Before
starting this article, I'll like to commend everyone who read and commented on
my article on my first Di Matteo. I was really glad when he was appointed as
The Blues full-time manager. It shows the ambition of the Club to move to
greater heights and to be ranked among the top teams in the world!
Now
that he has been appointed after a successful spell last season, a lot will be
expected from the Italian who will above all things try and be the first team
to win the Champions league back to back. The Stamford Bridge side will also be
competing to win 6 other trophies. (FA Cup, Premier League, Carling Cup, the
Community Shield, Super Cup, and the World Club Cup) No wonder Roman Abramovic,
the Russian billionaire and owner of Chelsea has been busy in the transfer
market shopping for talented and world class players who can help deliver these
trophies to the bridge.
Drawing
from the signings that Chelsea has so far made this summer and going by the
muttering through the transfer grapevine, it seems that the issue of squad
depth and the average age of the squad are certainly being addressed. Didier Drogba, Jose Bosingwa and Salomon
Kalou have bid their goodbyes with the club and have been replaced duly by
young, vibrant and talented players.
One
intriguing thing about his signings this time is their age. Oscar, Marin,
Hazard and Thorgan are within the age bracket of 19-23. Trying to build a new
era you might want to say which is a good indication of what lies in wait in
the future.
My
worry is how Di Matteo plans to manage the squad. As it stands, Chelsea has a
very large squad of over 34 first team
players and according to the Premier League rules, the maximum number of
players to be registered is 25 of which 8 must be "home grown"
players. Roman seems not be through with his spending, there's talks of a
potential move for Maicon, Cavani and Hulk.
Chelsea's Squad list
at the moment
Goalkeepers: Cech, Turnbull,
Hilario, Blackman
Defenders: Terry, Luiz, Cole
Cahill, Betrand, Ferreira, Ivanovic, Van Aanholt, Chalobah, Kane, Hutchinson
Midfielders: Lampard, Essiesn,
Mike, Romeu, Meireles, Ramirez, De Bruyne McEachran, Saville
Forwards: Mata, Torres,
Hazard, Malouda, Marin, Sturridge, Oscar, Piazon, Benayoun, Kakuta, Thorgan
How The Team Might Look
Anyhow,
the formation and tactics RDM plans to employ for the coming season may be
something like this. As you can see, there are a lot of options to choose from
especially in midfield. Hazard,Oscar, Marin and De Bruyne, the latest signings
only add to the numerous midfielders previously at the bridge not forgetting
the young guns like Romeu, McEachkran, who will be pushing for a first team
shirt.
Satisfying
these players will be difficult because they will all want to play and I will
say rotating the squad will not really help. Players have to play regularly
together for them to gel together. In the end, I think some old players will
have to leave to give room for the new ones to blend into the system.
Likely Exits
Daniel Sturridge: The young English
forward who is representing Great Britain at the ongoing Olympics failed to
really impress towards the end of last season and may be allowed to leave.
Reports have linked him to Liverpool.
Florent Malouda: The 32-year-old
became a free agent at the end of the season following the expiration of his
contract with the Champions League winners.While reports have claimed that the
Frenchman is considering a move to Brazilian outfit Santos, Di Matteo has
suggested that a new contract for Malouda could be likely.
Romelu Lukaku: The young Belgian u
has reiterated his desire to leave Chelsea on loan if he fails to secure
regular football. The 19 year old has been heavily linked with a temporary
switch to Fulham
Others: Gael Kakuta, Raul
Meireles
Possible arrivals
Maicon/Azpilicueta: With only Ferreira
left as the only recognised right back (although Ivanovic can also fit into the
role) Chelsea will be looking for a cover and the Brazilian alongside the
French defender have both been linked for a potential switch.
Hulk/Cavani: With news emanating
that Fulham have finalized the loan signing of Lukaku till the end of the
season, RDM can look into the market for another striker that will cover for
Torres. These two have been long targets for the London club.
Victor Moses: The young Nigerian
was impressive last term; one of the reasons why Wigan is still in the EPL. I
understand a 9 million pounds bid have been made. Let’s see how it goes.
Feel free to drop
your comments!
By Oluwole Ola
Twitter: https://twitter.com/wolexis
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/oluwole.ola
