It is very nearly upon us, the new Premier League season is about to kick off. It seems like only yesterday that Terry and co were lifting the trophy at the Bridge.
Over the summer period, albeit a short one, Jose Mourinho will have a set a focus within his group, a shared goal. That is of course to retain the Premier League title, tipped as the biggest test of them all. Chelsea will aim to be the first team in 6 years to retain the Premier League. Mourinho will know all about how to do such a thing, the special one won back to back Premier League titles in 04/05 and 05/06, making him worthy of the name.
As Champions, we should get use to being targeted by teams both home and away. Something as fans, we are more than used to. We’re the team that the promoted sides are going to be marking their calendars for, the team that everyone wants to beat, the team that everyone wants to cause problems.
We’ve seen this regularly over the last two seasons anyway, Sunderland away stands out. Teams will look to sit back against the Blues and fight their way to even a point, due to the importance that point could mean to them. There is also the famous saying of ‘strengthen when you’re on top’. Which as of yet, Chelsea haven’t done. This is something that has sparked debate and doubt into supporters of late.
I believe this is partly down to the teams around us making significant signings, partnered with the strong summer transfer window Chelsea had last season.
The additions of Falcao and Begovic are most definitely good ones. They have filled the gaps that needed to be with filled, without losing quality in the squad. With the current squad and perhaps the additions of John Stones and/or Baba Rahman, we can go on to retain the Premier League.
It will be the biggest test for this squad, the biggest test of character and hunger. Should the squad pull it off though, they should go down as one of the greats. They say the hallmark of a good squad is to win trophies, not just one though, to dominant over the course of a number of seasons.
In the modern game, winning the league back to back should not be underestimated. With the fierce level of competition across the entire league, the ability to win two league titles should put you up with the best.
I don’t see the biggest threats coming from the opposition this year, but from within. The possibility of complacency slipping into our game against weaker opposition.
Let’s not forget, the title challengers are chasing us. Does the addition of Sterling at City make their squad better than ours? Does Cech add enough to Arsenal to allow them to leapfrog us to the title? I’ll let you all decide.
The defeat to Arsenal in the Community Shield is an early warning sign. Other teams around will have the tools to strike if they see a moment of weakness. Regardless, we’re still the team to beat. A second title would be a significant mark on Mourinho’s ‘small horse’, whilst fans will be hoping for an improvement in Europe, retaining the Premier League must be a priority for the Blues.
Could Jose’s lack of transfer activity come back to haunt him? Possibly so, some may call him arrogant for not looking to improve. Especially after the glittering effect competition for places had on the likes of Willian and Gary Cahill last season.
Should Mourinho’s men achieve such a feat, it must put the current crop at Stamford Bridge, up with the best Premier League sides of all time. The treble-winning United side of 1999, Wenger’s unbeatable team of 2003, the Blues of 2004 with Lampard and co are just a few that spring to mind.
Does winning back to back titles measure up against winning a treble or going a whole season unbeaten? Maybe not, but the difficulty of the task in hand should not be frowned upon. Not only is the level of competition higher, the pressure that comes from the media is intense and growing pressure from vocal fans via social media.
To conclude, can we retain the title? Of course, we can. Is it going to be extremely difficult? Most definitely. Mourinho has done it before and he can certainly do it again. Be prepared for a tough journey, expect a much tighter league table and who knows, maybe a campaign against Chelsea along the way!
