Post-season review - Chelsea 2013/14

[Mohammed Seif 1,451]

Great post, but it's a bit of a stretch to call it a success isn't it? It's progress in meeting established goals, but not success. Success will be achieved (or not) when and if the long term goals are reached (silverware).

Arsenal fans might say, "hey! we have an identity too! And yes, it may be called Barca Lite, but it's still an identity.

However, I do agree that not changing managers, and philosophy, midway through a season is already progress.

[to others who quoted Mourinho]

What Mourinho says doesn't really matter, does it? If by next season he's saying something similar, because we are out of title contention, or say in 3 years time we haven't reached a CL final, the owner of the club may want to go in a different direction; that's his prerogative as owner.

Well thank you.

Maybe I explained it poorly. My fault. I believe success like you correctly have stated is achieving the final goal or objective. But that is not the whole story. Achieving these steps that would eventually lead to your far objective is also a success. Like when you divide a task or a project into phases. Achieving each phase would be a success and a progress.

By all means if we look at were we are right now and look at the long term objective then we are far off. But that is not the case. This season is a phase. a phase where have formed a backbone, have clear system ( that still needs tuning) and have a good future potential players.

Hence this phase is a success and it is also a progress towards your long term goal. Makes more more sense?

[robsblubot 3,222]

Well thank you.

Maybe I explained it poorly. My fault. I believe success like you correctly have stated is achieving the final goal or objective. But that is not the whole story. Achieving these steps that would eventually lead to your far objective is also a success. Like when you divide a task or a project into phases. Achieving each phase would be a success and a progress.

By all means if we look at were we are right now and look at the long term objective then we are far off. But that is not the case. This season is a phase. a phase where have formed a backbone, have clear system ( that still needs tuning) and have a good future potential players.

Hence this phase is a success and it is also a progress towards your long term goal. Makes more more sense?

Sure, I guess it's just a matter of how to label it. If one needs success to be happy, then by all means.

I for one would be happy with what you describe, even without labeling it a "success." I was not expecting a title win this season as we just don't have the squad for it (we only have 11 players). I must confess it's going to be very upsetting if Liverpool win it though as they also don't have the squad.

Furthermore we must assume that the long term goals Jose and the owner have agreed upon pertain challenge for the title next season.

[Mohammed Seif 1,451]

Sure, I guess it's just a matter of how to label it. If one needs success to be happy, then by all means.

I for one would be happy with what you describe, even without labeling it a "success." I was not expecting a title win this season as we just don't have the squad for it (we only have 11 players). I must confess it's going to be very upsetting if Liverpool win it though as they also don't have the squad.

Furthermore we must assume that the long term goals Jose and the owner have agreed upon pertain challenge for the title next season.

Now who can disagree with you on that?

[Muzchap 8,966]

Of course you can look at Everton who are in the exact same position as us, new manager who isimplementing hisown style of football that wasdifferent from the previous manager, yet at the same time has bled the likes of Barkley and Stones in the team, the former who was (just like many of are young prospects) was farmed off to loan (on the ideathat he has no experieance and is not ready) with not much success but as soon as he is given a run out in the first teamwith actual faith from the manager and hasbeen such asuccess that their are major callsfor him to be on the starting 11 England team for the world cup.

So Jose, whoisbuilding the teamfor the future and iscreating thislong term identity and did not need to win anything in the near future, could not introduce one young prospect which he claimed he would do throughtout last summer? Surely this would be the best time so they can get the so called experience you desire (which Ithink is just a bollocks excuse to not use them but just farm them off on loan) when thereisno expectationfor the team apart from a top 4 place. The fact that we are still buying ready made talent in thelikes of Salah and Zouma (which is what we have been doing ever since Roman took over) shows to me that nothing has changed.

I like your passion on this - my only slight disagreement - is with the respective expectations on Everton and Chelsea?

I don't think many expected the instant success Martinez is having - and certainly Everton (a good, honest club) weren't expected to win anything this year. So that does make it easier to bring youth through, whereas we always have a higher expectation

Therein lies the problem - if we could have a grace period of 2 years and all fans, players bought into this philosophy - ten it might just work, but the realist in me doesn't see that happening...

[Vybz Kartel 1,613]

This perfomance right here shows why our season has been a failure

[duo11bluecl 207]

This perfomance right here shows why our season has been a failure

But we showed ''progress'' remember?

What is different from this and the Palace game compared to Napoli+ West Brom 2 years ago?

[Muzchap 8,966]

This perfomance right here shows why our season has been a failure

Getting beaten by one of the most expensive squads ever assembled?

Think you need to chill out mate - go have a wank or something and calm down... T.T. Has some great material in the NSFW thread

[Vybz Kartel 1,613]

Getting beaten by one of the most expensive squads ever assembled?

Think you need to chill out mate - go have a wank or something and calm down... T.T. Has some great material in the NSFW thread

This season alone we have spent 100 million or close to it, but on what?? We seem to be way behind the top european teams like Bayern

[Tomo 21,681]

It's all about looking at the context off thing's. If we were a squad in it's prime then 2nd/3rd and trophyless would be considered a failure. However the last 3 season's we have been riddled with an ageing, unbalanced squad, weak midfield even shite team's walked over and no real plan going forward.

Jose has come in and done superbly in his first year, the problems off last few years won't go away overnight and there has been a few shocking on pitch displays, but we look a much more balanced and stable unit these days, on and off the pitch (Rui Faria or Zenden?).

Missing out on a trophy won't be nice, but at the same time we have made great strides in terms off consistency and performance this term and a choice between that and Europey? no contest.

[Vybz Kartel 1,613]

Why was Lukaku allowed to leave on loan?

[thekid9 418]

Massive Failure! MASSIVE.

[Henrique 9,133]

It's all about looking at the context off thing's. If we were a squad in it's prime then 2nd/3rd and trophyless would be considered a failure. However the last 3 season's we have been riddled with an ageing, unbalanced squad, weak midfield even shite team's walked over and no real plan going forward.

Jose has come in and done superbly in his first year, the problems off last few years won't go away overnight and there has been a few shocking on pitch displays, but we look a much more balanced and stable unit these days, on and off the pitch (Rui Faria or Zenden?).

Missing out on a trophy won't be nice, but at the same time we have made great strides in terms off consistency and performance this term and a choice between that and Europey? no contest.

Good points, but we still have an unbalanced squad, with too many young guys that just cant handle the pressure yet (Oscar, Hazard, Schule).

We have some great talents like Hazard and some mediocre players, like Cahill.

Our defense is liability. Mourinho is a genius, because he managed to turno our defense in the best in the league, but that happened because our attacking players now are spending more time in their defensive duties than in past season, when Hazard, Oscar and Mata barely helped the defense.

Some people our defense os okay, but I think Mourinho just discovered a way to make those players work in a defensive system, but for me thats more a quick fix than anything.

Azi is a RB, not a LB, and Ivanovic is not good enough when he have the ball on his feet. Terry is having a solid season, but at the end of the day he scored an own goal in crucial game in PL, and was poor in the most important game of the season. Cahill is not a great defender, he just a hardworking man.

I think Mourinho fixed some problems, but those were quick and temporary fixes. We will discovery if he will handle the situation well in next season.

[Henrique 9,133]

After such a game, there are people around there who still believe this season is a success.

I understand it was Mourinho first season and the squad had many problems. Some can even call this season a transition. It might be a transition, but it still a failure.

Its failure for Chelsea standards (its gonna be only the 4th trophyless season in 11 years of Abramovich era), and its gonna be a failure for Mourinho standards (its his 2nd trophyless season since 2002, the second in a row).

Only failure specialists would say this season is a success.

[TrippingStep 336]

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.

Against the lower half or average teams, it's worse than last year as we don't have the excuse of playing every three four days and our squad is deeper.

But it's not a great surprise to me as Mourinho's team have always look average when his teams had to break defences.

If Real wins the champion's league this year, it would be an horrible season for him.

[petre.ispirescu 4,928]

Success for me is Jose coming back home. He'll take it from here.

I just wonder if those guys blaming Jose in his first season (with a pretty average squad) will have the guts to open this topic in four of five years from now on.

[iseah100 5,612]

Success for me is Jose coming back home. He'll take it from here.

I just wonder if those guys blaming Jose in his first season (with a pretty average squad) will have the guts to open this topic in four of five years from now on.

In 5 years? When we have 3 BPL titles and 2 UCL titles? Doubt it.

[kellzfresh 7,226]

Its not a failure because we are challenging strongly for the big trophies finally (after years of being massive underdogs in everything, mourinhos presence alone made people see us as contenders once again), and have made our home a fortress once again.

But sometimes success is measured by trophies, this season can slide because it is a good progress in terms of transition.

Now mourinho has an idea on the full weakness of the squad, now he has a transfer window to fix it, now he has seen first hand how we have suffered with torres, no fucking way things will be the same again next season.

We will come stronger next season.

[The Skipper 20,593]

But we showed ''progress'' remember?

What is different from this and the Palace game compared to Napoli+ West Brom 2 years ago?

A 14 match unbeaten run before the Palace game maybe?