GettyAfter comfortably winning a Premier League title, the following season can begin with a bit of complacency – yes Manchester City, we are looking at you.
That being said, this year’s defending champions, Chelsea, are not the type to allow that to happen to them, with manager Jose Mourinho determined to win the Champions League as well as retain the title – but the question of if his squad is good enough to do that has to be asked.
After losing to Arsene Wenger for the first time in his managerial career and seeing yet more forward issues, with Diego Costa’s fitness in serious doubt, not to mention the ability of his other options, Chelsea fans will want to see their side splash the cash before the transfer window ends – but what else do they have to do?
TelegraphGet rid of any deadwood
Big earners, with possible big egos to match, and if they’re not getting much of a shout for a starting place, they may begin to cause one or two problems. Well, that’s if they’re prepared to face the wrath of Mourinho. He’s already got rid of Cech and Filipe Luis as they weren’t first choices for the Portuguese man.
And, if they aren’t wanted by Mourinho, bin them, and get in replacements that’ll make you even stronger. Jose will know exactly what he’s doing here, but I’m sure he’ll be looking at where Cuadrado and Mo Salah fit and if he can find better replacements for them.
It seems that Mikel and Ramires will both be staying, but despite what Mourinho says, there will probably be a couple more arrivals and departures.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9YHo50aa7E
Find a role for Falcao
He wasn’t exactly first name on the team sheet at United, and he wasn’t particularly a good performer for them either. But, there’s no doubt that Falcao is a world-class talent on his day, and he could be a real coup for Chelsea.
The one hope that Chelsea fans have when it comes Falcao is that he will fit into their system far better than he did United’s, with the Blues much more akin to Atletico Madrid in terms of their style of play, and with the amount of games Costa will probably miss through injury or suspension, playing Falcao as the lone man up top could well bring the best out in him.
At the very least, he will be better than Loic Remy, who could not stay onside to save his life, let alone his Chelsea career during the community shield.
Bring in a winger
Both Juan Cuadrado and Salah have shown that they are nowhere near good enough for Chelsea, and with only Eden Hazard and Willian showing enough to become untouchables in Mourinho’s side, both starting every game they were fit to last season and hardly ever getting subbed, there is room for one more player.
Jose Callejon has been hotly linked with the Blues, but seems too similar to Willian in terms of his workrate and end product – or lack of one – to really be of serious interest. Pedro is another name that has been mentioned, but looks to be on his way to Old Trafford, making fans wonder if Mourinho has an ace up his sleeve – or if Victor Moses will be handed a chance to impress.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yv8edZ2XLdg
Sign John Stones
For me, he’d potentially be a very good replacement for John Terry when the time comes for him to hang up his boots. As a right-back or centre-half, he’s got two of the very best to study off in Ivanovic and JT, and would easily be able to fill in for Ivanovic if he was out injured or suspended, giving the Blues cover at right back.
A fellow Englishman too, so Mourinho can build for the future as well as building on the successful English pairing at the heart of his defence last season.
The £30 million price tag on Stones might seem a bit hefty, but for me, it’d be a worthwhile signing.
Bleacher ReportEnsure they’re still ‘the team to beat’
As champions of the previous season, you’re always going to be the team that every team wants to beat, particularly at the beginning of the following season, but Mourinho must ensure that they still have that tag throughout the season.
The resilience of their back four, and those in front of them, made them a difficult side to play against and break down last time out. And, with no-nonsense defenders in their ranks, they’re still going to be hard to score against.
MOTD pundit Alan Shearer has even admitted that Chelsea are still ‘the team to beat’, and it’s a comment I most definitely agree with.
Chels
