Champions League: Analysing British Hopes of Winning

Chelsea In any sport those select few deemed Champions usually have a certain swagger and arrogance about them. A justified opinion that all opponents are beneath them. However, with Chelsea, as current UEFA Champions League winners, that shroud of gravitas is visibly lacking. It is in part due to the means by which they won last year€™s competition. It was not through dominant possession football, but rather through grit, hard work and resilience. And the importance of Didier Drogba cannot be understated either. His hold up play and big game productivity was a major foundation to their success. And his absence, after a lucrative move to China, has heralded a transitional period at Chelsea with grand designs to emulate the virtues of more attractive footballing sides. By purchasing Eden Hazard, Marco Marin, Oscar and Victor Moses Chelsea€™s intent is clear; flair above power, pace over strength. This will obviously take time to be institutionalized at a club that still extols the Mourinho model of organization and pragmatic football. Why change it, though? Perhaps the answer lies in the realization that last year€™s antics were fortuitous in the extreme and may well have prematurely curtailed at the group stage. Regardless, the signs are looking very good domestically. Chelsea sit comfortably at the top of the table and they are playing the brand of football that Roman Abramovich has demanded for as long as his involvement in the club. In a league where pacey, quick attacking play is the norm Chelsea are flourishing, but on the European front there is a case for slower, controlled possession play. So far the Stamford Bridge club have been unlucky in Europe this season, which was certainly not the case in the 2011/2012 campaign. Credit to Juventus for such a rousing comeback to earn a point, but Chelsea definitely lost those two points and refused Oscars superb goal match winner status. Group E, consisting of Juventus, Shakhtar Donetsk and Nordsjælland shouldn't be overly difficult to top, but out of the group stage there is a worry that Chelsea don€™t have the components to repeat the heroic feats of the last season. With the departure of Michael Essien and the need to protect Lampard from fatigue Chelsea€™s midfield might just be too brittle when faced against stronger opposition . Prediction: Chelsea have all the ingredients to reach the last 16, but no further than that, although you probably would have said the same thing last year. The current side is not suited to the slower paced European tempo and could struggle to resist extended amounts of pressure. There€™s no doubt they are superb on the ball, but without it they could get hurt by the fact that they are very attack minded in shape and personnel. They€™ll need some more luck, but they might have used it all last year.