The Blues have gone through a total redesign of their team over the past summer. The 2007/2008 season was rough for Chelsea. After losing to Manchester United 2 times in less than 2 weeks for the prized UEFA Cup and then the sought after Premier League Championship, Avram Grant, Chelsea’s coach, was sacked. Along with the coach, Chelsea also cut or dropped more than 8 players, including stars such as Claude Makelele (France National Team), Shaun Wright-Phillips (English National Team), and Wayne Bridge (English National Team). Other notable players included Tal Ben-Haim, Steve Sidwell, Andriy Shevchenko, and Khalid Boulakrouz.
To solidify the newly striped team, Chelsea signed Portuguese’s National coach, Luiz Felipe Scolari in hopes of restoring Chelsea to the glory days of only a few years before. Chelsea won the Premier League Championship in ’05 and ’06, the FA Cup in ’07, and the Carling Cup in ’05 and ’07. They went without hardware in 2008, while in 2009 they have already dropped out of the Carling Cup and are sitting 3rd in the Premier League behind Liverpool and Manchester United. In order to turn the club around, Scolari reevaluated the current roster and added a few new players. Jose Bosingua, Deco, and Mineiro were all added, while benched players like Nicolas Anelka saw new life.
So, how has Scolari done? Well, Chelsea started out on a strong note and was the lead dog for a bit until injuries hampered with most of their starters, including team captain and defender John Terry, midfielders Michael Essien, Michael Ballack, Didier Drogba, and Deco, to name a few. Recently, the Blues have looked a little sluggish. These lackluster performances have led to multiple defeats at home…prior to this season Chelsea had been undefeated at their home at Stamford Bridge for the last 2 years. Discontent has also arisen among some players regarding playing positions and time on the pitch. Chelsea has only won 2 out of the last 8 Premier League games, but did show some life in their 4-1 win over FA competitors Southend United.
What does this all spell out? There is a lot of uncertainty in the club right now. Many fans are not happy at the way the team has been performing…much like how Lions fans have felt for the last 50 years. Attendance has fallen, and now on the team’s website, Chelsea FC has dropped prices by 2.5%. The way Scolari has managed has also caused some problems among a few of the players, who are now requested to be transferred during the January window. However, Scolari believes that he has the players that he needs to be successful, so it does not sound like Chelsea will be in the market for adding another player this month.
How will not shopping hurt Chelsea? Manchester City has made a strong effort to acquire Kaka from AC Milan. Kaka has been viewed as one of the best players in the world, and is expected to turn around Manchester City and keep them out of relegation. Kaka is a big enough name in the industry that can attract a bigger crowd for Manchester City as well as allow Man City to charge a higher ticket price. They will need to after an offer of around 110 million pounds. Chelsea could make a move on a few top name players who are dissatisfied with their current team or whose contract is soon to expire. There has been a lot of talk surrounding German Bayern Munich striker Lukas Podolski’s future. He is currently on the market. In addition to permanent moves, MLS stars are flooding the market for loan transfers. David Beckham is on loan from the LA Galaxy to Italian club AC Milan, while Donovan is on loan to Bayern Munich. These temporary contracts could add not only skill and talent to teams, but also attracts new interest and business for clubs. Chelsea could really be missing out by not making any moves, especially since their side has been no stranger to injuries.
Chelsea is playing a very important match this weekend against Stroke. The Blues really need these 3 points in order to stop the bleeding and regain their composure in the Premier League.
Pbo
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