Avoiding the Drop

Last Season’s Record: 25-8-5, 83 points, +44 goal differential

Transfers:

In: Carlo Ancelotti (manager), Ross Turnbull, Yuri Zhirkov, Daniel Sturridge, Andriy Shevchenko (return from loan), Claudio Pizzaro (return from loan)

Out: Guus Hiddink (manager), Sergio Tejera, Frank Nouble, Ryan Bertand (loan), Miroslav Stoch (loan), Lee Sawyer (loan), Jimmy Smith, Ben Sahar, Tom Taiwo (loan), Ben Sahar

Things finally seem to be settled at Stamford Bridge with John Terry looking like he won’t jump to the Manchester City money train. The remainder of the squad looks intact as well as none of the stars were courted or really even mentioned as possible transfer targets of Jose Mourinho. Even Dider Drogba has settled in after a rather unsettled year and last summer where it seemed certain he was going to head elsewhere.

Chelsea haven’t lost anything in the way of first team players this offseason and added Russian star Yuri Zhirkov and former Manchester City striker Daniel Sturridge to their lineup. Zhirkov brings strength to the left side and should be able to provide a good compliment and backup to Ashley Cole. Sturridge brings some much needed youth to a very old bunch of forwards, he’s shown some real quality in preseason making it confusing as to why City didn’t want to keep him but brought plenty of replacements in.

In a season where the big four have actually been losing, or linked with losing, more players than they’ve gained, Chelsea looks to have come out the strongest thus far. They should fair well this season as they always do, and I’d give them a serious look as major title contenders yet again. The biggest concern, as it always is with Chelsea, is the dressing room. With so many big stars comes big egos, and winning solves everything, but can they hold it together when a rough patch hits? That’s where Ancelotti will earn his salary.

But what do the fans think? Well lucky for us, we’ve got Bluesfan to let us know what she thinks about Chelsea’s chances:

If the preseason is any indication, Chelsea looks like they’re going to have a good run of form this season. “The last bastion of the old-fashioned English centerback” is still at Chelsea, keeping the dressing room intact for the time being. Ancelotti seems to have the backing of the players for the moment, but for the team to do well he needs to maintain it for the entirety of the season. His favored formation (4-1-2-1-2) worked well in the preseason matches with a variety of players in all of the positions. Unlike Scolari, Ancelotti is of the mind that Didier and Anelka can play together up front, which I agree with. This worked well at the end of last season, and with the likes of Kalou and Daniel Sturridge on the bench, we have more attacking options for when the schedule gets congested. Essien, Carvalho, and Joe Cole are back with the first team squad, after missing most of last season due to injury, which only gives the squad more depth. The main concern I have for the season is potential injuries. Without Essien and Joe Cole, the squad was severely lacking in midfield. Another injury to either player, or to someone like Lamps, could be detrimental for the team.

If the Blues want to be in consideration for the title, they need to not drop valuable points against the other Big Four teams. They managed only 4 out of a possible 18 points last season. The first test in how Chelsea will fair is going to be in the Community Shield against a Ronaldo-less Manchester United on August 9^th. With a win the squad gets some added confidence going into the first match of the season. A loss could dampen their spirits entirely, but they have a relatively easy first few matches that should restore the team spirit, should they need it. Ultimately Chelsea’s looking at a fit first team squad with a good manager, and a lot of options. We should have a good season, but with our dressing room…there’s always a possibility for drama and mistakes.

And then shortly after I got that, I got this:

Nevermind, I take back everything I said. We’re going to have a terrible season. We almost lost to Reading. Shoot me now.

Ahhhh, the joys of preseason…