head over Chelsea's transfer policy (he wants Crespo to stay, Mourinho isn't convinced entirely, Ballack and Shevchenko were deals orchestrated by the Russian we're led to believe...). Mourinho's comments in their title celebrations suggest that he nearly quit managing Chelsea twice last season. Count the fact he complains that the media do not recognise his managing talents because of the monetary advantage Chelsea have when signing players over other clubs. Stamford Bridge is not the Garden of Eden their playing staff and their fickle fans make out it is.
Having stated that, they will all in all probably win the Premier League next season. Not a bold statement is it? But I'm just saying that it will not be a stroll for Mourinho and Chelsea.
Tally up Chelsea's midfielders who they simply cannot afford to leave out of their side. They're stocked to the gills with them. Makelele, Duff, Robben, Wright-Phillips, Cole, Lampard, Essien, Ballack and to a lesser point Geremi who usually fills in at right-back. I would guess that Duff, Essien and Wright Phillips would be the scapegoats here. That's a problem for them. All top class players who will become unsettled perhaps.
It's going to be interesting to see who loses out between Makelele, Ballack and Lampard. I think you can get at Chelsea if you get at Makelele, so if he's the scapegoat, they will be vulnerable. Lampard is their talisman, a favourite of the manager and did they really need Ballack? It's documented Manchester United were in for him so they could have signed him on that basis to stop a rival acquiring him. It's not beneath Chelsea to do that I'm sure (Wright-Phillips springs to mind), Ballack seems like a bit of a mercenary "in-it-for-the-money" type according to bitter reports from Germany, but it could be a case of square pegs in round holes trying to accommodate their massive squad into eleven positions.
Shevchenko hasn't kicked a ball for them yet obviously. Drogba won't like it certainly. The signing raises the point seeing if Shevchenko can play up on his own (I'm more than certain for £31 million quid that he can), or are Chelsea suited to playing Drogba who is certainly effective for them? This conundrum then takes you back to playing a flooded midfield of five (including Makelele sitting deep and Drogba up front leaving Shevchenko out) or a midfield of four with Crespo and Shevchenko in attack who as we already know are a proven partnership, (leaving Drogba and two from Essien, Makelele, Ballack or Lampard out - they can't all play as Chelsea rely on wingers too much). Leaving more noses out of joint in midfield.
This strategy Chelsea are pursuing is Real Madrid's 'Galactico' experiment six years down the line. I'm no expert but I don't see how you can motivate thirty multi-millionaires when they know in all likelihood they will be sitting on the bench for 30-35% of their teams games during a season.
What I'm saying is don't make the mistake of thinking Chelsea are unbeatable. Surely Liverpool have proven that in the last two years? Some people are giving up before a ball has been kicked. We just happen to have a manager who coped with this kind of disadvantage successfully in Spain and walked away with two Primera Ligas. Never give up.NEVER GIVE UP.
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