Stripping Down

[Guest FullEnglishBreakfast]

THIS club is at an important juncture, we as fans are finally witnessing that supposed change of direction we've heard whispers about for so long. The aim was to move away from the powerful and forceful Chelsea to a more majestic and technical beast. It's a natural development in world football when physicality makes way for technicality and then vice versa, it's just the cycle of things. We saw it when totaalvoetball dethroned catenaccio, and we are seeing it on a smaller scale now, with diminutive players replacing the old school powerful #9s up front in the centre forward position and strangely enough powerful hard workers replacing the the fleet footed #10s in the hole.

The first three signals of this forced evolution were the departure of some of the old guard, Ballack and Joe Cole in particular, the second was the appointment of the now chagrined Andre Villas-Boas and the last tell tale sign was the signing of possibly the hands down best #10 in the world; Juan Mata. Everyone knows what happened between then and now, but the most important things to remember are Oscar dos Santos and Eden Hazard.

Juan Mata, Oscar dos Santos and Eden Hazard. These three men are the future of the club, there is no debating that as a fact. Their potential plateau is nonexistent, they can do anything as long the jigsaw of life falls into place for them. People need to consider these three as forwards and not as midfielders, when I watch them play I see their attacking nature, their will isn't to sit in the middle of the park and kick the ball upfield for the forwards, they are the forwards and need to be considered as such. People lable them as wingers or attacking midfielders, but are they
really? Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard are attacking midfielder are they like Mata, Hazard, Oscar? Ryan Giggs and David Beckham are wingers, are they like Mata, Hazard, Oscar?

I read people making claims that Oscar's future is the midfield, now I'm 100% certain he could adapt to playing deep and I'm sure he would be solid player. But that would restrict him, that would tie him down in to a position he isn't tailored for. He could be a good, solid midfielder, but he will be a world class forward. Now, I'm not expecting 50 goals a season from him, but not every forward is a STRIKER or LIONEL MESSI. Some are like Pavel Nedved, Ezequiel Lavezzi or Enzo Francescoli, the goals and assists aren't always there (they usually are) but a lot of the time their intangibles are more important.

The clubs need to be built around these three men, if not I see no reason as to why they were bought in the first place. A few things need to be taken into consideration; them being the tactics, formations and supporting players. I'm not a man to talk about tactics and formations but I can give an analysis on whether or not the rest of the squad fits in with the idea of bringing out the best of the three.

Now goalkeepers are easy. It's going to be Petr Cech as the absolute #1 and then hopefully everything goes to plan and the giant that is Thibaut Courtois replaces him. I'm a bit wary about Courtois but I'm optimistic he will return someday.

Defence is a little trickier. I love John Terry and all he has done, but he is really up to the task anymore? He always seems injured and looks half the player he was. He is on a lot of wages too, and that must be taken into consideration. Don't let your sentimentality blind you, we want what's best for the future not best for our fairytale happiness. Really ask yourself: is JT really needed anymore?

Ashley Cole, we know he staying for a bit longer. He is a solid LB nowadays, but he isn't the man he used to be and that's entirely understandable. The market isn't really saturated with great fullbacks these days and aside from just a few like Coentråo and Luke Shaw there isn't much of a choice to go with. Sure there is Bertrand but I honestly don't think he will make it past slightly above average at best. Ashley Cole should be out the door sooner rather than later, but I've no problems with playing him at the moment, he is reliable and he is really good. Hopefully Luke Shaw is bought in the window to makes Cole's eventual absence so much more bearable.

David Luiz is a unpredictable and uncontrollable. He can win matches or lose them, there seems to be no middle ground. He has all the talent in the world to be World Class and has a lovely personality but I really fear for his mentality, his decision making, concentration and aggression leave too much room for concern. Hopefully with age comes experience and these will no longer be the problem. But for now the club needs to persist with him. Too much potential to just gamble away on a transfer out.

Gary Cahill is an Englishmen, therefore people love him and overrate him. He is solid, nothing less, nothing more. He can fill gaps but should never be the undisputed number one CB. The JT comparisons are ridiculous, remember JT when he was Cahill's age? JT was in the top five CB of the world.

Cesar Azpilicueta. Hands down the best defender currently at the club. I hope he develops leadership skills one day because he will be the number one choice for Spain and Chelsea for RB. His crossing is average but crossing is just a cherry on top, as a defender the main deal should be defending so an attacking ability should be considered a plus. He has great stamina and will run all day, and another plus is that he connects really well with whoever plays on the right with him. Keep it up.

The midfield is in shambles. A total disgrace, nothing really works down there.

Mikel...he is very strong, has a great balance, fantastic positioning, tackles well, keeps posession and intercepts adequately. Overall he has all the tools for a DM but, he is very slow, slows down the tempo, and is slow at decision making. He really does not fit in with the grand master plan because of how slow his game is. Chelsea really need another DM as an alternative for Mikel otherwise the fluidity of the club will suffer. Mikel is needed for big games when everyone knows that Chelsea isn't going to keep all the possession but against teams like Bolton he is not needed at all.

Lampard doesn't really fit either but on the other hand he scores so many important goals that Chelsea can't survive without him. He probably shouldn't stay for much longer but the club will suffer greatly without his goals and intangibles. The clubs needs to start preparing for life without our super #8 but he is just so damn talented. It's really splitting hairs with this man, the positive equal the negatives and my sentimentality blinds me with Lampard, unlike John Terry.

Ramires... This guy blows hot and cold worse than Luiz. He'll pull off a world class performance one day and look like a ten year-old the next. Rami shouldn't be the first name on the team sheet, much like Gary Cahill, but he is too valuable and flexible to sell. His stamina, pace and work rate can not be replaced and that's more than enough reason to keep him.

I've been thinking that the club doesn't really need either forwards, Ba or Torres. Both could be sold but only one should be and that's Torres. Ba should be kept at Chelsea but he shouldn't be the number one #9, he should occupy an Anelka like squad role with another better striker occupying the Drogba role. It could be anyone, Higuain or even someone like Jovetic. The only thing I know is that neither are adequate enough for going forward.

The club has a big task on their hands, a lot of key players need to be replaced sooner or later and some need to be dropped to a more peripheral role. The likes of Mikel, Cahill, Ramires need to be the guys sitting on the bench and filling in gaps whereas players like Cole, Lamps and JT should be moved on and revered as legends sooner rather than later. If the best is to be extracted from Hazard, Mata and Oscar, some serious changes have to be implemented at Chelsea.

SO what do you lot think should happen?

[Guest FullEnglishBreakfast]

Come on you lazy gits, give it a read.

[We Hate Scouse 10,327]

Come on you lazy gits, give it a read.

But it's too long

[Guest FullEnglishBreakfast]

But it's too long

That's what she said.

About my article.

[Kieran. 6,317]

Good read, I agree with a lot of it. Though I think Ba + Lukaku and someone like Bony or even Torres as #3 would be enough firepower.

[Hutcho 8,443]

Good read, though i was expecting more of a nudity reference...

[NishC300 1,865]

Good read, though i was expecting more of a nudity reference...

Hutcho........tsk tsk tsk

[Guest FullEnglishBreakfast]

Good read, though i was expecting more of a nudity reference...

You were expecting more nudity reference in an article about footballers? Okay...

[TorontoChelsea 4,064]

The problem with building around Hazard, Mata, and Oscar is that they are all attacking forwards who like to play centrally and run the attack. It's difficult to build a team around that. Strikers will always have trouble succeeding in a system with the three of them, defences will be able to defend us by going narrow, we'll likely always have trouble with our attackers not tracking back, and we'll always be vulnerable on the wings. It's not enough to be talented, you need to have a variety of players including some who will do the less glamorous work. I look at Barcelona with Fabergas as an example. He's an incredible player, one of the best midfielders in the world, but I don't think he makes Barcelona better. In fact, I think he imbalances the team. Even on Barcelona though, they will play with a real winger on the right to create space. Chelsea, in the past built around Lampard, Terry, and to some extent Drogba and they were three players who could be fit into any number of systems. If you want to build around Hazard, Mata, and Oscar, you don't have that flexibility.

Agree with much of the rest of the piece though. We're definitely going through a (three year long) transition phase.

[CHOULO19 24,332]

Well this is disappointing, the tittle was completely misleading

Seriously though, i agree with a lot in there. Main point I disagree with is Mikel. I'd argue why, but by now I just sound like a broken record.

[Mufassir08 2,400]

Very good article and agree with most of it.I think the club should be scouting a top young CB like zouma or papadopaulos to eventually replace terry.

[NishC300 1,865]

The problem with building around Hazard, Mata, and Oscar is that they are all attacking forwards who like to play centrally and run the attack. It's difficult to build a team around that. Strikers will always have trouble succeeding in a system with the three of them, defences will be able to defend us by going narrow, we'll likely always have trouble with our attackers not tracking back, and we'll always be vulnerable on the wings. It's not enough to be talented, you need to have a variety of players including some who will do the less glamorous work. I look at Barcelona with Fabergas as an example. He's an incredible player, one of the best midfielders in the world, but I don't think he makes Barcelona better. In fact, I think he imbalances the team. Even on Barcelona though, they will play with a real winger on the right to create space. Chelsea, in the past built around Lampard, Terry, and to some extent Drogba and they were three players who could be fit into any number of systems. If you want to build around Hazard, Mata, and Oscar, you don't have that flexibility.

Agree with much of the rest of the piece though. We're definitely going through a (three year long) transition phase.

First of all gr8 article!

For Mata, Hazard and Oscar why don't we try to play Hazard, Mata in the front 3 and Oscar in the pivot. While next to Hazard and Mata in the front 3 play a genuine winger. Wouldn't that work?

[Joker10 946]

Saying Mata, Oscar, and Hazard is the future of Chelsea is not a fact or a guarantee especially if Mourinho comes back. It will depend on who will be the new Chelsea manager. If Mourinho comes back i believe he will set a new course for the future of the club, if the board hires someone like Pellegrini then i believe the objective and goal for the future of the club stays on course on building a technical and proactive side. That do favor Hazard, Oscar, and Mata skill set.

[manpe 10,861]

Where was the stripping down part? Am I lost?

Great read though.

[BlueLyon 9,359]

Hm and Kdb is still out there, but we already cant fit Mazacar in team...this is going to be one hack for next manager to use all players properly and still win trophies with good football.

[English Freak 456]

Good article.

Definitely agree about Gary Cahill He's a decent CB...but he'd be third choice on other top European clubs.

About the LB position, I wanna see Chelsea give Van Aanholt a proper chance. He seems to have that explosiveness going forward and he's decent enough in defence..and he's still got time to improve his defensive game..

As for the CF position, I hope the club signs the right player to fit our system...

[Guest FullEnglishBreakfast]

I've almost as many likes with a two sentence joke than I do with a 1000+ word article.

[Joker10 946]

Gary Cahill is fine and i don't really have a concern over him. Can he be upgraded? Absolutely, but he is a solid starter and it is not necessary.

Good article.

Definitely agree about Gary Cahill He's a decent CB...but he'd be third choice on other top European clubs.

About the LB position, I wanna see Chelsea give Van Aanholt a proper chance. He seems to have that explosiveness going forward and he's decent enough in defence..and he's still got time to improve his defensive game..

As for the CF position, I hope the club signs the right player to fit our system...

Like who United? City? Barca? Bayern? PSG? AC Milan?

Are you telling me he would be third choice on those teams? All those teams have had issues at CB at one point or another. Only Juve, Madrid, and Dortmund CB situation is somewhat exceptional.

Meh the article is way too nit picky for my taste. We are just missing 2-3 pieces imo and even without any changes to this season squad we will be much better next season. Sometimes a season like this is a good foundation for a young squad to build on. You don't need world class players at every position. Cahil as i said is solid, Luiz may not get the credit for it but he is as good as any CB in the league, Cole is still very good even toward the end of his illustrious career, and Lucas is the only DM i would take over Mikel in the PL. CM and ST is the only position we need upgrade at.

[Guest FullEnglishBreakfast]

Gary Cahill is fine and i don't really have a concern over him. Can he be upgraded? Absolutely, but he is a solid starter and it is not necessary.

Like who United? City? Barca? Bayern? PSG? AC Milan?

Are you telling me he would be third choice on those teams? All those teams have had issues at CB at one point or another. Only Juve, Madrid, and Dortmund CB situation is somewhat exceptional.

Meh the article is way too nit picky for my taste. We are just missing 2-3 pieces imo and even without any changes to this season squad we will be much better next season. Sometimes a season like this is a good foundation for a young squad to build on. You don't need world class players at every position. Cahil as i said is solid, Luiz may not get the credit for it but he is as good as any CB in the league, Cole is still very good even toward the end of his illustrious career, and Lucas is the only DM i would take over Mikel in the PL. CM and ST is the only position we need upgrade at.

What's unnecessary? Please elaborate.

Just because those few teams settle for average at best doesn't mean that Chelsea has to also. I want the best for Chelsea, I don't want the club to settle with an average CB being the first choice. I also find it awkward that you mention that Madrid and Dortmund have exceptional CB situations while Bayern doesn't. Bayern has the best defensive record out of all three of those clubs...

What's wrong with being nitpicky? Managers have to be nitpicky with there players, they can't just thrown 11 together and expect results. These sort of things need to be carefully thought out and considered.

Mikel can never be a starter for a team wishing to be fully offensive or counterattacking, he slows the tempo down far too much. He is perfect if stability and a slower tempo is needed but if Chelsea want to continue with a a more offensive brand they really need to consider another player in Mikel's position. People don't seem to understand that I like Mikel but I don't believe he fits into the jigsaw very well.

[Backstreet09 499]

Oscar as a forward, really ? Well he could defo play the second striker role , but not the main guy. That'd be too much for him.

Great article though, completely agree on parts like Mata and Hazard are more like Inside forwards and that's pretty cool yet damaging for our team balance and the striker. If they'd go like this, we'd really need someone like Xabi Alonso, controlling the game from the middle, providing the balls to Mata and Hazard so they don't have to fall deep every time to collect the ball and disrupt the tempo of our play.

Mikel is utterly useless.

Cahill and Luiz both are painfully inconsistent, we'd need to get a world class defender to marshall our defense.Terry doesn't have the legs anymore.

We need to let go off Torres, This whole chelsea move has been a nightmare for him. Schurrle or Jovetic with Lukaku would be a great pairing and might not cost a lot.