e-Chelsea Season Review 2013-14

Article by e-Chelsea's Robert Wake

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As the season draws to a close, and attentions turn to the World Cup, the bottom line is that ultimately, Chelsea came up a little short in all competitions. This is not necessarily a criticism, but highlights the fine line between success and perceived failure. Chelsea finished third in the league, the same position as last season. However, unlike last season, we were competing for the title until the final game week, so this must be seen as an improvement. Could it have been better? Yes. Should it have been better? Probably not. Mourinho stated from the outset that this was a season of transition, with new players developing, and the experienced core gradually being phased out, so third place was probably about par for the course for Jose’s ‘Little Horse’.

The season has given us players who exceeded expectations (Azpilicueta and Cahill), those who have fallen below their normal standard (Ramires and Lampard), some who have started strongly (Oscar & Hazard), and some who have finished strongly (Willian and Ba). Perhaps these up and down performances reflect the teams overall consistency, or rather the lack of it. We have generally performed excellently against our direct rivals; doubles over both Manchester City and Liverpool are testament to that, but we have too often failed against perceived lesser opposition. The home defeat to Sunderland was inexplicable. That defeat, combined with draws at home to Norwich City, West Ham United and West Bromwich Albion, has ultimately proved most costly. Though five away defeats also need addressing, I maintain that the Premier League is more competitive than ever, and away defeats are inevitable over the course of the season. Again though, Chelsea have excelled at The Etihad and Anfield, but have come unstuck at Stoke and at Selhurst Park.

Whether these performances are down to the player’s mentality or the way the team is set up is an interesting debate. It is certainly true that Chelsea are more suited to a counter-attacking style which has served us admirably in away fixtures against our direct rivals. It is equally true that unless we score early against perceived lesser teams, then we struggle to break them down.

This brings me on to one of my main frustrations from this season. Tempo. Far too often we have started sluggishly, particularly against supposedly inferior opposition. The last home game against Norwich encapsulated this trend. We played the first half like it was a testimonial, expecting an opening to come, rather than making it happen. This approach is perfectly acceptable in games against direct rivals, particularly away from home, but that approach needs to be modified at home, with a greater emphasis on tempo and urgency.

At times we also lack width, an issue which has been exacerbated by playing much of the season with a right-footed left-back. Azpilicueta has arguably been our best performer this season, but his attacking prowess has been limited by an understandable tendency to check back on to his favoured right foot, nullifying our overlapping options on the left side. On the other flank Ivanovic is defensively sound, but as a converted centre-back his crossing borders on woeful. These issues invariably force our attacking play into a narrow central channel, which consequently makes us easier to defend against.

Of course, there have also been many positives from the season. We have the best defensive record in the league which has given us the platform to achieve excellent away performances at Arsenal, Manchester City, Liverpool and Atletico Madrid. There have been memorable individual matches at Stamford Bridge against Tottenham, Arsenal, Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain. Eden Hazard has, at times been a joy to watch, and of course Mourinho’s Press Conferences are always entertaining. He will already be analysing this season, and planning for the next. There are plenty of decisions to be made regarding the current squad, loan players and new signings, and I will be looking at these issues in my next article.

Season Summary (All Competitions)

Played 57, Won 35 (61.4%), Drew 10, Lost 12, Scored 100, Conceded 43, Clean Sheets 29, Failed To Score 11

Leading Scorers: Eden Hazard 17, Samuel Eto’o 12, Oscar & Fernando Torres 11

Leading Appearances: Gary Cahill 46+1, Petr Cech 46, John Terry 45+2, Eden Hazard 43+6, Ramires 41+5

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