If you have been following the Chelsea First team then you would have become frustrated with lack of quality that we display on match days. There are days when we can beat an in-form Manchester City, and then there are days when we have to toil and sweat against an easy Fulham. Lack of consistency is killing our campaign. We no longer have faith in our players. Some might say it’s just downhill from here to a team that won the Double just 2 years ago. But I argue otherwise.
Let me start from Jose Mourinho. If you were to trace his football career you’ll observe a trend. He came to Chelsea, a young exciting coach. He was given complete freedom to shape his team. He put his faith in the bullish Drogba, defensively solid Terry, the Bison Essien, the reliable Frank and the amazing Cech. He moulded these players in the 4-3-3 formation. They learnt to defend in his reign. Even today, when Chelsea decide to sit back and defend it’s very tough for opponents to score against us. Terry and Cech are just too damn good in that.
But along the years as these people aged no one was drafted in to replace them. Mourinho builds a short-term result focused team as evident by Inter Milan’s decline after Jose parted ways with them (it’s only at Real Madrid that he’s had the courage to alter his philosophy a little and build a younger team). Managers one after another were brought in at Chelsea to try and do what Jose did but none succeeded. None really had the courage to alter the core of the team and none could extract the same performances that Jose did. Decline was a natural result. Although Ancelotti managed to win the Double, it was more like the star burning at its brightest before the death. Since then we have really struggled. Our strength has turned into weakness and people call us The Pensioners.
For the first time in years has Roman decided to finally change the team. Drafting Jose Mourinho’s protege Andre Villas-Boas was a big gamble. The move was a declaration of a new era – one where a new core team would be found to help Chelsea be more successful. Also there has been a shift in the buying policy. People at the club are trying to bring in players from the youth team. And this is exactly what pleases and excites me.
Josh McEachren is the first name that springs up. He’s an emerging talent that’ll eventually replace Frank Lampard in the English team. Everyone believes that Wilshere and McEachren will become the next Gerrard and Lampard couple. Josh has been sent out on loan to Swansea where I expect him to discover his true potential and come back just as strong as Sturridge did after his spell at Bolton. Realistically speaking, with lots of players leaving Chelsea this summer, I expect Josh to become a regular first team player the next season.
Another talent that we have bought this summer is Romelu Lukaku. He’s an ardent Chelsea fan whose role model is Drogba. With Drogba set to leave us this summer I am certain Lukaku will start lot more matches the next season. If he’s half as good as Fifa 2012 makes him he’ll be amazing to watch. Mind you the only direct competition he’s got is a misfiring Torres and a developing Sturridge. In Lukaku we have a striker who has already set the Belgian league on fire. Sturridge might find it tough to hold out against this guy a couple of years down the line.
Josh and Lukaku are almost certainties to feature in the first team next season. Apart from them I also value Lucas Piazon highly. I have only read about him and seen youtube clips. I hold this guy in high regards. Being a typical tricky-dribbler Brazilian he’ll add a hint of class that has been missing from Chelsea recently. But at only 18 he needs to develop a lot to adapt himself to the rigors of Premiere League. He himself admitted that the grounds here are smaller than those in Brazil and thus it becomes difficult to showcase dribbling talent here. He can play on the wing or behind the striker. Mata and Piazon can then in rotation take on different roles which’ll make marking them all the more difficult.
Sam Hutchinson and Ryan Bertrand are the other players who excite me. They are Chelsea academy products and I really hope they make it into the first team sooner than later. We definitely need a cover for Ashley Cole who plays day-in and day-out. Also Terry needs to be phased out slowly and Hutchinson can be that man. Luiz, Cahill starting with Hutchinson as the backup is an ideal solution.
Oh, and not to forget Curtois.
So you see, Chelsea have a lot of amazing talent waiting for the opportunity to express themselves. Instead buying costly people in a fit of panic, we must be a little patient and make the best use of our youngsters. We have a striker, a midfielder, a winger and two defenders waiting to take the Stamford Bridge by storm. We do not really need to buy for these positions. The only position I think we might need to spend will be the right back. we’ve never had a good player in that position.
I am almost certain that the above 6 players will come good for Chelsea. They are the future of Chelsea and will definitely win us a lot of trophies.
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