English Premier League – Chelsea 2011 Preview
Champions in 2009 and last year’s runner up Chelsea, ended what most top flight clubs would consider a successful 21-win campaign, with a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Manchester United in the Premier League quarterfinals.
Odds to win the 2011-12 Premiership outright 5/2
Something the team is not likely to soon forget heading into a new season with a new manager that will take full responsibility if the team falters the same way they did last year.
Andre Villas-Boas is the youngest manager to ever win a European title at the age of 33, and now will hold Chelsea’s fortunes in his hands. The Portuguese will have the most pressure on him in the entire league for managers, and must get his underachieving team of stars to gel much better as a unit than they did a year ago.
Villas-Boas will have a nearly identical squad going into the new season, and it is 50-50 on whether that is a good thing or not. Nonetheless, the coaching staff will have to do everything in their power to work with the players they’ve got and get them to succeed early and often.
After their loss against Manchester United, a game in which Chelsea’s offense just couldn’t penetrate the Red Devils stubborn defense, a lot of people were thinking that the team was going to get blown up. But instead of enlisting new players, they decided to hire a big name like Villas-Boas.
It is still a long ways to find out whether they made the right choice, but there is no doubt that the roster could still use another midfield playmaker, or a upper-echelon striker.
Meanwhile, Chelsea’s defense is in fairly good shape going into the 2011-12 season, with defender Ashley Cole leading the team’s defensive backline. Cole is player who swarms attacking ball carriers stripping away good scoring chances while clearing out the area. Veteran keeper Petr Cech, who only conceded 33 goals in 38 total league games last season, backstops that defense, creating a nearly impenetrable 18-yard perimeter. [ad-3678122]
In the middle of the field, the team has a great young midfielder in Florent Malouda, who lead the team with 13 goals in his 38 total league games while adding four assists.
In the front, the team has a great one-two punch in forwards Didier Drogba and Salomon Kalou. The team should have found an upgrade at the other front spot, but for now Nicolas Anelka, who scored six goals, and four assists in limited appearances last year, will have to do.
Matt’s Prediction-
It is a shame the Blues could not find an upgrade for Anelka, as that may have put them over the top. The side still has a solid all-around roster, and should be able to find the talent to keep them in the chase with the likes of Manchester United, Arsenal and up and coming Manchester City.
However, the team needs to make some sort of big transfer if they want win that race.
Nonetheless, they acquired one of the most promising managers in the game today, and he should be able to get this team at least back to where they were last year: top three.
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