Post-season review - Chelsea 2013/14

[Yeboii 1,844]

A success. Whatever happens now I don't mind, we have a great base for the next years.

[Strike 6,961]

Mourinho did not expect to win the title. He downplayed expectations as much as possible

[JDY 1,290]

On par with my expectations. Didn't expect to win the league but be much closer to the top than previous seasons.

[Mohammed Seif 1,451]

Based in this season is it a very successful season. Teams in a transitional stage are always expected to show a lot of inconsistencies and not a lot of character. With young players we are adapting very well. We are facing a lot of challenges and we have failed to deliver sometimes but by far we have succeeded a lot. Not to compare, but the transition stage for Manu is terrible despite having only to change a manager and having a squad of well established players. We have a new manager, with very young players far from being consistent at the moment. Not to mention that we have no real threatening strikers like other teams do. But somehow we are still competing in for two titles. Looking at other teams in this league and other leagues, looking at the players they have and the money the spend and how they are performing, I believe we have established a good foundation for the next years to come. It is a very significant successful season in my opinion.

[Kieran. 6,317]

We should decide at the end of the season...long shot, but we could end the season with the double...or nothing. The season is probably a success regardless because we competed pretty well in both the PL and CL after being horrible in the PL for 3+ years.

[TorontoChelsea 4,064]

Why do people open these threads so early? Success is defined for us by trophies and we're still in the competitions so we have absolutely no way of knowing whether the season will be a success or not.

[Sidzeret 2,257]

Even if we finish third and end title-less thus term, it would be a success IMO even though it looks like a step down from last season under FSW. The difference is that we have a definite style of play this time around and huge potential for the future unlike last year we almost looked clueless at times. Also we did go for the title this season while he battled for third last season.

After a good summer transfer window, we'll be favourites for the premiership next time around and real contentors in Europe.

[BlueLion. 21,491]

We've done in one year what Wenger has so far spent eight years merely trying to do. That thing is called transition. Winning the European Cup and FA Cup in 2012, and the Europa League in 2013 papered over some incredibly large cracks.

We've signed some incredible young talent in that time - Hazard, Willian, Oscar, Azpilicueta, Courtois, Lukaku, Zouma, Schurrle, Salah and Matic just to name a few - and we will no doubt add to that contingent in the summer when we bring in one, or maybe even two strikers, along with players like Shaw, for instance.

Us not winning the league this year is a blessing in disguise. We're nowhere near the finished article, but if we were to somehow win the league that feat would suggest otherwise. Think about it logically - if we win it, we'll spend less. That's because we'd be the best team in the country, right? Fail to win the league and we have to be a little more rational and actually strengthen the squad.

But the main thing about this season is that we've shown we're incredibly close to City. In fact, we're probably as good as they are, as our matches against them have demonstrated. Our issue this season is a lack of consistency, particularly against the younger sides. One thing about this Chelsea side is we're nowhere near as physical as we once were. Sometimes pace and guile will win you matches, other times you just need a catapult and a battering ram. Remember when we had Drogba, Ballack, Alex and company at the spine of the side? We've lost a lot of our brute power. We've addressed that by bringing Matic back, and with Lukaku set to return and Mourinho quite likely looking to bring in a powerful box-to-box midfielder to play in the pivot, we can strengthen in that sense as well.

This has been a season of many positives. Eden Hazard has emerged as one of the very best players in world football, behind only Messi, Ronaldo and Bale and on a par with the likes of Ribery, Zlatan and Suarez. Nemanja Matic has asserted himself as one of the best centre midfielders we've seen in a very long time (have we finally replaced Makelele?). Gary Cahill and John Terry have formed the best centre-back pairing in Premier League (and European?) football. Cesar Azpilicueta has emerged from the shadows to become one of our most important players. We've seen glimpses of brilliance from Oscar, Willian, Schurrle and company, and they will only improve with age and experience. But most importantly - we've seen Mourinho come back.

The sole reason people thought we had a chance of league success this season is the return of the Special One. If Rafa, or even King Robbie were in charge of this side, I'd have to be bluntly honest and say we'd have had no chance. We'd probably have struggled to finish in the top three. The man is a tactical magician, but what he has also done is disrupt every other goddamn club in England. He's piled pressure on City to such an extent they've underachieved (with their squad, they should probably be half a dozen points clear already...), he's sabotaged Arsenal's season by offering them Ba and then when it was too late to sign anyone else pulling the plug and making them suffer with Giroud and Bendtner up front, he's undercut David Moyes at every possible turn to pile the pressure on him. The bloke is a genius whether we're playing or not. Sometimes, like Saturday, he gets it wrong, but with him in charge again we will be a force to be reckoned with.

If City win their two games in hand, we'll be four points behind them, and I can't see that gap being extended by much at all between now and May. That is negligible, when you consider how far we finished behind the leaders in 2012 and 2013, it denotes an obvious improvement from Chelsea Football Club. If this is a team in transition, then I am very excited to see the final product.

The future is Blue.

[CHOULO19 24,332]

No one would even be mentioning failure if City didn't have those games in hand and we didn't have that fake lead at the top. Winning the league was never a realistic expectation this season and if CIty hadn't had that terrible start to the season in their away games, it wouldn't have been remotely close.

[bushman 2,043]

In my humble opinion, how can this season be considered as a step down from last season?

To me, it´s a huge success, so far. Win or lose, at the end of this season, Chelsea will be a better club in comparison to last year.

Sporadic hiccups, there were a few, I admit. To witness a 6 zip, thrashing of Arsenal is worth more than a EL trophy of last year.

This club has no place to go, but up, stardom awaits Chelsea. I feel. Just hold your horses, Jose goes shopping for players soon.

[Special Juan 27,101]

Success without doubt.

2nd, Jose's first season back, Matic was a sublime purchase, Knockout stages of the CL and the potential to win the league.

If this is the foundation I am fucking delighted.

[The only place to be 11,313]

We finally have something of an identity, a solid foundation, a coach we can all (excluding the numpties) can get behind and respect, a clear vision of how we want to play and the fear factor of the Bridge back.....

but because we haven't won a trophy it's a failure???

Too many people look at one season in isolation, not acknowledging the mess we came from and the place we're finally working towards. The 2012 season was a failure, but because we won the Champions League people see it is a success. This season was all about building for the future, transitioning from a cup team to a team who can compete on all fronts against the very best and from that perspective it's been a resounding success. We finally have a young, exciting spine to the team as well which is the basis for any success we could hope to have going forward.

[Reddish-Blue 2,222]

Progress has been made in terms of bringing back a quality DM in Matic and winning key games against the big boys....but our struggles against the lower-half of the EPL continues..

Overall...without any trophies*, the season is a failure.

You can't call another manager a specialist in failure and then in the same season, fail to win anything with your own club.




*The season isn't over...but I don't see us winning the PL or UCL this season.

[bushman 2,043]

http://www.standard.co.uk/sport/football/revealed-the-chelsea-players-set-to-leave-the-club-in-mass-summer-clearout-9225743.html

Here is the right way to assure Chelsea´s progress, see above.

Every one of them, get rid of.

[BlueLion. 21,491]

Success without doubt.

2nd, Jose's first season back, Matic was a sublime purchase, Knockout stages of the CL and the potential to win the league.

If this is the foundation I am fucking delighted.

Exactly. Not bad for starters, is it? Imagine what we'll do when José has his​ squad, not some ensemble incongruously rustled up by Ancelotti, Villas-Boas, di Matteo and Benitez.

[bushman 2,043]

Progress has been made in terms of bringing back a quality DM in Matic and winning key games against the big boys....but our struggles against the lower-half of the EPL continues..

Overall...without any trophies*, the season is a failure.

You can't call another manager a specialist in failure and then in the same season, fail to win anything with your own club.

*The season isn't over...but I don't see us winning the PL or UCL this season.

Chelsea has won respect, a fear factor & that´s more than one can ask for in one season. We all know, the CL is not attainable for Chelsea is this season. The PL maybe & the rest of the pots, I do not care much about.

[Special Juan 27,101]

Exactly. Not bad for starters, is it? Imagine what we'll do when José has his​ squad, not some ensemble incongruously rustled up by Ancelotti, Villas-Boas, di Matteo and Benitez.

For me trophies are the one thing we all want, but looking at our situation from the start of the season with everything happening, a trophy for me would of been a huge bonus. If we don't win the league or CL I will personally still class it as a success. New manager, new players and new philosophy.

No shame here.

[Reddish-Blue 2,222]

Chelsea has won respect, a fear factor & that´s more than one can ask for in one season. We all know, the CL is not attainable for Chelsea is this season. The PL maybe & the rest of the pots, I do not care much about.

Won Respect from who?