Post-season review - Chelsea 2013/14

[Fernando 6,585]

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.

No need to wait for that.

If next season we are still horrible, mourinho would just walk away.

But I have full confidence that next season we will be much better.

[Mr_President 404]

It's neither to me. Real success would have been winning the league/CL, failure would have been no progression as a team and struggling to keep our place in the top 4. Jose has done what I expected him to do in bringing us up a level as a team and has built solid foundations for the future. He will make additions in the summer (his recent striker comments confirm it really, can't help but feel strarting Schurrle instead of Torres sends a powerful message to the board that a true CF is needed).

I suppose we all have different definitions of failure, some might argue that any season where we don't win silverware is automatically deemed a failure. Whilst I agree witht the sentiment that we should be striving to win titles every season, it doesn't - at least in my view - automatically mean that we must categorise a barren season as a failure.

The squad needs work, it isn't complete. People on this forum know this, match going Chelsea fans know this but, most importantly, Jose and the board surely know this. The necessary addditions and amendments to the squad will be made in the summer and that, combined with our current players gaining more experience/age, will mean that next season will see even bigger improvements.

I am just grateful that I can enjoy watching Chelsea again. People seem to have short memories but it was only last season when Benitez was here and the atmosphere at SB and even away games was...toxic, to say the least. No one likes losing and the mood on these boards (not just this forum, but football forums in general) is very fickle, a couple of poor results and the season is a failure, before that we were gunning for the title but now all hope is lost etc.?

We are in a good place.

[didierforever 7,349]

A 14 match unbeaten run before the Palace game maybe?

Not worth it dude. These are the same guys who will be saying that the season is a success if we win against stoke and city and pool drop points to soton and whu (all 3 results very likely).

The mob is fickle. 3 losses in last 5 games in all competitions has sent most of them over the edge.

[didierforever 7,349]

Irrespective of what happens in the next 7 (atleast) and hopefully more matches is irrelevant.

If u had asked me what the expectations werr before the start of the season, I would have said,

QF in CL (maybe Semis) but a lot depends on luck there.

in title race for PL.

One of the domestic cups.

The only disappoinment was the domestic cups. The sunderland match was a debacle while in the city game we were outplayed. So far we have acheived what we should have done.

[Henrique 9,133]

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.

Avarage squad that end up in 3th last season in PL...okay.

[lionsden 4,689]

The problem is that as seen many times it just becomes a way of trying to push back the issue of trying to give them chances into the squad for as long as possible. Taking the view that I think that the whole issue of expeirence is just a bollocks excuse that isused to try and justify why they can't get a run in the first team, the problem iswhen do we reach a point where they have the required 'experience' to be given a chance in the team. First its they have no experience at all, so they are shipped out to some lower division team, then its they have no top flight experience, so the club tries to ship them out to one, then its'but they don't have any experience playing for us' or no Champions league experience, so their chances are stalled again, then by that time we buy someone like Zouma (who lates faces was getting massive amounts of hype andalready has over 40 appearances in Ligue 1) who becuase we spent a hefty sum of money (both Zouma and Salah cost usover £20 million pounds) get priority andso we are back to square one.

In all honesty the same arguments are going back and forth and there is no point repeating them, the phase 'agree to disagree' comes to mind now.

Post of the century. The whole youth development policy is shambles. you can stockpile and loan out all the talented youngsters in europe but without conviction aka balls to introduce and embed them into the 1st team, it all counts for nothing. if our policy is to purely make profit off these youngsters then fine but I don't want to hear any bollocks from the club hierachy about the bullshit youth development that they have been spouting for near a decade.

[Sidzeret 2,257]

Irrespective of what happens in the next 7 (atleast) and hopefully more matches is irrelevant.

If u had asked me what the expectations werr before the start of the season, I would have said,

QF in CL (maybe Semis) but a lot depends on luck there.

in title race for PL.

One of the domestic cups.

The only disappoinment was the domestic cups. The sunderland match was a debacle while in the city game we were outplayed. So far we have acheived what we should have done.

Irrespective of what happens in the next 7 (atleast) and hopefully more matches is irrelevant.

If u had asked me what the expectations werr before the start of the season, I would have said,

QF in CL (maybe Semis) but a lot depends on luck there.

in title race for PL.

One of the domestic cups.

The only disappoinment was the domestic cups. The sunderland match was a debacle while in the city game we were outplayed. So far we have acheived what we should have done.

Winning the League Cup wouldn't have made a difference in my mind with regard to the season being a success or a failure

[BlueLyon 9,359]

Average squad? What? We lack striker, one CM short and average bench, BUT we have one of best defences in the world and attacking trio worth 90mio.

If anything we are making average results for how much the players cost. Its not Mou blame, its blame of players who cant step the fuck up when they should.

We finished 3rd last year with worse team. Its first season for Mou, getting new style, having back SB as fortress and being better in CL, but in league we should finish at least second no matter what. Mou could do better in certain games with tactics and subs, but when Oscar or Willian fuck up all our attacks with their bad decisions, Mou cant do nothing.

But in the end of the day, we are now counter attacking team. To have such style efficient you need;

1.) World class striker

2.) Full backs who can attack and defend

3.) CS is based on lot of defending, a good defence is key for tactics to succeed.

4.) CM pair who can spray and transport ball from defence to attack

5.) Attacking trio who makes intelligent runs, good decisions and creates chances.

What we have is only point 3. Everything else is still very weak here and needs improvement/investment. When we bought Hazard, Oscar and Willian, we expected point 5 to be completed, but so far Willian and Oscar aint intelligent nor creative enough to make difference on counters.

[hjperdeath 2,226]

A 14 match unbeaten run before the Palace game maybe?

Hit the nail on the head.

[Shaan 263]

I dont consider this season failure but (god forbid!) if liverpool finish above us in the league then it is definitly failure!!

[Vybz Kartel 1,613]

Average squad? What? We lack striker, one CM short and average bench, BUT we have one of best defences in the world and attacking trio worth 90mio.

If anything we are making average results for how much the players cost. Its not Mou blame, its blame of players who cant step the fuck up when they should.

We finished 3rd last year with worse team. Its first season for Mou, getting new style, having back SB as fortress and being better in CL, but in league we should finish at least second no matter what. Mou could do better in certain games with tactics and subs, but when Oscar or Willian fuck up all our attacks with their bad decisions, Mou cant do nothing.

But in the end of the day, we are now counter attacking team. To have such style efficient you need;

1.) World class striker

2.) Full backs who can attack and defend

3.) CS is based on lot of defending, a good defence is key for tactics to succeed.

4.) CM pair who can spray and transport ball from defence to attack

5.) Attacking trio who makes intelligent runs, good decisions and creates chances.

What we have is only point 3. Everything else is still very weak here and needs improvement/investment. When we bought Hazard, Oscar and Willian, we expected point 5 to be completed, but so far Willian and Oscar aint intelligent nor creative enough to make difference on counters.

Thats like spending another 100 million, like what we have been doing for a while but still we havent seen much improvement

[Vybz Kartel 1,613]

What is Jose's excuse for not winning the league, he has twice the budget Rodgers has at Liverpool, they have had Suarez suspended for 5 games, Sturridge out for 8 weeks, Gerrard out for a month, did not strengthen in january, have an avearge defence but they are likely gonna win the league, dont give me tht b*llsh*t that its been close to a success, yes we have had improvements but we can also say that about last year, except we had a manager no one liked. If we finish 3rd its a failure, because we still have the same old problems we had a year ago when QPR beat us at the bridge, Rafa still managed to beat Man Utd not once but twice, drew with Pool, beat Arsenal, lost to city yes but we can argue we were unlucky in the FA cup when Kompany shld have been red carded and gotten a penalty. We have always performed well against big teams except in AVB's season. Rafa also drew against spurs,(Rafa got 3rd place without the budget Mourinho had) I am not supporting Rafa dont get me wrong but Mourinho has not been a saint like he wants us to see him as. He loaned Lukaku when every Chelsea fan knew Torres and Ba were not the answer.