The Club:
Well, it is going to be a new look Chelsea, at least at the top. With Guus Hiddink taking on a director of football role and Andre Villas Boas taking over duties in the dressing room, Chelsea are hoping for a more prosperous season than last. However, time is never on the side of any manager at Chelsea, and so Andre Villas Boas, who has impressed so many at Porto, will need to hit the ground running, and maintain it through the season. The Champions League is still the Holy Grail at Stamford Bridge and they will be going hard for that. But they will also want to prove that they still have what it takes in the Premier League, that they can slug it out toe to toe with the two Manchester clubs. Things are likely to be tight again in the top four, and that is where Chelsea need to find that fine line between being adventurous and not getting ahead of themselves. A new manager often injects a bit of new life into a squad and that is what Chelsea fans will be hoping for from the very first kick of the season. Chelsea Premier League betting does make them good value to get back on top this season.
Players/Manager:
To stat with Chelsea will have a new manager at the helm for the start of the season, but the personnel is looking as if it will largely be staying the same. Young Portuguese wonder manager Andre Villas Boas is the next man into the Chelsea hot seat, a position which no one can really seem to hang around in. Exiting boss Carlo Ancelotti was punished for not backing up his double winning season in his first year at the club, and with no silverware coming Chelsea’s way, the Italian was given the boot. So now Villas Boas, who led Porto to treble success last season, will try his hand in the Premier League. Villas Boas has the title of being Jose Mourinho’s apprentice, after working with The Special One, including stints at Chelsea and Inter Milan together. So there is no doubt that he has learned from the best, and the young manager has said that he is ready to win with some style. Style was something which the side lacked last year, as mysteriously their fluent passing game deserted them. Naturally with a new manager there has been talk of big spending, especially at Chelsea where money does not seem to be an issue. They have been linked with Nilmar, Neymar and Porto’s Falcao. They seem to actively be head hunting Tottenham’s midfielder Modric and they have signed Oriol Romeu from Barcelona B, but that looks about as much as they are going to do this season. So with pretty much the same team in place, the pressure will all be on the shoulder of Villas Boas and how he performs. How he sets up the side to get the best out of what he has. How he fits Fernando Torres into the set up. How he gets the best of his aging side and manages them through a long, enduring season. If there are going to be chances at Chelsea this season, then expect subtle ones. Chelsea have also lost Michael Essien with a long term knee injury, which is a major blow for them.
Last Season: 2nd
After squeezing themselves into second place last season, Chelsea were found wanting far too often for their own liking. There was of course the much maligned poor run of form, which basically cost them a genuine chance at the title, but even when they got things together and reeled Manchester United back to within touching distance, they blew their lines against the Red Devils badly. By and large Chelsea looked a tired, unimaginative side last season. They found goals much harder to come by last season, and that told in the end, not winning any of their last three crucial games. Last season was pretty much a write off for the club, and now they only have to look forward. They looked to have thrown in the towel at points last season, didn’t look fit enough nor hungry enough. They still managed to end up second through, so there is promise.
2011/12 Chelsea Premier League Betting Projection:
So it is hard seeing any major signings come in, other than if the Modric situation gets resolved. He will fit well into the midfield, but Chelsea need to address some immediate problems. A Michael Essien replacement and a creative player up front. Fortunately Yossi Benayoun looks as if he can fill the role of the latter, as he has plenty of subtle touches which the likes of Torres can feed off. Chelsea do have a solid midfield, but they need to move through transition from front to back with the ball, much quicker than they did last year. Last season they looked afraid to carve out opportunities, to get the ball into the box. Everything stuttered and fell apart in a really lack lustre midfield. Chelsea will still have to sort out the role of main striker. Torres likes playing on his own, but will Drogba (who has looked good in pre season) play second fiddle all season? Chelsea need their talisman firing in the air, and troubling defences with his power. There doesn’t appear to be room in the side for both, and Anelka refused to think about leaving the club, deciding to stay on for the final year of his contract and fight for a place at Stamford Bridge. There is much food for thought here, and with a rookie manager at the helm, it will be an interesting season for Chelsea. They may just need to get through this one, get to the summer where they can trim the squad properly in order to bring in much needed new blood. It is all well and good Villas Boas injecting new pretty football, with a big emphasis on the passing game, and the players apparently enjoying much more freedom in their game than under Ancelotti, but will it be enough to get them through the tough, gritty battles of the Premier League? It hasn’t worked for Arsenal.
Finishing Position: Title Contenders
Premier League Winner Odds:
3/1 at William Hill
First Three Fixtures
August 14th: Stoke v Chelsea
August 20th: Chelsea v West Brom
August 27th: Chelsea v Norwich
