Introduction
What Chelsea will give you is an opportunity to take what is an already established Club to one of the best this century has seen. Since Russian millionaire Roman Ambromovich has taken over the club he has provided money to take the club from strength to strength. Since his takeover the Blues have become a force across Europe, winning almost everything there is to win. Chelsea have failed to win the Premier League since 2010 with both Manchester sides reaping the glory. Many expect Chelsea to be one of the front runners for the league this year, with the additions of Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas you will be favourites for sure. However the board and fans will always cast an eye to another possible Champions League triumph.Finances & Budget
It is well documented that Chelsea are a club that is a club were you will never be far from the money. Despite all the new faces joining Chelsea over the summer which included, Costa, Fabgregas, Flippe Luis you will be presented with a very healthy £50 million transfer budget and £2.79m wage budget when aiming for the Champions League. To prepare your side for a tittle challenge you will be handed an increase transfer budget of £67 million and a wage budget of £3.21 million. However if you are confident in your abilities and guarantee the tittle you will have £78 million to play with alongside a £3.37 million in wages.Strongest Tactics
4-1-2-3 DM
This tactic would be the go to formation for me. This formation offers you protection and the ability to play through your midfield. The three in the deeper midfield roles you will have a defensive midfielder, perfect for Nemanja Matic. He will be there to mop up any mess and allow Fabregas and Oscar to play from a deeper role.Having Oscar start a little deeper it allows him to get involved with his defensive duties but also push forward when attacking. This will help you get the best out of your two central midfielders and create more chances for your attacking players. This formation offers a lot of space for movement on and off the ball, something that has been key for Chelsea. Chelsea’s attacking options are more than confident on the left, right and through the middle. The movement between your attacking players will be key to your team scoring goals and creating chances.
4-2-3-1 Wide
This formation is very similar to the previous formation, however the emphasis on this tactic is your attacking player maker starting further forward. Ultimately this means they will get more involved in the final third. You may find this results to players like Oscar scoring more goals than to the previous tactic. However it adds more defensive responsibility for your holding midfield players.4-2-4
This is a formation that you hopefully won’t need, but has been used by Chelsea in the latter stages of games when they are chasing a result. This is a much more direct style of play with the emphasis on pumping the ball forward towards the two strikers. You stick with the two wingers but sacrifice your attacking midfielder. This is something you can consider if you are ever loosing late on in the game.First 11 Positional Analysis
Goalkeepers:The goalkeeping position is where you will earn your money as a manager. Something that can only be described as ‘Selection issues’. At your disposal you have two world class goal keepers, firstly in club legend Petr Cech. The Czech Republic keeper is a fan favourite and has been first choice for Chelsea since his move to Stamford Bridge in 2004, the possibility of Cech being left on the side line may upset him and the fans. However you do Belguim’s Thibaut Courtious, at the age of 22, Courtious have become one of the worlds best during his time on loan away from Chelsea. Courtious is your best bet if you’re looking towards the future. As well as these you have you a third choice in Australian keeper Mark Schwarzer. Could be used as a rotation option in cups, however could be used as tutor.
Right Backs:
Chelsea will be able to offer you two really strong right backs. With Branislav Ivanovic you have a very strong defender that will be a threat in the opposition box aswell. The Serbian will be no stranger to getting forward but his final ball could let you down. On the other hand you have Cesar Azpilcueta, or has Chelsea fans know him ‘Dave’. The Spanish defender has improved immensely since he joined Chelsea in 2012. He is likely to be your first choice due to his tireless work rate and his great defending attributes. He also is no stranger to the opposition box, he’s great crossing ability will come in handy.
Central Defenders:
This is a position that you may have to keep an eye. Firstly you have club captain John Terry. Many wondered whether Terry would be able to maintain his ability at this age. However Terry has improved with age and should still be a big part of your plans. Alongside him you have Gary Cahill. Between the two of them they can form a brilliant partnership. Despite being 28, playing alongside Terry will be very helpful for Gary Cahill. Besides the English pair you only have 19 year old, Kurt Zouma. The French defender will be a good option for rotation for you. The strong centre back has time on his hands in order to develop, but you may want to consider purchasing another central defender so you are prepared for the day that John Terry hangs up his boots.
Left Backs:
The left back features another new arrival, Fillipe Luis is a strong contender for your first choice. The Brazilian featured for Athletico Madrid last season, winning La Liga and winning the league for Madrid. Similarly to Azpilcueta, Luis is a tireless defender that could also be an asset for you going forward. Along with Luis you only have Azpilcueta who is also competent as a left back. An extra left back could be something to consider as you do not want to be relying on Azpilcueta to play both position, it would add strength in depth for your side.
Right Midfielders/Wingers:
On the right hand side you possess a lot of pace, as you do across a lot of the pitch in all honesty. Willian will be a very important player, he has a lot to offer going forward and in a defensive aspect too. The versatile winger can player anywhere across the midfielder, due to his outstanding work rate he is no stranger to his defensive duties. Behind Willian you have Mohamed Salah. Salah currently only a rotation option, I don’t believe he will be able to develop into a starter for you. You could look for a possible loan move for him to aid his development. Oscar is able to play on the
right, however he will not be anywhere near as effective.
Central Midfielders:
This is the area that really makes Chelsea click. You have a great balance in the midfield with defensive and attacking options. Defensively, Nemanja Matic will provide great cover. He will add a massive physical presence to your midfield and clean up most of the mess, he can pick a pass to. Behind Matic, you will have John Obi Mikel. Mikel is not going to set your time a light, he will give some defensive stability and do a job for you when needed. Mikel is currently valued at £14.25 million so many would look to cash in on him.
To partner either Matic or Mikel you have various options, another new summer signing in Cesc Fabgregas. Fabregas can take your team to the next level, he will be able to create chances at will. He will do his defensive duties, but partnered with Matic he has more freedom to dictate play. To give you another dimension you can play Brazilian midfielder Ramires. A very quick central midfielder that will only increase the work rate of your midfield. He is by no means the most technical midfielder but will have no problem getting from box to box.
Aswell as these senior players you will two very exciting English prospects in Lewis Baker and Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Nathaniel Chalobah who is currently on loan at Burnley for the season but can be an important player for you in the future.
Left Midfielders/Wingers:
On the left hand side you will have one of the best young talent’s in the world, Belgium’s Eden Hazard. The tricky winger is soon becoming one of the best around and he will give your side quality in the final third. His outstanding pace and dribbling will make him a nightmare for defenders, should be one of the first names on your team sheet. Behind the Belgium you have Andre Schurrle, on the back of winning the World Cup he will been eager to put his stamp on the Chelsea side. Like many in this side he has a great work rate and can finish too. With Hazard being so influential for your team, game time may be limited for Schurrle, something you may have to deal with further down the line.
Attacking Midfielders:
In a central attacking position Chelsea have multiple options, with the wingers such as Hazard and William but competent in playing the central role as well. Oscar is likely to be your choice, the Brazilian play maker has quickly developed in a very important player for Chelsea over recent years. He is a real team player and will be able to defend as well as attack. The depth of this position really depends on your play style, Fabregas can play further forward but you can also slot in Jermaine Boga, a very exciting prospect from the Under 21 side. Boga is an attacking player full of tricks, at the age of just 17 he has time on his side.
Strikers:
Fans and pundits alike have said over recent years Chelsea strikers have not done enough in the goal fronts. This year however you will have a very dangerous strike force. Diego Costa will give you what Jose Mourhino described as that ‘killer instinct’, he may not score 30 yard wonder goals for you, but he will score goals never the less. His physical presence will make him a handful, just ensure he doesn’t clock up too many yellow cards.
The strength in depth shows as Chelsea brought back club legend Didier Drogba. He can be very useful for you, as a player and as a tutor. A great example for some of your younger players. A won’t add any pace to the side, but if you ever need to go slightly more direct Drogba is the man for that. Just to add another dimension to your side, you also have Loic Remy at your disposal, the pacey French striker will be able to get in behind defences.
Weaknesses
It’s hard to find any fault in what is a very strong and balanced side. However there are more a couple of players that some would call ‘fringe’. Players such as Mikel or Salah you may look to move on quite quickly in order to buy stronger players, consequently adding strength in depth.On the flip side to this, with a lot of quality that runs deep in the squad the chances of having one or two unhappy players is quite high. Rotation is going to be key to keeping everyone happy. If you do manage to keep everyone happy, you will have a very strong team on your hands.
Conclusion
To conclude this guide, you can see that Chelsea will provide you with a great challenge. A chance regain the tittle of being the best team in England. From this maybe, Champions of Europe once again. As I previously mentioned, the Champions League trophy has always been high on the radar of the owner Roman Abromovich.It also depends on how you wish to take this Chelsea side, whether you want to exploit their riches and become the galatico’s of England if you will. If that is the case there are some positions that will need some attention, even if that is just for cover.
You may choose that you don’t need to spend big, with state of the art training facilities and top youth facilities you may look to include some of the youth team players. A number of the Under 21 squad members will relish the chance in the first team, even as cover in needed positions.
I hope this guide helps you with your managerial careers with the Blue’s, please let us know how this has helped you or if you would do anything different. Very much looking forward to hopefully reading some Chelsea stories in the future.