Chelsea: What's Next After Champions League Glory?
League position be damned, this has been a top season for Chelsea, even if it didn’t really get good until the last 3 months.
After filing five league critiques which culminated in Newcastle being the surprise package of the season we move on to Chelsea, who after a poor first half of the season and a poor league finish, leave this season draped in the glory of being a successful underdog. Final League Position: 6th Its difficult to talk about Chelseas league campaign following the glory of overcoming every bookmakers odds, every other fan in the world and most Chelsea supporters to finally get their hands on the Champions League trophy which, even if you dont like John Terry, was quite a heart warming moment when Salomon Kalou FINALLY got out of the way. After a first half which sparkled with inadequacy, desperation and many people saying No-one can rebuild this team. Jose Mourinho is the only man for a job. Andre Villas Boas is like a foetus with a beard. They discovered, under the stewardship of a man deemed not good enough for West Brom, that they do not need a refreshing of the squad, not quite yet, to achieve things and last night that culminated with the finishing of a European and English Cup double. League position be damned, this has been a top season for Chelsea, even if it didnt really get good until the last 3 months, they have their hands on the Champions League trophy and it can be said that this, the first dynasty of Roman Abramovichs millions did truly achieve everything. That being said, there needs to be refreshment this summer if they want to push for another qualification and more success next year and following. Big spending shouldnt be necessary; Mata, Luiz, Cahill, Bertrand, Ramires, Sturridge, Thibaud Courtois (on loan) and Fernando Torres are young players who have all featured in the team this year. Whilst Josh McEachran, Romeiu and Lukaku all remain in the squad to be utilised next season. Despite what people say, Chelsea do have a youthful squad to utilise and ease in to the team next year. Cahill and Luiz proved they can work together without John Terry and Ryan Bertrand was a solid left midfielder, even if he is a left back. The continuity of keeping Di Matteo will help see these play more of a central role next season when his job isnt just damage limitation, as it was when he initially took the job this year. However no negatives can be made about this season, as Chelsea managed to become the Average Joes of the football world and overcome anything thrown at them when, at one point, it looked decidedly desperate. Congratulations to them, its hard for me to say, but they deserved it. Summer Transfer Targets: No big investment, one big signing to liven up the squad would be good, maybe a striker or winger would add a bit more pace to Chelseas team, but the key is making sure they dont overhaul the squad with more managerial changes; keep Di Matteo. Next Seasons Goal: More cup success, they cant be expected to repeat this years Champions League performance but should give it a go all the same, blooding the youngsters in all tiers of competition they are in this season is key. A 4th place finish and cup success should be a good transitional year for them.