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Thursday, 16 August 2012
The Unwelcome Neighbours: The Chelsea Preview
15:50 | 
Posted by
Bappo |
I have an admission to make: I am a Fulham fan. And whilst it grinds my gears to always be referenced by everyone as their 'second favourite club', I also take great pleasure in rival fans acknowledging the beauty of Craven Cottage or the warm welcome they always receive when they get there.
I also happen to live in the area and, whilst walking to the local Tube station, I saw a giant poster which nearly made me throw up. There it was, smack in my face: a ginormous photo of the Chelsea team with "Champions of Europe" inscribed at the bottom. And, despite my anger rising at the fact that this was in Fulham (to borrow EA Sports' mantra: It's in the name!) and not Chelsea, and that this was the second time they were doing this (victory celebrations in Fulham as well....tiring) in a few months, I realised it was a fitting symbol of the Chelsea of the last few years.
That poster portrayed Chelsea exactly as they are: unwelcome neighbours.
Now don't get me wrong, I'm no fan of Chelsea, but that 'unwelcome neighbour' aspect also clearly had its advantages. Abramovich's arrival in the Premier League signalled a shift in power and made the league more competitive. We used to only have Man U and Arsenal at the top. Now we have a highly competitive league with four teams capable of winning the title (yes I include Arsenal) and others stacking up to catch the train (did you see Tottenham and Liverpool's teams last season???). So it hasn't been all bad.
However, the more specific 'unwelcome neighbour' aspect also illustrates exactly why people actively dislike Chelsea. I'll pass on the fact they bought their way to the title because that's exactly how you win it: by buying it. And Man City or Man United fans saying the opposite are delusional. So that wasn't a wrong in itself. No, what bothers people is the lack of class which has seemed to permeate through the club. From Peter Kenyon (douche-bag) to Jose Mourinho's spectacular, entertaining yet tiring antics to their decision to stage a large part of their celebrations in areas closer to Fulham FC (Yes I understand that Fulham Broadway has 'Fulham' in it and is closer to Chelsea. Parsons' Green, on the other hand....), Chelsea have taken pride in using that 'unwelcome neighbour' tag to full effect. And rightly or wrongly, depending on your allegiance, it has overshadowed their achievements, especially under Mourinho when they actually were playing attractive football. Yes they were a well-drilled machine, but those matches against Barcelona, with Drogba, Lampard, Duff, Cole and Robben on fire were some of the most exciting Champions' League ties of recent years.
£10 to the guy who can name the first scorer in the 1st leg (Initials: F.L.)
Chelsea have triumphed in adversity, and whilst this is laudable and often used as an inspiration tool by managers ("us against the world"), it only started to leave us feeling dirty last season. Whilst Chelsea fans are not the only ones who can be accused of blind allegiance (hello Liverpool fans! How is Luis Suarez? Still racist?), Chelsea's defence of their captain and talisman John Terry, a toxic character if ever there was one, was nauseating, although not to the same level as Liverpool's of Suarez.
So where does this leave us? Chelsea are an ageing team used to having its own way. This was demonstrated by their open and disgusting way of quitting on AVB and their new-found happiness at being under the tutelage of puppet Di Matteo. And yet they have been superbly backed yet again by their owner who has, ironically, finally decided to stump up the cash on young players which AVB probably asked him to buy last season. Oh, how a year changes everything.
So where does Chelsea stand now? Not close to a title. At least not yet. With a balance to be found again, especially with the arrival of defensive 'talents' such as Hazard, Marin and Oscar, the "backs against the wall" tactic will be hard to use again. More importantly, and perhaps more tellingly, it will be interesting to see how the baton will be passed. Will JT and Lamps finally accept that they are not in a majority anymore and cannot dictate their own terms, or will they keep holding on, hoping for backing from their 'pal' Di Matteo?
Whatever happens, Chelsea will be an interesting proposition this season, and are clearly a team in transition. Whether this materialises in dressing-room bust-ups or the sacking of Di Matteo (always probable, especially when people will have woken up and realised all he did was hand the power back to the players), Chelsea will be, as ever, entertaining and dramatic. And perhaps that's when we'll finally accept them as a welcome neighbour and a positive influence on the Premier League.
THE TRANSFER REVIEW
EDEN HAZARD
Now here is a young man primed for a fall. With dazzling arrogance the young Belgian announced his decision to join Chelsea, or as it's been constantly re-hashed, "The Champions of Europe". If ever there was one example of Twitter being an even more vain version of Facebook, this was it. And this made us forget that Eden had been targeted by all the big teams across Europe for a while. I personally had the pleasure of watching him break into the Lille team in 2009 when I went to watch them play in their decrepit Stadium Lille-Metropole. I remember an 18 year-old full of gusto and footballing arrogance (the good kind). Apart from being amazed by the sight of an obese Bafetimbi Gomis playing for an atrocious St Etienne, Hazard proved to be the lasting memory from an average Ligue 1 game.
So what have Chelsea bought? A young player (still 21) blessed with talent, vision, creativity and superb dribbling skills. Coming in from the left hand-side or playing behind the striker, Hazard loves running at defenders and creating mismatches. He even found a nice goalscoring touch last year when he had what is known as an 'Andy Johnson season' (20 league goals but a myriad of them penalties). And, despite what you might have heard, he is not a selfish player, as evidenced by his 15 assists. Any time a player contributes directly to 35 goals in one season in Ligue 1, a notoriously tactical and defensive league, then people should take notice.
The downside? An arrogant streak which the man has displayed numerous times for the Belgian national team, even leaving the stadium when substituted at half-time. It will be interesting to see how he settles alongside notorious bullies and 'owners of the dressing-room' Terry and Lampard.
But one thing is for sure: Chelsea have bought huge potential. I guess that's what 40 mil gives you.
Best case scenario: a more collective Arjen Robben
Worst case scenario: Damien Duff
THORGAN HAZARD
Now that was a surprising one, and it does smack of Chedric Seedorf's 'career' at AC Milan. Except that Thorgan has played for Belgium's U-21 and for Lens in Ligue 2 despite only being 19. Another one for the future, and if he helps Eden settle easily then Chelsea will have bought themselves a £1m nanny. But I believe there is potential there. Don't expect him to be involved straight away though. Still a gamble, albeit a relatively risk-free one at that price.
Best case scenario: A midfield version of Ryan Bertrand
Worst case scenario: Sam Dalla Bonna
MARKO MARIN
This was a transfer which p****d me off, and that's a good thing if you're a Chelsea fan. I know the Bundesliga is a pretty open league, but 35 assists in three and a half-season is still an impressive feat for a man who has just turned 23. Even more impressively, this was for a dire Werder Bremen devoid of any decent strikers and creativity. I remember watching Marko marin at the U-21 Euro in 2009 and he was Germany's stand-out player with Mesut Ozil at the time. At a reported £8m Marin is a low-risk purchase by Chelsea (especially considering Hazard cost £35m) and should provide good value for money. Capable of playing on either flank or behind the striker, he has a decent left foot to complement his right peg. A very astute signing.
Best case scenario: A rich man's Damien Duff
Worst case scenario: a German version of Ambrosetti
OSCAR
This one sort of came out of nowhere. Whilst it is always easy to get confused with their names, even when they are shortened, I have to say that oscar hadn't realy appeared on my radar until he signed. At least not in the same way players such as Neymar (obvious), Leandro Damiao, Ganso or Lucas Moura had been constantly mentioned in the papers. And the man is still young (only 20) and raw (less than 50 professional games in the Brazilian league). Should his 6 full caps or convincing appearances at the Olympics (from what I heard/saw as I was too busy watching Usain Bolt destroy everyone in sight) reassure us? perhaps. But many players have played for Brazil and gone on to have had average careers at club level (Kleberson, Felipe Melo, any Brazilian centre-back in the 90s). SO it is a gamble. And an expensive one at that, with a reported £25m going back to Internacional.
Best case scenario: A better Juninho
Worst case scenario: Kleberson
WALLY'S ADVICE
Pearls of wisdom for Roberto Di Matteo, also known as The Puppet. Not sure he needs them considering JT and Lamps will probably pick the team (ok, ok, that's harsh).
Purchase a wing-back or two
Not sure buying wingers or attacking midfielders was the way forward, especially considering Chelsea already had Mata, Sturridge, Ramires, Meireles (even though he's average), Malouda (ok that one's an obvious joke), Benayoun and Kakuta. What was probably more important is buying versatile defenders. Whilst the centre-back position should be covered with Terry, Cahill, an improved Luiz and Ivanovic, the only wing-backs apart from Cole and Branislav are Hutchinson (didn't he tell us he retired???), Bertrand and the ever-present Paulo Ferreira.
Cover for right-back, with a specialist in that role, would be a nice upgrade for a squad meant to be challenging on many fronts. And whilst Chelsea have been linked with Cesae Azpilicueta of Marseille for £7m, a better option in our eyes would be Mathieu Debuchy of Lille, probably available for less than £10m, only 26 and a convincing performer at Euro 2012 for France.
Get ready to rotate or there will be trouble
A lot of attacking players for few places. Sturridge wanting to play down the middle and competing with a resurgent Torres. Mikel, Oriol Romeu, Essien, Ramires, Lampard, Meireles and McEachran (where is he?) combining for the '2' in the 4-2-3-1. Hazard being a diva. Robbie will need to rotate or dressing room dissent will be coming.
Please give youth a decent chance
Sturridge, Bertrand, McEachran, Chalobah and Hutchinson are young, English and highly-thought of. Please give them a chance ahead of the Paulo Ferreiras and Raul Mereiles of this world.
Play Ramires in his favourite position
Ramires was, with Mata and Drogba, Chelsea's most important player of last season. So please Robbie, play him as a shielding player who can burst forward, à la Vieira. He has the talent, energy and unselfishness to play there. And he can only be better than a slow and cumbersome Mikel. With Ramires linking up from deep with Hazard, Marin and Mata, Chelsea can be seriously dangerous.
Please give Torres a decent chance
We're not talking about starting 3 games in a row before being substituted at the 60th minute. We're talking about playing 90 minutes in 8 to 10 consecutive games to start the season. Then, if he's screwed up, play Sturridge.
THE LINE-UP
In our view
Cech
Ivanovic Cahill Terry Cole
Ramires Lampard
Marin Mata Hazard
Torres/Sturridge
How they probably will line up
Cech
Ivanovic Cahill Terry Cole
Mikel Lampard
Ramires:Marin Mata/Hazard Mata/Hazard
Torres
PREDICTIONS
Growing pains to start with as Chelsea will need to find the right balance and many players acclimatise to the Premier League. But, if Abramovich is patient, lets Di Matteo warm up the seat for Guardiola and accepts a Champions' League spot as a good achievement, then Chelsea can go on to dominate for years. 4th
I also happen to live in the area and, whilst walking to the local Tube station, I saw a giant poster which nearly made me throw up. There it was, smack in my face: a ginormous photo of the Chelsea team with "Champions of Europe" inscribed at the bottom. And, despite my anger rising at the fact that this was in Fulham (to borrow EA Sports' mantra: It's in the name!) and not Chelsea, and that this was the second time they were doing this (victory celebrations in Fulham as well....tiring) in a few months, I realised it was a fitting symbol of the Chelsea of the last few years.
That poster portrayed Chelsea exactly as they are: unwelcome neighbours.
Now don't get me wrong, I'm no fan of Chelsea, but that 'unwelcome neighbour' aspect also clearly had its advantages. Abramovich's arrival in the Premier League signalled a shift in power and made the league more competitive. We used to only have Man U and Arsenal at the top. Now we have a highly competitive league with four teams capable of winning the title (yes I include Arsenal) and others stacking up to catch the train (did you see Tottenham and Liverpool's teams last season???). So it hasn't been all bad.
However, the more specific 'unwelcome neighbour' aspect also illustrates exactly why people actively dislike Chelsea. I'll pass on the fact they bought their way to the title because that's exactly how you win it: by buying it. And Man City or Man United fans saying the opposite are delusional. So that wasn't a wrong in itself. No, what bothers people is the lack of class which has seemed to permeate through the club. From Peter Kenyon (douche-bag) to Jose Mourinho's spectacular, entertaining yet tiring antics to their decision to stage a large part of their celebrations in areas closer to Fulham FC (Yes I understand that Fulham Broadway has 'Fulham' in it and is closer to Chelsea. Parsons' Green, on the other hand....), Chelsea have taken pride in using that 'unwelcome neighbour' tag to full effect. And rightly or wrongly, depending on your allegiance, it has overshadowed their achievements, especially under Mourinho when they actually were playing attractive football. Yes they were a well-drilled machine, but those matches against Barcelona, with Drogba, Lampard, Duff, Cole and Robben on fire were some of the most exciting Champions' League ties of recent years.
Chelsea have triumphed in adversity, and whilst this is laudable and often used as an inspiration tool by managers ("us against the world"), it only started to leave us feeling dirty last season. Whilst Chelsea fans are not the only ones who can be accused of blind allegiance (hello Liverpool fans! How is Luis Suarez? Still racist?), Chelsea's defence of their captain and talisman John Terry, a toxic character if ever there was one, was nauseating, although not to the same level as Liverpool's of Suarez.
 |
| John Terry: despicable character. Does not help his club's image. |
So where does this leave us? Chelsea are an ageing team used to having its own way. This was demonstrated by their open and disgusting way of quitting on AVB and their new-found happiness at being under the tutelage of puppet Di Matteo. And yet they have been superbly backed yet again by their owner who has, ironically, finally decided to stump up the cash on young players which AVB probably asked him to buy last season. Oh, how a year changes everything.
So where does Chelsea stand now? Not close to a title. At least not yet. With a balance to be found again, especially with the arrival of defensive 'talents' such as Hazard, Marin and Oscar, the "backs against the wall" tactic will be hard to use again. More importantly, and perhaps more tellingly, it will be interesting to see how the baton will be passed. Will JT and Lamps finally accept that they are not in a majority anymore and cannot dictate their own terms, or will they keep holding on, hoping for backing from their 'pal' Di Matteo?
Whatever happens, Chelsea will be an interesting proposition this season, and are clearly a team in transition. Whether this materialises in dressing-room bust-ups or the sacking of Di Matteo (always probable, especially when people will have woken up and realised all he did was hand the power back to the players), Chelsea will be, as ever, entertaining and dramatic. And perhaps that's when we'll finally accept them as a welcome neighbour and a positive influence on the Premier League.
 |
| Di Matteo just can't believe he's won the Champions' League by doing so little. |
THE TRANSFER REVIEW
EDEN HAZARD
Now here is a young man primed for a fall. With dazzling arrogance the young Belgian announced his decision to join Chelsea, or as it's been constantly re-hashed, "The Champions of Europe". If ever there was one example of Twitter being an even more vain version of Facebook, this was it. And this made us forget that Eden had been targeted by all the big teams across Europe for a while. I personally had the pleasure of watching him break into the Lille team in 2009 when I went to watch them play in their decrepit Stadium Lille-Metropole. I remember an 18 year-old full of gusto and footballing arrogance (the good kind). Apart from being amazed by the sight of an obese Bafetimbi Gomis playing for an atrocious St Etienne, Hazard proved to be the lasting memory from an average Ligue 1 game.
So what have Chelsea bought? A young player (still 21) blessed with talent, vision, creativity and superb dribbling skills. Coming in from the left hand-side or playing behind the striker, Hazard loves running at defenders and creating mismatches. He even found a nice goalscoring touch last year when he had what is known as an 'Andy Johnson season' (20 league goals but a myriad of them penalties). And, despite what you might have heard, he is not a selfish player, as evidenced by his 15 assists. Any time a player contributes directly to 35 goals in one season in Ligue 1, a notoriously tactical and defensive league, then people should take notice.
The downside? An arrogant streak which the man has displayed numerous times for the Belgian national team, even leaving the stadium when substituted at half-time. It will be interesting to see how he settles alongside notorious bullies and 'owners of the dressing-room' Terry and Lampard.
 |
| Hazard: oozes potential. Possibly world-class |
But one thing is for sure: Chelsea have bought huge potential. I guess that's what 40 mil gives you.
Best case scenario: a more collective Arjen Robben
Worst case scenario: Damien Duff
THORGAN HAZARD
Now that was a surprising one, and it does smack of Chedric Seedorf's 'career' at AC Milan. Except that Thorgan has played for Belgium's U-21 and for Lens in Ligue 2 despite only being 19. Another one for the future, and if he helps Eden settle easily then Chelsea will have bought themselves a £1m nanny. But I believe there is potential there. Don't expect him to be involved straight away though. Still a gamble, albeit a relatively risk-free one at that price.
 |
| Chedric Seedorf: a trail blazer for Thorgan Hazard |
Worst case scenario: Sam Dalla Bonna
MARKO MARIN
This was a transfer which p****d me off, and that's a good thing if you're a Chelsea fan. I know the Bundesliga is a pretty open league, but 35 assists in three and a half-season is still an impressive feat for a man who has just turned 23. Even more impressively, this was for a dire Werder Bremen devoid of any decent strikers and creativity. I remember watching Marko marin at the U-21 Euro in 2009 and he was Germany's stand-out player with Mesut Ozil at the time. At a reported £8m Marin is a low-risk purchase by Chelsea (especially considering Hazard cost £35m) and should provide good value for money. Capable of playing on either flank or behind the striker, he has a decent left foot to complement his right peg. A very astute signing.
 |
| Marko Marin's reaction after realising he had to pass the ball to Claudio Pizarro. Now happy to be in London. |
Worst case scenario: a German version of Ambrosetti
OSCAR
This one sort of came out of nowhere. Whilst it is always easy to get confused with their names, even when they are shortened, I have to say that oscar hadn't realy appeared on my radar until he signed. At least not in the same way players such as Neymar (obvious), Leandro Damiao, Ganso or Lucas Moura had been constantly mentioned in the papers. And the man is still young (only 20) and raw (less than 50 professional games in the Brazilian league). Should his 6 full caps or convincing appearances at the Olympics (from what I heard/saw as I was too busy watching Usain Bolt destroy everyone in sight) reassure us? perhaps. But many players have played for Brazil and gone on to have had average careers at club level (Kleberson, Felipe Melo, any Brazilian centre-back in the 90s). SO it is a gamble. And an expensive one at that, with a reported £25m going back to Internacional.
 |
| Kleberson: his shadow looms over every Brazilian import. |
Worst case scenario: Kleberson
WALLY'S ADVICE
Pearls of wisdom for Roberto Di Matteo, also known as The Puppet. Not sure he needs them considering JT and Lamps will probably pick the team (ok, ok, that's harsh).
Purchase a wing-back or two
Not sure buying wingers or attacking midfielders was the way forward, especially considering Chelsea already had Mata, Sturridge, Ramires, Meireles (even though he's average), Malouda (ok that one's an obvious joke), Benayoun and Kakuta. What was probably more important is buying versatile defenders. Whilst the centre-back position should be covered with Terry, Cahill, an improved Luiz and Ivanovic, the only wing-backs apart from Cole and Branislav are Hutchinson (didn't he tell us he retired???), Bertrand and the ever-present Paulo Ferreira.
Cover for right-back, with a specialist in that role, would be a nice upgrade for a squad meant to be challenging on many fronts. And whilst Chelsea have been linked with Cesae Azpilicueta of Marseille for £7m, a better option in our eyes would be Mathieu Debuchy of Lille, probably available for less than £10m, only 26 and a convincing performer at Euro 2012 for France.
Get ready to rotate or there will be trouble
A lot of attacking players for few places. Sturridge wanting to play down the middle and competing with a resurgent Torres. Mikel, Oriol Romeu, Essien, Ramires, Lampard, Meireles and McEachran (where is he?) combining for the '2' in the 4-2-3-1. Hazard being a diva. Robbie will need to rotate or dressing room dissent will be coming.
Please give youth a decent chance
Sturridge, Bertrand, McEachran, Chalobah and Hutchinson are young, English and highly-thought of. Please give them a chance ahead of the Paulo Ferreiras and Raul Mereiles of this world.
 |
| Remember him? |
Ramires was, with Mata and Drogba, Chelsea's most important player of last season. So please Robbie, play him as a shielding player who can burst forward, à la Vieira. He has the talent, energy and unselfishness to play there. And he can only be better than a slow and cumbersome Mikel. With Ramires linking up from deep with Hazard, Marin and Mata, Chelsea can be seriously dangerous.
Please give Torres a decent chance
We're not talking about starting 3 games in a row before being substituted at the 60th minute. We're talking about playing 90 minutes in 8 to 10 consecutive games to start the season. Then, if he's screwed up, play Sturridge.
THE LINE-UP
In our view
Cech
Ivanovic Cahill Terry Cole
Ramires Lampard
Marin Mata Hazard
Torres/Sturridge
How they probably will line up
Cech
Ivanovic Cahill Terry Cole
Mikel Lampard
Ramires:Marin Mata/Hazard Mata/Hazard
Torres
PREDICTIONS
Growing pains to start with as Chelsea will need to find the right balance and many players acclimatise to the Premier League. But, if Abramovich is patient, lets Di Matteo warm up the seat for Guardiola and accepts a Champions' League spot as a good achievement, then Chelsea can go on to dominate for years. 4th
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