REPORT CARDS Chelsea 2014-15

[Chelsea Legend 11 4,062]

I did this last year and it seemed to meet with rave reviews so I'm attempting to keep the standard as high as last years while acknowledging we are champions! What a year! Two trophies, lovely goals, steely defending and magic from the midfield. To say it was a satisfying year would be an understatement, we all wanted to see Chelsea return to the summit after 5(really felt like less than that) long years. Anyway, without further adieu here are my Report Cards for the 2014-15 season.

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JOSE MOURINHO - No longer the 'little horse that needs milk and has to learn how to jump' Jose brought an absolute Stallion to the rodeo this year. When we reflect on Jose's season I think its safe to say it was a tale of two seasons. First, we have the pre-Christmas team that looked ever so menacing in attack with beautiful build ups almost routinely leading to beautiful goals and inevitably 3pts... As if the pressure of winning the title wasn't enough, some mugs in the media piled on the potential of a 4-trophy haul and also questioned whether we could be the next invincibles! Then we had the post-Spurs debacle Chelsea, in which we played much more conservatively and almost tried to manage games rather than go out and win them outright. In the end that approach proved to be effective, we won the league by a fair distance and set a new record by leading the premier league for 274 consecutive days. Also, we avenged that monumental Spurs defeat by besting them at Wembley in the League Cup finals. There were blips(and they are rightly called blips since there wasn't ever any long term side effects to losses) surely losing to Bradford in the FA Cup 4-2 at the bridge had to be seen as a surprise, and most of all our early dismissal in the Champions League. That one still smarts a bit mainly because we were up a man at home and failed protect two leads... Some would argue we didn't even deserve the leads with the way we played. All in all Jose had a solid season, we've looked a properly balanced, adaptable team all year and look the odds on favourites to repeat simply because he is the Special One. He knows and now his team knows what it takes to win trophies.

Grade - A Last Year - B

THIBAULT COURTOIS - Lots was made of the fact that Chelsea had a world class keeper in Petr Cech and also a younger burgeoning superstar keeper in Courtois. What were they gonna do? Keep Cech and sell Courtois or vice versa? In the end it was Cech who lost out and was supplanted as our no.1 to the younger upstart. Nobody moaned too much, Thibault went on loan and proved he is ready to take the reigns. His command of the area was second to none in the Prem this year and he also made more than a few season defining saves like the one right at the beginning of the season when he robbed Nugent on a clear cut chance. My personal moment of the season was Hull away where we went up 2-0 early and once again were clawed back with some poor decisions defensively... one of those errors was Courtois' when he got confused and thought he was Hazard for a second. Its important for any young player to forget your mistakes and grow out of them he did that and then some! The second half Chelsea looked the more likely side to concede but for the brilliance of Courtois. For me the triple save close to the end of regular time won us the title... He was quietly brilliant all season and I can only envision him getting better once he truly acclimatizes with the Premier League and also his new teammates. Replacing a legend is no easy feat particularly when said legend is still at the club and coming off a golden gloves season, Courtois has done a great job making that transition look seamless.

Grade - A- Last Year - N/A

PETR CECH - Only at Chelsea can you win the golden gloves and be relegated to the bench the next season, Petr deserved better but in the life of a footballer nothing is set in stone. Without question Cech is a legend at the club and will not be forgotten by supporters should he move on. He has won everything imaginable at the club and done so with an unrivalled classiness. Petr did make important contributions to the season, none more than the point blank save on Lukaku at the Bridge with the game tied 0-0. That save was so clutch and without question spurred us on to victory. When you're used to playing week in and week out its hard to take a back up role, Cech is a classy fellow not once have we heard an outcry from him, and furthermore you could see he's formed a bond with Thibault. In my eyes should he leave the club his summer we should allow him to play where ever he chooses, its the least we could do for a guy whose been so good to us over the years.

Grade - B+ Last Year - B-

CESAR AZPILICUETA - What a player he has developed into under the tutelage of Jose! Cesar has become one of the players who, despite playing out of position, you expect to be in the starting XI every game. We signed Luis in the off season to challenge him and many here thought that meant the end of Cesar as our LB, well I think Cesar and Brana had other plans and in the end our new signing was glued to the bench through no fault of his own. Defensively you couldn't ask for a better LB, he wins a lot of tackles, is near perfect in a high pressing role and doesn't get caught out ever. Where we need to see an improvement is in the attacking 3rd of the pitch, he really hasn't shown any improvement in that area. Perhaps its down to the fact that he's on the wrong side? Hard to say, I don't remember ever being wowed by his attacking prowess even when he did play on the right so its likely not part of his game. Still I'm sure Jose will agree, the most important part of a defender's game is defending and few could argue that Cesar has developed into one of the best in the world in that regard.

Grade - A Last Year - A

FELIPE LUIS - I must admit I'm gonna toot my horn here and say I never thought Luis was brought in to be a starter, he always struck me as an insurance policy should something catastrophic happen to one of our fullbacks or worse, our CB's. We all know he is a very good player going forward and also decent defending but breaking into that back four when we already were changing our keeper(granted he knows Courtois) was always gonna be an extremely difficult task. Felipe never really made too many mistakes and probably fits under the same umbrella as someone like Cech where, had they been anywhere else but Chelsea this year they start every game. Its hard to grade him since we never really got a chance to see him for a run of games; what I was able to gather is he does have a nice set of feet and is more than comfortable on the ball. The thing I always had to question was whether he would provide a significant amount of cover for Hazard who was obviously given a free role. While the jury is still out due to lack of playing time, one can certainly surmise that it was this aspect of his game that kept him from breaking into the side more regularly. If he stays at the club for next season I will expect him to get a few more games but it will be tough!

Grade - C Last Year - N/A

JOHN TERRY - I think its now cemented, John Terry is the finest centre back the Premier League has ever seen and is now arguably the best defender England have ever produced(I've never seen Bobby Moore play but I can't imagine him being more complete than John). Does anyone even remember how bad we looked defensively under AVB and Rafa? Jose has transformed the team philosophy and played to John's strengths, the results speak for themselves. John reads the game better than any CB I've watched play, he scores goals(now the highest scoring defender in premier league history), plays with both feet, is great in the air and is a leader. This season was perhaps his finest as he played in every premier league game and marshalled the champions to once again the best defense in the league while chipping in with his best goals return in all comps (8 equalling 2004-05's totals) He will be next to impossible to replace mainly because every facet of his game (sans pace) are elite and he has become the extension of Jose on the pitch. To keep it short and simple John Terry is the nucleus to this Chelsea team and replacing him will be extremely difficult because it will be by committee rather than by one individual. We will never see the likes of a John Terry again.

Grade - A+ Last Year - A

GARY CAHILL - Its not that he's been terrible, its that we are often caught comparing him to the greatest CB the league has ever known. Gary Cahill is a good defender, he's not elite, not the type you can build a team around but a solid cog in a championship side. Does he make mistakes? Yes many! And they usually lead to goalscoring opportunities which is why his role as the deputy in defense has been brought into question this year. I'm almost certain if you hold up a picture of Harry Kane to Gary Cahill he will cringe with fear. It was the 3-0 win at home and the 5-3 loss away to the Spurs where Gary had two of his worst games in a Chelsea shirt. Harry Kane gave Gary fits and perhaps might've seen suspension on another day due to frustration. To his credit he bounced back and played much more assuredly down the stretch when he could've fell apart under the threat of the emerging Zouma. He deserves some of the plaudits that come with being in the best back 4 in the country and we must give him kudos for being resilient. He needs to work on his man marking and also needs to understand when to put in a challenge(he back pedals way too much for my liking)

Grade - B- Last Year - A

BRANSILAV IVANOVIC - He's quite simply a beast. There is no other ways to describe Brana then to say the guy is just a solid rock in defense and a threat to score going forward. What many people seem to get confused is Brana is a FULLback who gets forward he is by no means the WINGback many people think Chelsea need on the right. He's always in the team because he adds steel to our squad he also contributes offensively as 4 goals 5 assists in the league this year will attest. We live with his poor crossing because he adds so much to the balance of the squad. He dives a bit too much and isn't the fastest guy but he's definitely a guy you want on your team. BEAST.

Grade - B Last Year - B-

KURT ZOUMA - Is emerging, at 20 yrs of age you can't expect to see a finished article, particularly for defenders who get better once they learn how to read the game. For Kurt his greatest asset this season was his physical attributes. He is built like a tank, fast on his feet and has a hell of leap in him. All the tools are there for him to go on and become a great CB, what he needs now is to go on loan and get loads of Premier League experience. At 20 you need to be getting more than 950mins(in various positions) to go on and reach your potential and I just can't see Jose supplanting Terry or Cahill in order to give him that experience. So, he'll have to be loaned out next year at least for the first half. He looks a little uncomfortable in possession and relies on his speed to account for mistakes made on the pitch, when he gets more games this area will improve. Highlight of the season for me was marking Fellaini out of the game at the bridge playing DM.

Grade - C+ Last Year N/A

NEMANJA MATIC - In the first half of the season, while we were playing a high line, many thought Matic was the reason we were so good, I was one of them. He transformed our team from one on the cusp of a title to genuine title contenders last year and again this year to champions, not on his own but without question a key cog to our success. Its no surprise we had our dips in form when either Matic wasn't available or not at his best because he not only was part of the spine, but he allowed others to do their job without much worry of repercussions. He looked a bit tired after the Christmas period but thats understandable since it was his first crack at that congested fixture list, he will be more prepared for it next year one would hope. Still, it's hard to think of a name in that holding role that would get into any squad ahead of Nemanja. Often times when you hear pundits talk about the difference between Chelsea and other teams his name is the one mentioned and with good reason. We were perhaps the most balanced side in Europe this year and a lot of that comes down to his contributions.

Grade - A- Last Year - A-

CESC FABREGAS - Magic! We saw first hand what happens when you combine Magic and Matic! Cesc added precisely what most here were screaming we needed to add last year, a deep lying playmaker of the highest order. When Chelsea played their most attractive football it was Cesc who was pulling the strings, the maestro who set the tempo and made that incisive pass to carve open a defense. It truly was a joy to behold Cesc in that role all season, it was a revelation for Chelsea supporters to see a player control our attack as well as he did in the first half. So what changed in the second? Had Cesc hit his wall? I don't think so, I think Chelsea's overall approach to games changed and as a result Cesc was asked to perform in a different role. He wasn't sitting deep anymore, he played as a 10 a fair bit and in that role he was often ineffectual. Still, he made so many important contributions towards the end of the season like that late winner against QPR or his second half against Leicester. Where I'd like to see him improve is in the big matches particularly the Champions League, he has to find a way to influence games where we don't dominate possession and only create a few opportunities.

Grade - B+ Last Year - N/A

JOHN OBI MIKEL - Had a difficult season... Was never really healthy and saw his diminishing role at the club further impeded by the ascension of Matic as the anchor. John's role at the club is starting to look more and more uncertain, as we play more expansively the need for an out and out anchor is becoming a thing of the past. To his credit John has shown glimpses of a more progressive forward moving game but it still remains an aspect of his game you rarely see. There was that brilliant back heel to set up Costa against Everton and I do remember a fair few hollywood-like passes over the top to release a forward but I must say, I'm not sure what the future holds for Mikel at this club. Surely if he is to be moved on this would be the season for it, he was a bit part player last year and with Loftus-Cheek challenging perhaps Mikel may be at the end? 6 starts and 18 substitute appearances sounds about right for Loftus-Cheek's development, the exact same amount of appearances Mikel had.

Grade - C- Last Year - C-

RAMIRES - Like Mikel this season proved to be a tough one for Ramires. He too battled a host of injuries and found it hard to make meaningful contributions to a squad that aimed to play more expansively from the get go. Personally I think Ramires is the perfect squad guy when healthy. He provides energy, goals, versatility and doesn't complain about his playing time or lack thereof. This year, with the addition of Cesc and the rise of Willian on the right, Ramires' role was less obvious. There were less holes to plug and as a result he didn't get to make a claim for Jose's preferred squad. I can't imagine a scenario where this will change next year, we will likely play more 4-3-3 (his best shape) next year but how much more? If Ramires is comfortable being a squad guy at a big club we have a nugget on our hands because I don't think you will find a guy in Europe who is as cheap, experienced and fills in as many roles as he does.

Grade - C- Last Year - D

EDEN HAZARD - I will run out superlatives to describe the mark he left on our season. He was quite simply magnificent if that word wasn't overused as much as it has been. What he lacked last year, the ability to be decisive in big games, he's more than made up for and with a degree of ruthlessness. It often got boring to hear his name associated with man of the match, it was almost to the point where you had to make two categories, the other being the MotM other than Eden. He was by far the best player in the Prem and was rightfully recognized as such. So what does one do for an encore next year? Can he really get better? People often compare him to Messi and Ronaldo when I think his scope and style of play is much more like Zidane, a player who doesn't score 30-40 goals but clearly proves he is the best player on the pitch each week out. Last year I predicted if we get a striker he will be player of the year, this year I will go one step further and say he will be a finalist for the Ballon D'or. I can only think of a select few in world football more deserving than he is right now.

Grade - A+ Last Year - A

WILLIAN - In now his second full season under Jose I would say Willian is the guy who has improved the most and surprised me. Granted he hasn't really scored a lot which I still think is an aspect of his game he needs to pick up, what he has provided is a willingness to do a lot of work for the team off the ball and initiate our counter. When you look at his stats there isn't one thing that will jump out at you( well maybe the 2 goals in 20 prem league starts for the wrong reasons!) but when you watch him play you see a guy who is willing to run himself into the ground for the team and that is commendable. I think he dwells on the ball a bit too much and needs to make quicker decisions in attack, if he puts that together with his unrivalled work rate we may be onto something. We need more end product, END OF....

Grade - B Last Year - C

OSCAR - Seems like a carbon copy of last year doesn't it? Started the year really well, scored some goals, worked hard for the team and seemed to show he's ready to kick on and become that player we all thought he could be. Fast forward to post January and you're wondering who is this guy and what has he done with Oscar? Listen, the simple answer his he needs to get stronger to put up with the physical demands of the Premier League. What Jose asks from him is very demanding, so much so that if you're not in top physical condition you will look poor. He has for most of the second half and needs to show he can cope with playing a full season. This will be his last chance, he will get the full summer to rest and if he doesn't come back firing on all cylinders I do believe he will be gone. Hazard played a fair bit in the 10 towards the end of the campaign and looked MENACING, he could put Oscar's position under threat even more so than Willian has.

Grade - D+ Last Year - C-

JUAN CUADRADO - He's obviously failed to adapt to life in London thus far. He just hasn't looked anything close to the player we saw at the World Cup and also last season at Fiorentina. As we all witnessed it is extremely hard to break into a squad that was playing as well as Chelsea this year so for Cuadrado it will be important to have a good Copa America and to carry that positive experience back with him to Chelsea. Its clear he has talent(to some anyway) and will need more time to adjust to the physicality and speed of the Prem... Jury is still out on whether he has what it takes to play here.

Grade - D Last Year - N/A

DIEGO COSTA - For the first time since 09-10 Chelsea had a bonafide match winner at centre forward. Diego Costa, to me is the difference between last years title challenge(4pts off) and this year's title win. We lacked goals, the ability to convert the immense amount of chances our players were creating. That changed when we brought in a real goal pig and we knew it right from game one! He got off to an incredibly quick start and but for injury may have won the golden boot. Injuries! Too many for my liking, its hard enough to adapt to a new league let alone having to do so while being in and out of the lineup. Diego is clearly an elite, Prem League quality striker but he does need to calm down a bit in order for Chelsea to reap the most rewards. He is passionate and everyone loves that but at times he has been too easily riled up and its cost us... maybe not at the exact moment but over the course of the season. He made himself a target and as a result didn't get decisions he rightly should have; moreover he was penalized harshly on a few occasions as well. Going forward Diego needs to show a bit more composure but few can argue his first season at Chelsea hasn't been a complete success.

Grade - B Last Year - N/A

LÖIC REMY - Not exactly the perfect foil to Costa since every time you thought he was gonna get a run of games due to injury he himself got injured! Chalk it up to bad luck or what have you, clearly Remy's season has been one of intrigue amongst Chelsea supporters. You can liken his contributions to that of Demba Ba last year, a guy who scored VERY important goals but never really got enough time to make a lasting impact. I'm not 100% certain he's capable of being a week in week out starter for Chelsea but as a situational player who can also play out wide he was a nice addition to the squad and for peanuts! A poacher of the highest order, Remy will drift out of games for long stretches and then pop up with an important goal like the one against Hull City away(which I have already said was the day I thought we won the title) or the City goal at the Bridge. He needs to get fit to make a real push at minutes next year, right now he looks more like an impact sub on the right flank.

Grade - C+ Last Year N/A

DIDIER DROGBA - Chelsea legend of the highest order, Didier is a huge reason why many of us love Chelsea, he embodies everything the badge stands for(Courage, Winning attitude, Power and Pride). Far be it for me to slag off the greatest match winner the club has ever known but if we're not taking age into account, Didier hasn't really been the ideal fit for our squad this season. Yes he still was a huge figure and one that many of the younger players admire and look up to but, he was far removed from the King who almost singlehandedly won us the Champions League in 2012(And many would say that year he was in steady decline as well) and even further removed from the guy who won the golden boot in 2010. We all love him and I can say I was glad he was back at the club but, I hadn't anticipated him featuring in 33 games in all comps tying him with Costa for most appearances at striker. He did have his few moments of brilliance(Utd away, Tottenham home) and still played a vital role in securing the title(Leicester away) but I think many would be very disappointed in the club if Didier was given another contract. He's been great for us and will forever be a legend... Lets leave it there.

Grade - C- Last Year N/A

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[Viper22 2,418]

Fantastic mate. Well rounded and well explained opinions.

[Chelsea Legend 11 4,062]

Fantastic mate. Well rounded and well explained opinions.

Thanks! Appreciate that.

[iseah100 5,612]

Awesome, very well thought out piece. I enjoyed reading it!

[zolayes 14,489]

well done ,, you are worth an A at least

[CHOULO19 24,332]

Excellent work. Posted to the main page: http://www.talkchelsea.net/_/articles/report-cards-chelsea-2014-15-r732

[ILoveLamp 270]

Good work!

I would have given Zouma a slightly better mark, and probably Remy/Costa too.

[Chelsea Legend 11 4,062]

Good work!

I would have given Zouma a slightly better mark, and probably Remy/Costa too.

Deliberated at length over many of these.

Zouma hadn't really played enough games to warrant getting a higher mark. If you only show up to school 20% of time and mainly on test days chances are you're not gonna make the Dean's list. He has a good first season but he still has work to do.

Remy never really had enough games and a run in the side to get a higher grade. Had he scored more goals coming off the bench as an impact sub his score would've been much higher. Of his goals only 3 were match winners(Hull, Stoke, Sunderland) 2 if you consider the last game of the season as a dead rubber game. Got injured a lot too.

Diego probably could be higher because he scored a lot of match winners but the injuries, suspensions and the target he put on his back hurt him.

[ILoveLamp 270]

Zouma hadn't really played enough games to warrant getting a higher mark. If you only show up to school 20% of time and mainly on test days chances are you're not gonna make the Dean's list. He has a good first season but he still has work to do.

True, but if you gets straight As the times you do show up, then I think you merit a B-.....

Agree for the others though.

[Rhino's Skin 972]

GREAT READING and well written

Rhinos report card..not so well written and some parts are tongue in cheek for those easily offended. ;-)

Manager - looked a relieved man at end of season. A job well done but needs to chill out a bit more and give the fans something at press conferences.

Tibo - makes it look easy and perhaps didnt get the plaudits he deserved like DDG at Utd because of this

Cech - Done everything asked of him in a professional manner. Wouldnt expect anything less from the great man

Dave - Great full back...would like to see him being a bit more adventurous at times

Luis - Unlucky to have Dave ahead of him but performed admirably in the main when called upon

JT - tremendous season...knows his own strengths and weaknesses. Leader on and off the pitch.

Cahill - unfairly criticized in some respects by some forum posters when in general he had a very decent season

Ivan - Jose's golden boy. When he is on form he is unstoppable...needs to work on crossing and was caught out defensively a little too often putting pressure on the above

Zouma - What a prospect...calmness personified. Another Desailly?

Matic - In the middle of the pitch...he is the glue that holds all the pieces together

Fabregas - What a signing he turned out to be. If any criticism, he can lose his magic hat and go missing in some of the bigger games.

Ramires - he is good at running

Mikel - he is good at urm...well being Mikel

Hazard - what a season. When he is on the ball Stamford Bridge rises to see what happens next. Deserved all the accolades....just wish he would shoot more often

Willian - He has seen the light and some of his performances were exceptional. If he could see the cross a tad earlier or have more attempts at goal next season we could be looking at next years PotY

Oscar - started season in terrific fashion then just faded a bit. Hopefully this summer break will have him on top form for the whole season

Costa - a proper centre forward who gives as much as he takes. Knows exactly how far too push it. Keeps our midfield in the game with his ball retention and his goals prove that actions speak louder than words