5 reasons behind Chelsea's crumbling start to their title defense
Having narrowly missed out on the title in the 2013/14 season, Chelsea finally looked to reclaim the Premier League title- something that has eluded them since the 2009-10 season. Smart buys in the summer window (in the form of the prolific Diego Costa, and the technically gifted Cesc Fàbregas) to plug the gaps in the squad, ensured that José’s ‘little horses’ had now fully evolved to challenge on all fronts.As the season unfolded, the first half displayed the technical brilliance and creativity of the blue boys from west London as they went about ripping teams apart. In the second half, their displays were more resolute and disciplined and they grinded out the results (engendering discontent among some) which culminated in breaking the record for most days at the top of the table (274 days) and wrapping up the title with 3 games to spare (and a League Cup victory over rivals Totenham Hotspur just to make things better! )Jose Mourinho gave himself only five minutes to celebrate and said he was already focused on the next season. Such determination, which would definitely lead one to be optimistic about the future. Right? Not really.Fast forward to present day- 4 points in the opening 4 league games, conceding second most goals in the entire league, preceeded by a loss at the hands of rivals Arsenal in the Community shield match (and completely ignoring the ‘fake’ pre season results where Chelsea failed to win a single game in normal time) and second from bottom in the list of ‘Worst start to a season by the defending champions’ ahead only of .. any guesses? Blackburn Rovers.Not a record many Chelsea fans would be proud of having. From a perfectly well orchestrated squad, and a jubilant manager, to a disorganized set of players lacking motivation- where did it all go wrong?Here we analyze a few areas of concern that definitely has left Jose scratching his head in disbelief, and what can possibly be done to get into top gear and achieve a string of good results which the blues so desperately need in the coming weeks.
#5 A (relatively) quiet transfer window
This summer saw limited transfer activity which was understandable, given that Jose wanted to maintain the balance with a set of players full of confidence, good understanding and experience in winning silverware. Like for like changes came in as long-serving veteran Petr Cech switched employers and joined city rivals Arsenal.
Didier Drogba moved on to the MLS after a satisfying return to his former club for a single season which saw Radamel Falcao arrive on loan from Monaco. Cuadrado(who was arguably not given enough time to prove himself) left on loan to cap an unsuccessful stint in England, which was succeeded with Chelsea hijacking a deal for Pedro and signing him from under the nose of rivals Manchester United.
Filipe Lus returned to Atletico Madrid, having failed to displace Azpilicueta (who cemented his spot in the squad with a series of impressive performances last season). The consequence? Baba Rahman was signed from German side FC Augsburg to provide cover at the full-back position. The only disappointment for Chelsea in this transfer window was John Stones. A series of failed bids, coupled with a stubborn Everton boardensured that the Blues failed to capture their number one defensive target.
Chelsea tried hard to strengthen their ageing back line by (reportedly) trying to sign world class defenders like Marquinhos and Laporte, but were unsuccessful. Deadline day saw Chelsea rope in two defenders potentially unheard of - Papy Djilobodji who was brought in from FC Nantes and Michael Hector who was bought from and loaned back to Reading FC for the remainder of the season.
Also, Juventus turned down big money as they looked to retain their star man Paul Pogba.
All Chelsea fans hoping for a Pogba transfer next season, look away right now.If Pogba continues his performance of last season, I think next year, 100 million will not suffice, Juventusdirector general Giuseppe Marotta which would indirectly be a suggestion for Chelsea to look towards other alternatives.
Manchester City have splurged the cash yet again and have been this summer windows winners by far, havingsigned former Chelsea man Kevin De Bruyne, along with smart buys in the form of Nicolas Otamendi and Raheem Sterling. They have 4 wins in 4 games and are yet to concede a goal all this, with Otamendi and De Bruyne yet to start. Perfectcan be a word just about apt to describe the Manchester City squad right now.
Youngsters finally have something to cheer about: With Chelsea unable to sign two young (future?)stars, Jose could well be turning his head towards the youngsters for impact-sub performances or replacing tired legs. With Chelsea competing in Europe, as well as for three competitions domestically, the likes of Kenedy, Loftus-Cheek, Traore and many others could well go on to prove their worth and establish themselves as indispensable members of the squad for the years to come.