Testing times at Stamford Bridge, has the ball started to unravel?

by El Smit on 13.02.09

Looking back on the past few years of premiership action, Chelsea’s current troubles seemed an unlikely future. Not too long back we were accustom to watching Chelsea systematically deconstruct any opponent that stood in there way. In 2005 they walked away winning 29 of the 38 fixtures and losing just once to claim their first league title since 1955. They achieved similar results the year after beating second place Manchester United by 7 points to seal back to back titles.

Chelsea had all the right elements for long term success. They had talent throughout the team, the guidance of a great manager like Jose Mourinho and the financial backing of a Russian billionaire. However with the exit of Jose Mourinho on 20th September 2007 Chelsea has been unable to regain the rigidity of previous seasons.

With the exit of both Avram Grant and Luiz Felipe Scolari, Chelsea is beginning to count the cost. Announcing losses of around £65.7m, Chelsea has shown that the club isn’t just losing on the field. These losses include the severance payments paid to both Mourinho and Grant, but don’t include Scolari.

So what could be the best option for Chelsea to progress positively? The obvious option is to buy in some new talent, which could be a possibility based on the financial clout of the clubs owner. With another new manager at Stamford Bridge, Guus Hiddink, his tactics and aims may constitute further transfers, although they will have to wait till the end of the season with the transfer window closing only weeks ago. This could prove costly because Guus Hiddink will be under immense pressure to achieve results quickly. His only option is to build strength and bonds with his current line up, and let’s face it, he has a wide range of players to build with.

His main worry will be keeping players happy with the current status at Stamford Bridge. With an annual wage bill in excess of £148m they are certainly getting paid enough but do the players have the right mind set to achieve results. With players such as Drogba at first looking set to move else where, now claiming they will stand by the team in these difficult times it’s all a bit hard to take in.

Guus Hiddink has already made it clear not to rule out Chelsea for league silver this season, but at this stage of the season I think victory is unlikely. With Manchester United and Liverpool both pulling away at the top they will have to remain consistent for the remainder of the season. With Arsenal and new rivals Aston Villa thrown into the mix the chase for league victory is looking like its going right to the wire.