Chelsea Forwards and Manager of the Decade: Let 2016/17 live forever

For most of the 2010’s Chelsea was home to the most talented and exciting player in the Premier League. He is reunited with one of the most fearsome strikers and coaches in our Team of the Decade.

If only we could freeze 2016/17 and let Diego Costa and Antonio Conte live forever in that bizarrely blissful harmonious aggression that made the Premier League title win so special. Along with those two, Chelsea’s most stalwart wingers round out our Team of the Decade.

Right wing: Willian (Abhishek Pancholi)

Chelsea, like many other clubs, has a habit of keeping an eye on players who do well against them. So it was no surprise to see Willian arrive at the club from Shakhtar Donetsk via Anzhi Makhachkala. The Brazilian had scored twice against Chelsea for Shakhtar in the Champions League that very season.

Throughout his time at Chelsea, Willian has almost always been underappreciated and underrated, mostly due to unfair comparisons to his teammate on the other wing – one Eden Hazard. Despite general apathy from the supporters, Willian has been a favorite of every Chelsea manager who has had a chance to manage him. His goal and assist numbers do not reflect his importance to this Chelsea side over the past decade.

Willian is crucial to the team’s pressing with his tireless running inevitably leading to mistakes by the opposition. His ability as well as willingness to track back endeared him to Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte, both managers who found a perfect winger for their systems in Willian.

But that does not mean he is just a grafter. Willian stood tall while the rest of his teammates stunk up the place in Mourinho’s final season, cementing his place as a free kick specialist.

Willian may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but he is the catalyst for most of the good stuff that happens on the pitch. He lets others bask in the spotlight while ensuring they look their best. And those players are few and far between.

Striker: Diego Costa (Olaoluwa Nwobodo)

Diego Costa joined Chelsea in July 2014. Costa was the definition of a complete striker. In addition to his ability to finish, head the ball well and get in behind, he had some other qualities that were important in every Chelsea player: Grit. Fight. Stubbornness.

Diego Costa always looked ready to physically fight his opponents. This made Costa double the threat he already was. Costa scored 20 Premier League goals in his first season, winning the Premier League as well. Costa scored 12 league goals in his second season when Chelsea came 10th, and scored another 20 league goals in his third season, another title winner (2016/17).

Diego Costa could be summed-up in one moment in the 2016/17 title winning season, where a game was deadlocked away to West Bromwich Albion.

Costa chased down a West Brom defender who was playing around in his defensive third, wrestled the ball from him, took barely two steps to the West Brom goal, and blasted the ball into the top of the net. With his weak foot.

Costa’s technical ability was often understated. He could finish. Boy, could he finish!

Diego Costa’s fallout with Antonio Conte was heart-breaking because Chelsea never quite replaced him.

Left wing: Eden Hazard* (Varun Dani)

Chelsea’s 2010-20 decade will be defined by the epic Champions League victory, but if it were to be termed as an era, it was undoubtedly the Eden Hazard era.

From his arrival to his departure, Hazard entertained Chelsea fans and the world, never failing to wow the crowd, whatever the occasion. Chelsea fans will perhaps tell you that they saw Ronaldo-esque growth of Hazard at Chelsea, the growth from boy to man.

Scoring outrageous goals and finding impossible passes was always in Hazard’s locker, but Hazard was always at his best with the ball at his feet. Time seemed to freeze when Hazard collected the ball and effortlessly ghosted past opponents, selflessly choosing to make chances for his teammates rather himself.

Hazard won everything bar the Champions League at Chelsea, consistently standing above players, winning multiple Chelsea player of the year and PFA Player of the Year awards.

Whether it was scoring crucial penalties effortlessly or skillfully holding up the ball to relieve his team of pressure, for seven years, Chelsea fans cherished Hazard’s magic.

Through all the highs and lows, this was his team, this was his decade. 2010-20 is Hazard’s legacy.

Manager: Antonio Conte (Varun Dani)

Antonio Conte’s legacy at Chelsea is often hampered by his clashes and the eventual lawsuit against the Chelsea board, making it easy to forget that he was Chelsea’s most tactically astute coach of this decade.

He believed in trying to tailor a system that fit his players rather force them to learn an unfamiliar system. From 4-3-3 to 4-2-4 to 3-4-3 to 3-5-2, Conte continuously changed his formation according to the condition of his players and the opponents.

Conte guided a Chelsea team that finished 10th in the Premier League to winning the title within a space of months without landing any of his preferred targets. The following season was difficult due to the Chelsea’s transfer failings, as Conte had predicted, but he still guided the team to a FA Cup triumph.

Had he received Guardiola- / Klopp-esque backing from the board, Conte could have returned Chelsea to the true elite status the club once enjoyed.

Pedro Rodríguez (Vishnu Raj)

Chelsea’s No. 11 is the most decorated player currently in English football. After winning it all with Barcelona and Spain, Chelsea defeated the likes of Manchester United to secure his signing. His first season at Stamford Bridge was a forgettable one for him and the team as they finished 10th.

The next season saw the Blues at their best under Antonio Conte. After switching to 3-4-3, there was no looking back for the team. The front three of Eden Hazard, Diego Costa and Pedro were one of the best front lines Chelsea ever had. Pedro always had a supporting role behind the player of the decade Eden Hazard and the striker of the decade Diego Costa. Even then, Pedro had his moments when he turned matches in Chelsea’s favor out of nowhere with his brilliance.

The next two years saw Pedro continuing his solid performances. After winning the Premier League, he was part of the FA Cup and Europa League winning team. The final in Baku was a history-making day for him: another European cup and final goal.

Substitute: Didier Drogba (Nate Hofmann)

Drogba will always be considered one of the foundational pieces of the Roman Abramovich era, having joined in club in July of 2004 right after the arrival of Jose Mourinho. Given the success that immediately followed, you would be excused for chalking him up as a relic of the 2000’s. In truth, however, that first decade was just a warm-up.

Drogba kicked off the new decade in style, tallying 37 goals and 16 assists in all competitions over the 2009/10 season. Even though he would never hit anything near those numbers again (although he would manage 19 assists the following season), his most important moments were yet to come. He capped off his eight-year stint with three goals in May 2012: the first won the FA Cup, the second took the Champions League final to extra time, and the third won the trophy in the penalty shootout.

Upon returning to the club for the 2014/15 season, he managed to score against Manchester United and Tottenham, and lifted the Premier League trophy while wearing the captain’s armband at the end of the season. A fairly productive decade, considering he was only around for three seasons of it.