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Are wholesale changes needed to make this Chelsea team competitive?

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When Chelsea signed Andre Villas-Boas as manager, many great things were expected from the combination of the young Portuguese man and the Stamford Bridge club. So where has it all gone wrong?

Well firstly I think some of the established names are to blame. Think along the lines of “old dogs can’t be taught new tricks”. AVB has a plan for how he wants his Chelsea side to play but some of the elder stars just don’t fit into that way of thinking. John Terry and Frank Lampard have both seen better years.

Cech has slipped his standards and is no longer the keeper he once was. The back up options for Chelsea are not much better. Strange as it may be, but I think a keeper needs to be on their shopping list.

If AVB is to stay on as manager then a complete overhaul of the defence is needed. I was surprised Alex was allowed to leave. With Terry losing pace and David Luiz inability to defend, Alex was right to not be satisfied with not starting. Gary Cahill was a good option from who was available but smacks as a panic buy when Chelsea must have expected Terry to face a suspension.

I also think Ivanovic is a better centre back than Luiz and if he is to have a future at Chelsea I think they may need to swap positions. Ultimately Chelsea need another centre back. Bosingwa is a good attacking full back but is nowhere near the standard of Ashley Cole on the other side when it comes to defending. This is why I feel Chelsea also need another right back. With Ryan Bertrand as Cole’s understudy, they should be blessed in that department.

In the central midfield area Chelsea are actually blessed. They have Michael Essien, Raul Meireles, Ramires, Romeu, Mate and at times Frank Lampard. However the wide areas remain a problem. It seems Malouda is surplus to requirements and Chelsea are in need of a couple of wingers. At the moment Daniel Sturridge is filling one of them but he is a better player when playing more central.

Which brings me to Chelsea’s real problem. Abramovich has a bad habit of over paying for strikers who may be past their best. Fernando Torres is the latest and he simply isn’t the same player that came to England. For his own career I feel a move back to Spain is needed – the Premiership is just too tough for him. He faces becoming the next van Basten. Chelsea still have Didier Drogba (but there’s a good chance he could join Nicolas Anelka in leaving Stamford Bridge over the summer) and Sturridge. They will probably invest in another striker but they need to get one who delivers, not just one that gets by on past reputation.

What are your comments on the Chelsea problem? Comment in the box below.

Written by Wesley Hillier @armchairstato.blogspot.com.

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  • Oladele says:

    All those old players have passed their prime they need to overhauled d team.they can not cope again with premiership pace.they were also arrogant and like to be sacking coaches with their attitude and uncommitment when they were playing.come,nobody is above this CHELSEA FC the uncomittment player(s) shld pls leave d club foq God and fans sake!!!.

  • Oladele says:

    Pple like A.cole,lampard,malouda,bosingwa,drogba,kalou.shld leave d club.we nee young,energetic,committed,dedicated and loyal players.nobody is above d club.Even J.T saga does not help d team form.when d head loss actually all d body will get it wrong or miss d road.TERRY is a controversial leader and by doing this he is having negative result on d team and club generally.

  • Tosyn says:

    Get rid of bosingwa,lampard(since he refuses to be lyk a ryan giggs 2 us,nided only in tough matches lyk ds nyt wit napoli),kalou,mikel,malouda,drogba

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