Following elimination from
the Champions League, the Stamford Bridge side of CollinsBeans looks at five
key areas that need to be addressed in SW6
Transfer policy
Quite what “Technical Director”
Michael Emenalo has on Roman Abramovich is not clear, but it seems hard to
believe he is still being employed for his business in the transfer market.
Emenalo always comes across as a somewhat sinister figure, forever lurking
behind the dugout whichever manger is hired or fired.
It is generally understood
that Emenalo is responsible for all player recruitment at the Bridge but his recent
track record is questionable at very best. The loan signings of Falcao and Pato
become increasingly bizarre and laughable each week that passes. Falcao has impressively
managed to make “the new Torres” tag look unbelievably generous, while it is
hard to get your head around the signing of Pato in January – a player, as of 10th
March, who has yet to make a single appearance.
Emenalo also seems to have an
obsession for low-grade, cut-price centre backs that will be highly unlikely to
ever make the first team. Sure Papy Djilobodji (£2.7m), Michael Hector (£4m)
and Matt Miazga (£3.5m) may not have cost much, but the question really is:
why?
There has been some recent
success with bigger name signings like Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas, but these
were hardly players that were under the radar. And the list of dubious names,
that for whatever reason have not worked out, is really starting to mount up – Juan
Cuadrado (£23m), Marco van Ginkel (£8m), Mo Salah (£11m), Andre Schurrle (£18m)
and Marko Marin (£8m) to name a few.
The squad looks like it needs
serious redevelopment in the summer, and the players coming in really need to
be the right ones. It is sadly hard to have any real confidence in Emenalo
delivering on this.
Promotion of youth
Lack of players coming
through Chelsea’s youth academy is hardly a new theme and it will be almost
impossible for anyone to replicate John Terry’s achievements. But surely with
all the money spent on the academy, there should have been decent first team
players in the squad by now? Clearly a revolving door approach to managers has
not helped, as anyone in the hot seat is understandably focussed on short term results
which inevitably leads to emphasis on experienced players.
Yet the whole approach to
youth seems strange, especially the staggering 30 plus players out on loan –
none of which you suspect will ever feature in the starting XI. Ruben
Loftus-Cheek looks one of the best talents around at Chelsea for years, yet despite
signing a whopping new contract, his game time is still severely limited. The
young lad needs minutes on the pitch, and with the current season petering out into
a trophy-less, mid-table finish, surely there is no better time to throw him in
and give him a run of games?
Lack of leaders
Replacing a spine of
Cech-Terry-Lampard-Drogba was never going to be an easy task. They were
exceptional players with that rare combination of ability and character. These
types of serial winners do not grow on trees, and with it looking like the last
man standing will be unfathomably kicked out during the summer, the hole they
have left is huge. With these men in the side, you always felt Chelsea could
drag themselves over the line in big games even if quality-wise, the opposition
was superior. Beyond this big four, Chelsea sides of the past always had other characters
and players you would describe as winners knocking about too – Michael Ballack,
Claude Makelele, Michael Essien, Ricardo Carvalho and Ashley Cole for example.
Quite simply, the current squad
lacks these sort of players. Chelsea desperately need to find a new generation of
leaders to take them forward into the next few years, Easier said than done of
course.
Missing quality
This campaign there have been
too many Chelsea players – particularly in the final third – who just do not
produce consistently. No one quite epitomises this like Oscar. Sure he scored
an impressive hat trick earlier this year when MK Dons gave him the freedom of the
pitch in a FA Cup game but away from that, dozens of matches go past where he simply
does not contribute. Oscar has gone beyond frustrating, and is now just a
depressing presence in the squad. The type of footballer for which the phrase ‘flatter
to deceive’ seems almost custom designed. It is time to sell up.
Eden Hazard has simply stopped
trying which is mysterious, but primarily just enraging. Watching him go through
the motions for a last 16 tie against PSG in the Champions League was
diabolical, and he must surely now be sold too. Particularly given the fee he
will command. No team can afford to have players that only turn up when they
feel like it.
Pedro has been inconsistent since
arriving in the summer, Diego Costa is a constant injury concern, Loic Remy has
just not worked out and this all leaves a very patchy looking forward line that
cannot really be relied on to deliver week in, week out.
Willian has been outstanding
this season, and Pedro looks worth persevering with. Costa is the type of
player Chelsea need to keep around too, but these three must be supplemented
with quality attacking players. Quite where these will come from, with no
Champions League football to offer, is another matter.
A new gaffer
Guus Hiddink has steadied the
ship and clawed back some respectability, but he was only ever a short-term
solution. Chelsea now desperately need a dynamic new manager who can rebuild and
essentially address the above issues – add quality and leaders in the transfer
market, and promote some youth into the first team.
Not an easy task, and
securing a top four spot next time around already looks like it could be a
tough ask. Manchester United and Liverpool, likely to also miss out this
season, will no doubt strengthen. And this campaign has quite emphatically
demonstrated that you cannot rule out the supposed smaller teams either.
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