Can Chelsea repeat as Premier League Champions?
"Chelsea’s run to the Premier League title last season was both dominant and embarrassing."
Dominant because of the performances the club put in even when missing their main target man Diego Costa, and embarrassing, not for Chelsea but for the rest of the Premier League who failed to make the race close enough to enjoy.
This season, Chelsea will have a remarkably similar look – losing only goalkeeper Petr Cech (Arsenal) and (officially) Andre Schurrle plus a few others on loan. However, they responded to losing Cech by signing keeper Asmir Begovic from Stoke City, and with club legend Didier Drogba gone, owner Roman Abramovich brought in out-of-form striker Radamel Falcao from Monaco despite his lack of impressive displays for Manchester United last season.
Falcao was understood to be on pretty massive wages at United, but has apparently taken a pay cut to remain in the Premier League and Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho believes they can still get the most out of the Colombian forward.
“We think the bright movement is there, the movement to get freedom in the box to score goals is there. Our players had difficulty to control him all the time and we feel the potential is there,” Mourinho told the Daily Mail.
But is that enough to make the case that they will repeat as champions? Perhaps. Here are three reasons why Chelsea can repeat as champions:
1) The squad is intact
As briefly discussed above, almost all of the major players from last year’s incredulous displays are still there – and despite a few players being linked with moves away (Oscar) it looks more as if there will not be a major exit from Stamford Bridge, unless you count Cuadrado, which I do not. Chelsea still has the PFA Player of the Year in Eden Hazard, and if Diego Costa remains healthy then a strike-force of Costa, Falcao, and Loic Remy will be difficult to beat.
Perhaps most important, though, is their defense. The Blues obviously have captain John Terry anchoring with England international Gary Cahill directly beside him, and though Filipe Luis looks set for a return to Atletico Madrid, last season’s regular in Cesar Azpilicueta is set to continue at left back with Branislav Ivanovic opposite him. Of course, losing a player of Petr Cech’s status will leave a hole in any club, but knowing that Thibaut Courtois is in net with Begovic as backup is a comforting sight for Chelsea fans.
2) Their business may not be finished
The transfer window is long – some may argue it’s too long – but that leaves plenty of time for the Blues to continue on with business they feel needs to get done. Most recently, Everton’s future star defender John Stones has been linked with a move to London, and though nothing is “set in Stone,” it looks all the more likely that it will be wrapped up before deadline day at the end of August.
If Loic Remy does choose to make the jump elsewhere, Chelsea will surely look to add a third striker as backup for their main pair, but other than that they are almost completely set. Another left back again as backup perhaps, but their starting XI is going to look very similar from last year’s successes.
3) It’s still Jose Mourinho
No matter who is on the field, it’s still Jose Mourinho’s team – and when he is at the helm it is difficult to bet against him. Mourinho is arguably the most successful manager in Premier League history game-by-game, and he remains one of the most influential as well. The Portuguese master never shies away from a challenge and gets the best out of his players on a consistent basis.
The Blues were not particularly successful in Europe last season, but one could argue that their failures in the Champions League only further helped to secure their Premier League title. This season, Abramovich will want another run at a European cup, but they will do just as well to remain Premier League champions – if they can.
While the pieces are there for Chelsea to repeat, there are just as many reasons as to why their success could be difficult to replicate. Here now are three reasons Chelsea may struggle to secure a second straight PL title:
1) They are strong, but others have gotten stronger as well
Manchester United have unquestionably made the biggest attempt to stake their claim at a PL title run with their summer business so far (think Depay, Schweinsteiger, Schneiderlin, to name a few), and they aren’t the only ones to have gotten better.
City have added Raheem Sterling and Fabian Delph, Arsenal stole Petr Cech and could add another striker, and though they aren’t like to challenge for a title, Liverpool have added a number of players, too. Chelsea’s run at a title against teams with this sort of strength will make things far more difficult, and this is just the beginning. The Blues will have to maintain their form of last season but may find that tougher as the campaign goes on.
2) They need to stay healthy
Though they were fairly impressive without Diego Costa last year, Chelsea will absolutely need to remain in good health for them to continue their dominance. This is never an easy task, but the squad is not incredibly deep as a whole and if one of their bigger players ends up going down they may find it difficult to have someone step into the former’s shoes.
The defense is arguably the most important in keeping healthy, and an aging John Terry, though incredibly strong, is also more vulnerable as he continues to wage his war with father time. Mourinho has a few options should someone of his status go down, but it is all too easy to say that he could be easily replaced.
3) Europe beckons
After a disappointing UCL exit to PSG in the Round of 16, both Abramovich and Mourinho will want to change things up this time around, which could ultimately mean sacrificing some of the Premier League for a “greater” prize.
Again, it is all too easy to say that an early exit from the Champions League helps with league form, but the fact remains that less fixtures mean more rest for the squad and that helps with a challenge. A deeper run into Europe this year may mean less for the Premier League, so both Mourinho and his squad will have to juggle a few competitions at once.
The Blues remain one of the strongest teams in the Premier League if not the strongest, but there is a lot of work to be done before they can crown themselves champions of England two years running. The addition of Radamel Falcao makes their attack all the more dangerous and they only benefit by keeping much of their starting XI, but with each new season comes a new challenge – only time will tell if they are up to the test.