So I've never had a blog before, but for a while now I've been interested in starting one up. It's also 2:08 AM on the day that the transfer season ends for EPL, so it's as good a time as any, right?
Anyway, as you can see by my domain name and the About Me page, I'm a huge Chelsea fan living in Toronto. In this blog I'll be covering all things Chelsea, although sometimes I'll throw in a bit of extra soccer-related stuff about other teams/leagues I'm following (such as MLS and Toronto FC - I do live there, after all). Hopefully it will be a fun experience.
As you can see in the survey question (unless more people have answered the poll about who will win the EPL this year), I've said that Chelsea will take it all this year. While I can just hear the scoffers telling me that the title will be heading to Manchester this year (albeit which Manchester club, nobody knows), I do believe that the Blues have the ability to bring it home. Although, that does depend on quite a few important factors:
1. Fernando Torres returning to form.
This is going to be a major one. Since new Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas seems to be happy playing Fernando Torres up front for awhile, I think I speak for every Chelsea fan when I say that he needs to score some goals. While the pre-season has seen glimpses of the old Liverpool-Torres again, hopefully that can continue throughout the season and he can be the club's top scorer this year. Especially now with Juan Mata playing on the wings, the two Spanish players have the ability to link up well and produce some great opportunities. While Torres has still only scored one goal in about 18 games, we must not forget that he's a world class striker who has a good shot and can lead teams to victory.
2. Finding someone who can create chances and link up well with the strikers.
This is something that Chelsea have been lacking in previous seasons, and this is the main reason why AVB is so desperate to reach a deal with Luka Modric (I'll talk about his situation later). Chelsea's new signing Juan Mata did this brilliantly in the 23 minutes that he played against Norwich. He revitalized a struggling team and instantly created a beautiful chance for Torres, showing that the two Spaniards have good chemistry. He's quick on his feet and takes advantage of situations, scoring a goal by capitalizing on the mistake of a Norwich defender. His creativity and intelligence is exactly the kind of thing that AVB was hoping to bring to the Bridge this season. Unfortunately, it will take a lot more than just Juan Mata to bring Chelsea to the title. That is why, on the last day of the transfer window, Chelsea are itching to complete deals with a number of midfielding prospects, such as Kevin de Bruyne, Luka Modric, Alvaro Pereira, and Raul Meireles. Unfortunately, things look tough for a number of those deals, but I guess we'll see who we can snatch up before the window closes. If none of these possible targets end up at the bridge, who knows? There might be a place on the starting eleven for rising youngster Josh McEachran, which could be very interesting.
3. The fitness of Petr Cech.
It's been incredibly unfortunate that veteran Petr Cech managed to get injured for the first month of the season. While Henrique Hilario has been a decent replacement, a few errors have cost Chelsea a goal and lots of stress. Chelsea cannot afford to give up any goals this season due to error, because the two Manchester clubs and Liverpool will be waiting in the wings, ready to pounce on any opportunity where Chelsea don't end up with the full three points. A young, new goalkeeping prospect named Thibaut Courtois has been signed this season, who is likely to be the long-term replacement for Petr Cech. He's out on loan this season to Atletico Madrid however, and therefore won't be able to be a backup keeper if something unfortunate happens to Cech. Chelsea have been thinking about signing Juventus' veteran backup keeper, 34-year old Marco Storari, as a replacement for Hilario, although it doesn't look like that deal will be completed in the next few hours, forcing both clubs to wait. Until that time Chelsea fans will have to hope that Petr Cech stays healthy.
4. A strong bench.
If you were to take a look at Manchester United's bench, you would see a list of players that, on most other teams, would all be some of the most prolific players on those teams. For example, players like Dimitar Berbatov, Ryan Giggs, Park Ji-sung, Michael Carrick, and Fabio. That's one hell of a bench. Any one of those players could take over for an injured player in the starting eleven, and they wouldn't be seen as a weak link. Chelsea have quite a decent bunch of substitutes this season, with players such as Nicholas Anelka, Paulo Ferreira, Romelu Lukaku, and Josh McEachran lining the bench. While it may not be as strong as Manchested United's, what's important is keeping it solid and preparing for every eventuality in terms of players and positioning. If this is done then player injuries aren't as big of a threat to Chelsea's title chances.
Anyway, that was my first blog post - hope you all enjoyed it. Definitely more to come, especially when the transfer season ends and we see who's arrived to Stamford Bridge. Up Chelsea!
Cheers,
~Matt
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