Chelsea: Can they become Europe's best?
Chelsea have made a flying start in the Premier League this season. Six wins, one draw, and no losses have taken Chelsea to the top of the table, and four points clear of Manchester United, who are in second. This has been Chelsea’s best start since the Mourinho days, and they have cemented their status as the defending champions of Europe quite well too. Though the Blues suffered losses against Manchester City and Atletico Madrid in the FA Community Shield and the UEFA Super Cup respectively, they have hardly misplaced a step in the Premier League.
After winning the Champions League, Roman Abramovich spilled around £80 million in the transfer window. Summer signings Oscar and Hazard in particular have made a seamless transition into the squad, and have certainly justified their price tags. Chelsea, who in the past have played rather defensively, especially in the latter stages of the Champions League, have been much more attacking and free-flowing in their playing style this season. We are yet to see Marko Marin, as he has been out with a hamstring injury since the start of the season. The way he played in pre-season,was pretty impressive to say the least, and Chelsea fans are eagerly waiting to see him in the Premier League.
Chelsea’s defence of the Champions League started with a draw against Italian champions Juventus, where they threw a two-goal lead. In their next European fixture, they defeated FC Nordsjaelland 4-o, but while the scoreline suggested a one-sided game, it certainly wasn’t. Chelsea were leading 1-0 until the 78th minute, and the match could have easily gone either way. Nordsjaeland looked dangerous a few times, but back-to-back goals from Luiz and Mata, and a late Ramires strike sealed the game in favour of the defending champions. This was the first win of their Champions League campaign, and also a first away win in the group stages since 2010.
After the departure of Kalou, and the club’s hitman Didier Drogba, the Londeners were left with only two recognized strikers in the form of Fernando Torres and Daniel Sturridge. Chelsea were heavily linked with Hulk, Schurrle and a host of other strikers, but it wasn’t to be. Torres has started in every match so far,while Sturridge has merely played in two or three matches. Chelsea have been anything but solely dependent on the Spanish striker to provide their main attacking threat, as their midfield have been doing the trick for them, which in turn has helped Torres play more freely. The Euro 2012 Golden Boot winner, who had scored just 11 goals in 49 appearances last season, has already scored six goals in 12 matches this time around.
Chelsea’s number 1, Petr Cech, has also praised the club’s new signings and is delighted with the morale in the camp. Speaking to a Czech website, he was quoted as saying:
“You can see that the players who are in our attack have all got used to each other.
“They are well attuned to each other even if they play together for the first time. Eden [Hazard] is great with his technique and with Oscar they are a dangerous duo.
“Moreover, the Brazilian and Spanish style of football is similar, so even Fernando Torres is used to it.
“That is why, even if there are a lot of new players, they have found the common language on the pitch.”
However, Chelsea’s real test will start soon after the international break ends. They have matches against the in-form Tottenham Hotspurs, back-to-back matches against Manchester United, a trip to Liverpool and two tricky Champions League matches against Shakhtar Donetsk. The next four weeks will prove Chelsea’s mettle and show their capabilities. If Chelsea DO come up trumps over their opponents, then we can surely say that they will be the favourites to win the Premier League, and even the Champions League, can’t we?