Chelsea
Blues boss Jose Mourinho
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Tuesday, 01, Aug 2006 04:33
Back-to-back Premiership champions and yet, paradoxically, still receiving more criticism than praise from other teams.
Historically the glitz and glamour club of football's top division, Chelsea's traditional image of entertaining underachiever has been radically transformed by the Abramovich era into indomitable, relentless winning machine.
Gone are many of the wonderful characters - Zola, Wise, the late, great Peter Osgood - and in their place are world leading athletes who know nothing but victory - Lampard, Shevchenko, Ballack. It isn't so much King's Road anymore but an exclusive King's Club, or so Kenyon and co aspire.
A new Chelsea, set on domination, and yet unfairly dismissed as little more than a fancy roadshow by those green-eyed monsters who carp the club's well-documented financial advantage.
At the helm there is Mourinho. Love him or loathe him, the outspoken coach has been a revelation since arriving in England, crushing the Ferguson Wenger dominance in one fell swoop, and redefining the winning mentality and the entire role of the football manager.
And this typifies what Chelsea as a whole have done in the past three years - they have evolved the beautiful game, taken it to a higher plain, not necessarily in terms of attractiveness but in relation to what is essential in this modern consumer day, winning.
Football is a results-driven sport and Chelsea sit very much at the wheel.
Facts
Formed: 1905
Home: Stamford Bridge, capacity 42,449
Nickname: The Blues
Adult 2006/07 season ticket prices: £530 - £1,150
Pedigree
League champions: 3 - 1955, 2005, 2006
FA Cup winners: 3 - 1970, 1997, 2000
League Cup winners: 3 - 1965, 1998, 2005
Cup Winners' Cup: 2 - 1971, 1998
European Super cup: 1 - 1998
Community shield: 3 - 1955, 2000, 2005
People
Owner: Roman Abramovich
Chairman: Bruce Buck
Chief executive: Peter Kenyon
Head coach: Jose Mourinho
Assistant coach: Steve Clarke
Team captain: John Terry
Last season
Premiership: 1st - P 38 W 29 D 4 L 5 GF 72 GA 22 GD +50 PTS 91
Champions League: last 16 - lost 3-2 on aggregate to Barcelona
FA Cup: semi-finalists - lost 2-1 to Liverpool
League Cup: third round - lost on penalties to Charlton
Major summer ins
Michael Ballack - from Bayern Munich - Bosman free transfer
John Obi Mikel - from Lyn Oslo - £12 million
Salomon Kalou - from Feyenoord - free
Andriy Shevchenko - from AC Milan - £30 million
Henrique Hilario - from Porto - free signing
Khalid Boulahrouz - from Hamburg - £7 million
Ashley Cole - from Arsenal - £5m plus player exch
Major summer outs
Eidur Gudjohnsen - Barcelona - £8 million
Carlton Cole - West Ham - £2 million
Asier Del Horno - Valencia - £4 million
Jiri Jarosik - Celtic - free transfer
Glen Johnson - Portsmouth - season loan
Damien Duff - to Newcastle - £5 million
Hernan Crespo - to Inter Milan - two-year loan
William Gallas - to Arsenal - player exch
Robert Huth - to Middlesbrough - £6 million
Unheralded stars
William Gallas or Claude Makelele.
Chelsea's French stars have both been integral to the team's success over the past three years and will need to be again this season.
Gallas, having agreed to stay at the club despite expressing a desire to leave two months ago, will be key. He is arguably one of, if not the best defender in Europe.
His much-talked about versatility is just one of his attributes. Quick, strong, good in the air, skilful distribution and capable of getting forward to create and score goals, Gallas genuinely does have everything.
Makelele is widely acknowledged as one of the best defensive midfield players in the world, which you might think removes his eligibility for this category. But it doesn't.
Media attention passes over him in favour of the flair players all too frequently still and only rarely will a Simon Barnes draw attention to the credit he deserves.
True, he isn't getting any younger but he proved in Germany during this summer's World Cup that he is still a master of interception, anticipation and winning the loose ball, aspects he will be keen to prove again during what could well be his send-off season.
Starlets
John Obi Mikel or Salomon Kalou.
Two new signings at Chelsea this summer and both will be desperate to be given the chance to fulfil their wonderkid billings.
Mikel completed his drawn-out and highly controversial move from Lyn Oslo to the Bridge last month, via a £13 million payment to Manchester United, who had previously signed the player on a pre-contract agreement.
A powerfully-built midfielder, the Nigerian has barely a dozen senior matches under his belt but he has been touted as one of the game's next great players. No pressure then.
Kalou, a promising but raw striker signed from Feyenoord, brings equal potential and excitement for the Blues fans.
Lightning pace brings a deadly ability to beat defenders and he has a good eye for goal, according to Ruud Gullit, his former boss at Feyenoord and Chelsea legend.
Ultimately, however, the question will be whether these two future stars are actually given any chances to shine at Stamford Bridge.
Such is the strength in the Chelsea squad they will hardly be first-choice but Mourinho must be more willing to allow them run-outs to avoid their young talents wasting away like Glen Johnson and Carlton Cole before them.
Predictions
League position: Champions.
Odds on to claim a third successive Premiership crown.
Chances of managerial change: Possible.
Mourinho is unlikely to be sacked but could quit if too many results, refereeing decisions, FA charges go against him.
Top scorer: Andriy Shevchenko.
£30 million on a striker demands a similar goal return. Unlikely to actually achieve this, particularly if his ageing limbs take time to settle to Premiership pace. Lampard, if he remembers where the goal is, might challenge.
Player(s) most likely to rock the boat: A few candidates.
William Gallas wanted out but has been persuaded to stay, Hernan Crespo ditto, but the main threat to Stamford Bridge harmony comes from the gaffer himself. Mourinho has a million and one skills but the ability to keep a happy ship is not among them. This includes all those around him, players, employers and officials. Sulks or customary outbursts could well harm the expensively-assembled Blues squad.
Ben Arnold.