Chelsea FC: 10 Years After The First Are Just As Dominant
35 played, 25 won, drawn 8 and only lost 2. Scoring 69 goals, the second highest in the league. As the full time whistle blew on Sunday, Stamford Bridge exploded in celebration which capped off a very memorable season and in my opinion, the best domestically for 10 years.
In June of 2013, Jose Mourinho returned to the club that made him the iconic figure he is in modern football today, Chelsea. Critics and naysayers claimed that going back was a foolish move on behalf on the special one and and already well known fall out that with owner Roman Abramovich that led to him leaving the club after 3 years of service in September of 2008.
In his first press conference he proclaimed he would need time to mould the squad back into the ruthless, dynamic winning machine he created in his previous reign. This had been a club managed by Rafa Benitez which raised tensions in SW6. Although his reign did lead to another European trophy, there were major cracks in the team that needed fixing if Chelsea were going to break the stranglehold on the Premier League from Manchester.
Jose’s first season was one of great progression but one that ended without any silverware.
The squad still needed work to take those extra steps. Cutting down the gap between Chelsea and that season’s champions from 14 to 4 points. Added on top of that, staying undefeated against the top 4 home and away, which showed signs of the great big game mentality and tactical adaptability that was a trademark of Mourinho’s previous regime.
Though, as good as the defence had been, there were issues that needed fixing. Jose could of looked at the squad of 13-14 and think that Chelsea will be ok the next season. This is the sort of mediocre and stubborn mentality that has led close rivals to falter,but not Jose he is a ruthless winner and he wouldn’t wait long to change things.
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Out went the front three who had scored a combined 19 goals between them, which was simply not good enough to win a Premier League. In came 26 year old goal machine Diego Costa, who had led Athletico Madrid the season previously to a La Liga title over the big two in Spanish football.
The news broke the day after the season ended that Chelsea were in talks with the Brazilian striker and before pre-season had even begun, Jose had his man. Only 2 weeks after the news that the club were in for Costa, news broke from Barcelona that midfielder Cesc Fabregas was going to be sold as well.
We all know what happened next and before Chelsea’s tour of Europe the missing pieces of the jigsaw has been put in place.
After a brilliantly planned post- World Cup pre season, Chelsea started off their campaign in style on a Monday night away in Burnley. A goal from Diego Costa and a magical assist from Fabregas led to a 3-1 victory over the newly promoted side which sent shockwaves through the league and shivers down our closest rivals spines.
A shockwave that 9 months on the league still haven’t recovered from. Chelsea for the first half of the season were not only winning, but doing it in style. A 6-3 at Everton my personal highlight. The second half of the season was not quite the same.
After a 5-3 humbling at the hands of Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea FC became a much more pragmatic that was content with grinding out results. The Blues took delight in suffocating opponents and then snatching a goal on the counter. This was no longer the free flowing Chelsea from the start of the season, it was the “boring” Chelsea but it brought a Premier League title home to Stamford Bridge and that is all that truly matters.