The 3rd best game of last years season was Chelsea 2-2 Tottenham. This game was crucial to both teams Champions League hopes, with Chelsea needing a win to secure a qualification, and Spurs needing a win or a draw to stay in the race.
Build Up:
Chelsea were coming off a streak of 5 wins from 7 played, including a 1-0 win over Manchester United just days before. As said above, the Blues only needed a win to secure qualification. At this point, with just 3 games left in the season, the race for the spots was really heating up. Tottenham had won two straight games, starting with a 3-1 win over City to keep them in the race. Gareth Bale had been in prime form all season, winning the PFA Player of the Year, Young Player of the Year and FWA Player of the Year awards; the only other player to win all three of those awards in the same season was Cristiano Ronaldo, to whom Bale has often been compared.
The Game:
The opening chance of the game came in the 7th minute, when Juan Mata hit a curling half volley just over the bar. The Spainard delivered a fantastic corner that Gary Cahill caught a hold of in the middle of the box; the English defender headed the ball down towards the far post, where Oscar redirected it with his head back into the net. Spurs equalized 15 minutes later, when Emmanuel Adebayor led a counter, taking the ball all the way to the edge of the box, before hitting a high shot over Petr Cech. The shot looked like it would go over the bar the whole way, until just at the end, it dipped under the bar and into the upper corner. It was a fantastic goal, worthy of the sporadic but brilliant goal's Spurs had been scoring in the season. Chelsea pulled in front again 15 minutes later, when Fernando Torres picked the ball up on the right wing, in tight space, and took several touches; he then played a through ball between two Spurs defenders, which Ramires hit, curling and fast, past Hugo Lloris, falling as he did it. So Spurs went into halftime needing a goal or two to stay in the UCL race.
Chelsea continued to look good in the second half, with Cesar Azpilicueta looking to cross to Juan Mata at the back post, but in the end almost scoring; the ball barely soared wide and high as Hugo Lloris stretched for it. Eden Hazard's beautiful touch on to set Mata on a break created another great Blues chance; the Spanish midfielder got to the box, and passed to a wide open, speeding Ramires; it was a clear goal, a game cincher for the Blues, but, just as the ball reached him, the Brazilian slipped, banging his head on the pitch. That missed opportunity proved fatal for the Blues, as, in the 80th minute, Emmanuel Adebayor touched a Benoit Assou-Ekotto cross back to Gylfi Sigurdsson, and the Icelander curled the low shot past Cech to equalize. Replays showed the Adebayor was close to being offside, and debate would rage for a day, but the goal stood, and that was that.
Aftermath:
Although some Chelsea fans may have been dismayed at the draw, there was nothing in the end to be worried about. The Blues had an extra game on Arsenal and Tottenham, and in the end finished with ease in a UCL spot. Tottenham, however, stayed close with Arsenal until the last day, when they needed an Arsenal loss; their wishes were not fulfilled, however, and they were denied Champions League play again.
Stay tuned for the rest of Pitch View's countdown to the Premier League season.
Saturday, July 27, 2013
Friday, July 26, 2013
Best Games of the 2012-13 Premier League Season: Number 4
The 4th best game of last year's Premier League season was Tottenham 3-1 Manchester City. The game was critical to Spur's staying in the race for the Champions League spots; if they lost, then all of Gareth Bale's hard work, and yes, almost all the work for Tottenham had, up to this point, been done by the Welsh men, would go to naught.
Build Up:
Gaerth Bale returned for his first game since an ankle injury on April 4th, in a Europa League quarterfinal game against the Swedish side FC Basel. Spurs were coming in off poor form, having won only one of their past 7 games, but would now get the boost of having the best player in the Premier League. City, although the title race was effectively over, were picking up on a good run of form, having won 8 of their last 9 games. Both teams certainly wanted to win, but with Tottenham at home and absolutely needing a win, you could expect the North Londoners to be the more attacking squad of the two. However, it should be noted that Hotspurs had not beaten City since 2010, two years before.
The Game:
Clint Dempsey got the first real chance of the game, hitting a cross/shot hybrid that Joe Hart punched down and got a hold of. Directly off that save, Carlos Tevez dribbled to the corner flag, turned and passed a ball that split three defenders; a show of quality that only the Argentine and maybe Messi could have pulled off. James Milner took the ball down the line, and hit a waist level cross that Samir Nasri volleyed to the far post. Kyle Walker almost saved it on the line, but the ball got past him. City up 1-0, not good for Tottenham. It took almost the rest of the game for Spurs to strike back, but finally they equalised, after Gareth Bale made one of the best outside foot passes you will ever see. The American merely stuck out a foot to redirect the beautiful pass into the net. White Hart Lane had hope now. Several minutes later Gylfi Sigurdsson hit Jerome Defoe with a through ball; the striker took several touches, tapped the ball back inside, and, using Vincent Kompany as a guide, curled the ball past Joe Hart. Just 3 minutes later Gareth Bale sealed the game for the North Londoners, lobbing Hart. That put the finishing touch on a fantastic comeback for Spurs.
Aftermath:
Spurs needed the win to stay in the race for Champions League; although they would end up falling short, at the time they looked like they were gonna challenge Arsenal and Chelsea. City, with the title having been lost, focused on the FA Cup, which they also ended up losing, to Wigan, who would be relegated from the League on the last day of the season. What really took away from this game was the overall quality of play. Although the goals were brilliant, the game was exciting only in the first 5 minutes and last 15.
Stay tuned for the rest of the list, as well as all of Pitch View's countdown to the start of the season.
Build Up:
Gaerth Bale returned for his first game since an ankle injury on April 4th, in a Europa League quarterfinal game against the Swedish side FC Basel. Spurs were coming in off poor form, having won only one of their past 7 games, but would now get the boost of having the best player in the Premier League. City, although the title race was effectively over, were picking up on a good run of form, having won 8 of their last 9 games. Both teams certainly wanted to win, but with Tottenham at home and absolutely needing a win, you could expect the North Londoners to be the more attacking squad of the two. However, it should be noted that Hotspurs had not beaten City since 2010, two years before.
The Game:
Clint Dempsey got the first real chance of the game, hitting a cross/shot hybrid that Joe Hart punched down and got a hold of. Directly off that save, Carlos Tevez dribbled to the corner flag, turned and passed a ball that split three defenders; a show of quality that only the Argentine and maybe Messi could have pulled off. James Milner took the ball down the line, and hit a waist level cross that Samir Nasri volleyed to the far post. Kyle Walker almost saved it on the line, but the ball got past him. City up 1-0, not good for Tottenham. It took almost the rest of the game for Spurs to strike back, but finally they equalised, after Gareth Bale made one of the best outside foot passes you will ever see. The American merely stuck out a foot to redirect the beautiful pass into the net. White Hart Lane had hope now. Several minutes later Gylfi Sigurdsson hit Jerome Defoe with a through ball; the striker took several touches, tapped the ball back inside, and, using Vincent Kompany as a guide, curled the ball past Joe Hart. Just 3 minutes later Gareth Bale sealed the game for the North Londoners, lobbing Hart. That put the finishing touch on a fantastic comeback for Spurs.
Aftermath:
Spurs needed the win to stay in the race for Champions League; although they would end up falling short, at the time they looked like they were gonna challenge Arsenal and Chelsea. City, with the title having been lost, focused on the FA Cup, which they also ended up losing, to Wigan, who would be relegated from the League on the last day of the season. What really took away from this game was the overall quality of play. Although the goals were brilliant, the game was exciting only in the first 5 minutes and last 15.
Stay tuned for the rest of the list, as well as all of Pitch View's countdown to the start of the season.
Thursday, July 25, 2013
Best Games of the 2012-13 Season: Number 5
The 5th best game of last year's Premier League season is Manchester City 3-2 Southhampton. The game was the highlight of the opening weekend of the Premier League, with City, the defending champions, faced off against newly promoted Southampton.
Build Up:
Roberto Mancini's City was coming off a convincing 3-2 win over Chelsea in the Community Shield. The two biggest changes from that lineup was the addition of Joe Hart instead of Costell Pantilimon, and Jack Rodwell over Nigel De Jong. Nigel Adkins left Rickie Lambert, who had been Championship player of the year the season before, and had scored 27 goals in the league to help the Saints secure promotion, on the bench. The Merseysider would become crucial to the game, later on.
The Game:
Southampton had a good chance in the 11th minute, with Morgan Schniederlin hitting a 25 yard shot several yards wide of the post. City drew a penalty in the 15th minute when Jos Hooiveld tripped up Carlos Tevez as the Argentine was trying to turn around him. David Silva stepped up to take the penalty, hitting it low and to his right; but Kelvin Davis guessed right, easily saving the ball, whereafter Daniel Fox put the ball out for a City corner. The Southampton players mobbed Davis, the keeper reminding them to play smart with the corner coming. Tevez finally broke the deadlock in the 40th minute, picking up a Samir Nasri through ball, down the right wing with miles of space. He hit a strong shot past Davis, who was caught flat footed. Replays would show that the Argentine was offside, but, as usually, he showed no problem with scoring controversial goal (refer to this). So the Saints, for all their hard work, went into half time down a goal.
City continued to have good chances early on in the second half, as Edin Dzeko, David Silva and Gael Clichy all shanked balls into the keepers mitts or over the bar. Adkins finally brought Lambert on in the 55th minute, and hit impact was immediate, scoring a goal in the 59th minute. After several deflections, Lambert found the ball on the edge of the area and tried to play the ball into the box to Guilherme Do Prado, only to see the ball come right back to him. He took advantage of it, smacking a curling shot past Hart. The Saints fans were sent into euphoria, with the stewards just barely holding them back. Southampton took the lead ten minutes later when, after breaking away off a City set piece, Steven Davis picked up a deflected pass that he, much like Lambert's goal, had passed, and curled it again around Hart. This goal was eerily similar to the second goal QPR scored in the last game of the previous season. The Saints and their fans were now ecstatic; a win in their first Premier League game, and against the defending champions too! But City had another thing coming. Edin Dzeko drew even off a corner just 4 minutes later, and finally, in the 80th minute, Samir Nasri won the game for the Manchester club, when a Gael Clichy cross, which was hit long to the back post, was headed back towards the middle by Daniel Fox; Nasri took it on a half volley, slamming the ball into the old onion bag.
Aftermath
The game, for City, was quite similar to the finale of the previous season, where they went down 2-1 to a small team, QPR, but made a late comeback to win 3-2; that game, of course, carried much more weight, as it was to decide the title. City went on to have a poor campaign, going out of the Champions League in the group stage, losing in the final of the FA Cup and losing their title back to United. So'town stayed up, finishing a respectable 14th place. This game's biggest detraction was that it was the opening weekend, not as crucial to the season as other game later on.
Stay tuned for the next four Best Games of the 2012-13 Premier League Season from Pitch View, as well as the rest of the blog's countdown to the start of the season.
Build Up:
Roberto Mancini's City was coming off a convincing 3-2 win over Chelsea in the Community Shield. The two biggest changes from that lineup was the addition of Joe Hart instead of Costell Pantilimon, and Jack Rodwell over Nigel De Jong. Nigel Adkins left Rickie Lambert, who had been Championship player of the year the season before, and had scored 27 goals in the league to help the Saints secure promotion, on the bench. The Merseysider would become crucial to the game, later on.
The Game:
Southampton had a good chance in the 11th minute, with Morgan Schniederlin hitting a 25 yard shot several yards wide of the post. City drew a penalty in the 15th minute when Jos Hooiveld tripped up Carlos Tevez as the Argentine was trying to turn around him. David Silva stepped up to take the penalty, hitting it low and to his right; but Kelvin Davis guessed right, easily saving the ball, whereafter Daniel Fox put the ball out for a City corner. The Southampton players mobbed Davis, the keeper reminding them to play smart with the corner coming. Tevez finally broke the deadlock in the 40th minute, picking up a Samir Nasri through ball, down the right wing with miles of space. He hit a strong shot past Davis, who was caught flat footed. Replays would show that the Argentine was offside, but, as usually, he showed no problem with scoring controversial goal (refer to this). So the Saints, for all their hard work, went into half time down a goal.
City continued to have good chances early on in the second half, as Edin Dzeko, David Silva and Gael Clichy all shanked balls into the keepers mitts or over the bar. Adkins finally brought Lambert on in the 55th minute, and hit impact was immediate, scoring a goal in the 59th minute. After several deflections, Lambert found the ball on the edge of the area and tried to play the ball into the box to Guilherme Do Prado, only to see the ball come right back to him. He took advantage of it, smacking a curling shot past Hart. The Saints fans were sent into euphoria, with the stewards just barely holding them back. Southampton took the lead ten minutes later when, after breaking away off a City set piece, Steven Davis picked up a deflected pass that he, much like Lambert's goal, had passed, and curled it again around Hart. This goal was eerily similar to the second goal QPR scored in the last game of the previous season. The Saints and their fans were now ecstatic; a win in their first Premier League game, and against the defending champions too! But City had another thing coming. Edin Dzeko drew even off a corner just 4 minutes later, and finally, in the 80th minute, Samir Nasri won the game for the Manchester club, when a Gael Clichy cross, which was hit long to the back post, was headed back towards the middle by Daniel Fox; Nasri took it on a half volley, slamming the ball into the old onion bag.
Aftermath
The game, for City, was quite similar to the finale of the previous season, where they went down 2-1 to a small team, QPR, but made a late comeback to win 3-2; that game, of course, carried much more weight, as it was to decide the title. City went on to have a poor campaign, going out of the Champions League in the group stage, losing in the final of the FA Cup and losing their title back to United. So'town stayed up, finishing a respectable 14th place. This game's biggest detraction was that it was the opening weekend, not as crucial to the season as other game later on.
Stay tuned for the next four Best Games of the 2012-13 Premier League Season from Pitch View, as well as the rest of the blog's countdown to the start of the season.
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
Best Games of Last Season: Honorable Mention
The Honorable Mention on this years "Best Games of the Season" list is West Brom 5-5 Manchester United. The game was played on the final day of the season, as United celebrated their 13th title under Sir Alex Ferguson; the game was also Ferguson's last as United manager, the Scot having announced his retirement on the 8th of May.
Build Up:
Ferguson announced his retirement just 11 days beforehand, and while this game was played on the road, Sir Alex was given a guard of honor by both teams and the referees as he came out onto the pitch for his last game as a manager. As ESPNFC points out, Ferguson did not start the old timers, Patrice Evra, Nemanja Vidic, Rio Ferdinand, Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes, instead going for a younger, more towards the future of United, lineup. West Brom was looking to put a winning end to a fantastic first season under manager Steve Clarke. Clarke lead the team to the 8th spot in the league, including the surprise 2-1 upset of Chelsea in November. Clarke left Chelsea loanee Romelu Lukaku on the bench. The Baggies were coming into the game with terrible form, having won just one of their last ten games.
The Game:
Although West Brom "opened with a sense of purpose," according to ESPNFC, it was United who struck first, in the 6th minute, after Javier "Chicarito" Hernandez had chased a lob pass to the corner; the Mexican then hit a cross to the near post, which Shinji Kagawa headed into the ground and past Ben Foster. United struck again just 3 minutes later, with Kagawa again involved in the goal; the Japanese player made a 15 yard run to the edge of the box, were a deflected pass landed at the feet of Anderson; from there the Brazilian passed it onto the wing, where Antonio Valencia hit a low cross into the box; Jonas Olsson stuck a foot out in hopes of pushing it around the post for a corner, but, to his dismay, the ball instead went into the net. In the 30th minutes United widended the lead, off a Valencia throw in. Michael Carrick passed a through ball to the center, touched on by Hernandez, to Tom Cleverly; Cleverly passed to Alexander Buttner, who found himself with miles of space on the left wing; the Dutchman then curled the ball past Foster into the low corner for United's third of the game. It indeed looked like United were running away with the game at this point.
James Morrison got one back for the Baggies in the 40th minute, redirecting the ball off a Graham Durrans cross. The ball just got by United keeper Andres Lindegaard. At this point United still looked in control. However, the most important moment of the game came just after half time, when Clarke brought on Belgian striker Romelu Lukaku, who has been heralded as the new Didier Drogba; the comparisons are not lacking, as Lukaku, like his predecessor, became a thorn in the side of Ferguson and United fans. The huge striker picked up a loose ball 35 yards from goal, took one touch, then curled the ball to the lower right corner, just like the spot Buttner had hit earlier; Lindegaard just got his finger tips to it, but it wasn't enough to push the ball wide. However, RVP struck back for the dark side, pushing the United lead back to two goals, at 4-2. Javier Hernandez had gotten hold of a stray ball before pushing it out wide to Antonio Valencia; the Ecuadorian hit a low cross into the box, which Van Persie buried in the top of the net. Hernandez added another goal to the tally 10 minutes later when he tapped a Ryan Giggs cross into the net. United fans and Ferguson especially could now rest easy on a day that was supposed to be a walk in the park for the Scot.
But not yet, said the Baggies. Romelu Lukaku picked up a through ball from Markus Rosenberg, and then smashed the shot past Andres Lindegaard to slim the lead. He hurried the ball back to the midfield circle, and just seconds later Youssuf Mulumbu latched onto a Billy Jones pass, pushing it to the far post, past the United keeper who stood no chance. No United and Ferguson were really worried, and it would again be a Chelsea player that ruined Sir Alex's day. A long cross went to the far post, where Mulumbu hit a bouncing ball back several feet to Lukaku; the Belgian tried to push it on, but the ball was blocked back by Rio Ferdinand. Lindegaard and Ferdinand were both caught out of position and could only watch as Lukaku, who was lying on the ground at this point, headed the ball into the net. The game ended thus at 5-5.
Aftermath:
Although Sir Alex would have wanted to win his last game, the match was a fitting send off for one of the greats. Only one other game in Premier League history has scored more than the ten scored that day at the Hawthrones; never have both teams in a Premier League fixture scored five times each. This game was well worth the money for all the fans who showed up. However, this game's downfall was that it was not significant; aside from being Ferguson's last game, it carried no weight; United had already been crowned champions, with the meaningfull games being played in London and Newcastle. That's why its an honorable mention.
Stay tuned for the 5 best games of the 2012-13 Premier League season, as well as the rest of Pitch View's countdown to the league.
Build Up:
Ferguson announced his retirement just 11 days beforehand, and while this game was played on the road, Sir Alex was given a guard of honor by both teams and the referees as he came out onto the pitch for his last game as a manager. As ESPNFC points out, Ferguson did not start the old timers, Patrice Evra, Nemanja Vidic, Rio Ferdinand, Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes, instead going for a younger, more towards the future of United, lineup. West Brom was looking to put a winning end to a fantastic first season under manager Steve Clarke. Clarke lead the team to the 8th spot in the league, including the surprise 2-1 upset of Chelsea in November. Clarke left Chelsea loanee Romelu Lukaku on the bench. The Baggies were coming into the game with terrible form, having won just one of their last ten games.
The Game:
Although West Brom "opened with a sense of purpose," according to ESPNFC, it was United who struck first, in the 6th minute, after Javier "Chicarito" Hernandez had chased a lob pass to the corner; the Mexican then hit a cross to the near post, which Shinji Kagawa headed into the ground and past Ben Foster. United struck again just 3 minutes later, with Kagawa again involved in the goal; the Japanese player made a 15 yard run to the edge of the box, were a deflected pass landed at the feet of Anderson; from there the Brazilian passed it onto the wing, where Antonio Valencia hit a low cross into the box; Jonas Olsson stuck a foot out in hopes of pushing it around the post for a corner, but, to his dismay, the ball instead went into the net. In the 30th minutes United widended the lead, off a Valencia throw in. Michael Carrick passed a through ball to the center, touched on by Hernandez, to Tom Cleverly; Cleverly passed to Alexander Buttner, who found himself with miles of space on the left wing; the Dutchman then curled the ball past Foster into the low corner for United's third of the game. It indeed looked like United were running away with the game at this point.
James Morrison got one back for the Baggies in the 40th minute, redirecting the ball off a Graham Durrans cross. The ball just got by United keeper Andres Lindegaard. At this point United still looked in control. However, the most important moment of the game came just after half time, when Clarke brought on Belgian striker Romelu Lukaku, who has been heralded as the new Didier Drogba; the comparisons are not lacking, as Lukaku, like his predecessor, became a thorn in the side of Ferguson and United fans. The huge striker picked up a loose ball 35 yards from goal, took one touch, then curled the ball to the lower right corner, just like the spot Buttner had hit earlier; Lindegaard just got his finger tips to it, but it wasn't enough to push the ball wide. However, RVP struck back for the dark side, pushing the United lead back to two goals, at 4-2. Javier Hernandez had gotten hold of a stray ball before pushing it out wide to Antonio Valencia; the Ecuadorian hit a low cross into the box, which Van Persie buried in the top of the net. Hernandez added another goal to the tally 10 minutes later when he tapped a Ryan Giggs cross into the net. United fans and Ferguson especially could now rest easy on a day that was supposed to be a walk in the park for the Scot.
But not yet, said the Baggies. Romelu Lukaku picked up a through ball from Markus Rosenberg, and then smashed the shot past Andres Lindegaard to slim the lead. He hurried the ball back to the midfield circle, and just seconds later Youssuf Mulumbu latched onto a Billy Jones pass, pushing it to the far post, past the United keeper who stood no chance. No United and Ferguson were really worried, and it would again be a Chelsea player that ruined Sir Alex's day. A long cross went to the far post, where Mulumbu hit a bouncing ball back several feet to Lukaku; the Belgian tried to push it on, but the ball was blocked back by Rio Ferdinand. Lindegaard and Ferdinand were both caught out of position and could only watch as Lukaku, who was lying on the ground at this point, headed the ball into the net. The game ended thus at 5-5.
Aftermath:
Although Sir Alex would have wanted to win his last game, the match was a fitting send off for one of the greats. Only one other game in Premier League history has scored more than the ten scored that day at the Hawthrones; never have both teams in a Premier League fixture scored five times each. This game was well worth the money for all the fans who showed up. However, this game's downfall was that it was not significant; aside from being Ferguson's last game, it carried no weight; United had already been crowned champions, with the meaningfull games being played in London and Newcastle. That's why its an honorable mention.
Stay tuned for the 5 best games of the 2012-13 Premier League season, as well as the rest of Pitch View's countdown to the league.
Premier League Countdown: Top 5 Game of the Season Introduction
With the Premier League season just 3 weeks out, Pitch View is starting the countdown with a recap of the 5 best games of last season. To make this list, the game had to pass several tests; 1.) What was the quality of the game? If it was a stagnant, boring game, then how could it be on the list; also, one sided affairs really shouldn't make it, because it wasn't all around good, just one team totally dominating; for that reason Chelsea's 8-0 whooping of Aston Villa can't make the list. 2.) What was the significance of the game? West Brom 5-5 United may have had lots of goals, but on the last day, with the title decided a month before, really isn't as big as Chelsea 2-2 Tottenham. 3.) What teams were involved? I understand that a game between Swansea and Villa can be pleasing to the eye, but it can't carry the same weight that City v. Chelsea does. The games on this list are games that, when they are being replayed on t.v., you just must watch. So here we go.
Sunday, July 14, 2013
Bayern sends a message to everyone else
Bayern Munich just sent a major message to every other European Cup contender, having bought Spanish sensation Thiago Alacantra; to quote the great Larry Bird, "Which one of you guys is coming in second?" However, while on paper it might appear as though Bayern have built a midfield to rival that of Barcelona's, which is very true, there are some problems; problems that could tear apart the dressing room and in effect sink Pep Guardiola's German-copy of Barcelona. As ESPNFC writer Susie Schaff explains, Bayern Munich now have a "murder of midfielders." That may be exactly what happens; murder. Who is going to make way for Thiago? Not any of the starters, (Arjen Robben, Frank Ribery, Tomas Muller, Bastian Schwienstager and Javi Martinez), unless Pep Guardiola has gone senile; perhaps Mario Gotze, Cladio Pizarro, Toni Kroos or Xherdan Shaqiri; all of those players are capable, especially Gotze, and all will fight Alacantra for their spots; and, as Schaff points out, that's discounting all the youth squad players who could be promoted; this is presneting one of the best and yet most destructive problems a manager could face; an abundance of great players. However Guardiola is probably best suited of anyone to deal with this dilemma, having been manager of Barca for 3 years at their height, dealing with Iniesta, Xavi, Busquets, Fabergas and company. If Guardiola can work this out and pacifiy everyone then this Bayern team could be more potent than this year's treble winning side! Think about that; they would roll over the competition like Kevin Durant playing 5th graders; it would be unholy. But let us not forget that there our contenders; PSG nearly beat Barca this, we can never leave out the Catalans, especially since they have now bought Neymar; teams like Juventus, Chelsea, Man U and Real Madrid could become instant major contenders with the addition of maybe one more player. It should indeed be a interesting season.
Thursday, July 4, 2013
Chelsea's Changing Face
When Jose Mourinho was signed several weeks ago, Chelsea's odds for winning the Premier League shot up in Vegas. However, several major issues still loomed over the team; the fact that Fernando Torres and Demba Ba are not adequate, top level strikers; or that this current Chelsea is a completely different team from when Mourinho coached them. The Special One has immediately begun to address the latter issue in signing Bayer Leverkusen forward Andre Schurrle and Vitesse Arnhem attacking midfielder Marco Van Ginkel. He is trying to reconstruct the Stamford Bridge side in an image of his own liking.
He started be convincing Romelu Lukaku, coming off a great year with West Bromwich Albion, to return to the club for the upcoming season. It's easy to see why he would want Lukakau; the Belgian is an almost carbon copy image of Didier Drogba, Mourinho's beloved striker. Mourinho then secured Andre Schurrle. Rumors have been circulating for several months that clubs are interested in Juan Mata; however silly and saddening it would be for Mourinho to sell the beloved midfielder, it would make sense; Mata doesn't exactly fit into the physical, counter-attacking style that Mourinho uses. On the other hand, the Spaniard has been Chelsea's Player of the Season for two years running. The signing of Van Ginkel confirms Mourinho's path for the season; he will try to recreate the Chelsea of his glory years. This could mean that he won't sign a striker, instead trusting in Lukaku; or perhaps he will go after Edison Cavani or Robert Lewandowski. Aside from the need for a striker, Chelsea are a championship team; they have a solid back line, buckets of good midfielders and a great amount of attacking potential. What the Blues need the most is a solid coach, someone who will lead them through the low and high points of the season. That's what Mourinho will provide the most of, and what will make them a sure title contender this season.
He started be convincing Romelu Lukaku, coming off a great year with West Bromwich Albion, to return to the club for the upcoming season. It's easy to see why he would want Lukakau; the Belgian is an almost carbon copy image of Didier Drogba, Mourinho's beloved striker. Mourinho then secured Andre Schurrle. Rumors have been circulating for several months that clubs are interested in Juan Mata; however silly and saddening it would be for Mourinho to sell the beloved midfielder, it would make sense; Mata doesn't exactly fit into the physical, counter-attacking style that Mourinho uses. On the other hand, the Spaniard has been Chelsea's Player of the Season for two years running. The signing of Van Ginkel confirms Mourinho's path for the season; he will try to recreate the Chelsea of his glory years. This could mean that he won't sign a striker, instead trusting in Lukaku; or perhaps he will go after Edison Cavani or Robert Lewandowski. Aside from the need for a striker, Chelsea are a championship team; they have a solid back line, buckets of good midfielders and a great amount of attacking potential. What the Blues need the most is a solid coach, someone who will lead them through the low and high points of the season. That's what Mourinho will provide the most of, and what will make them a sure title contender this season.
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