One Man’s View: Chelsea unpredictable, but don’t write them off yet

Pre-season has barely begun, but the British press would have you believe that the Champions were in crisis. Antonio Conte’s decision to dump Diego Costa by text was not the wisest move, but the situation at Stamford Bridge only escalated into a ‘crisis’ of sorts as the club stalls on signing attacking reinforcements. The opening of the transfer window has an ability to bring about mass hysteria, often generated by the power of hearsay and social media. The failure to sign Romelu Lukaku ahead of Man United quickly became a PR exercise which they are still trying to rectify.

[caption id="attachment_6222" align="alignnone" width="1000"] Image: CFC Facebook Page[/caption]

In Chelsea’s defence, the team has a decent base to build with, and there is no need for major surgery. Conte’s men were deserved champions and played like it too. The counter-attacking 3-4-3 system drew copycats across the league, but no team did it better than Chelsea. No one could outmanoeuvre the effervescent N’Golo Kanté across the pitch, nor prevent an inspired Eden Hazard from running riot. Winning the league at a canter should bode well for the new season, where expectations will firmly be on a better title defence than last time out. There should be optimism that their league form can translate to results in the UEFA Champions League.

That said, decisive additions in the transfer window could define next season. Chelsea could well struggle to cope on multiple fronts without reinforcements, as successful rotation requires strength in depth across a deeper squad. In previous years, a good run in Europe rarely correlated with success in the Premier League. Chelsea were out of European competition last year and it showed.  Can Conte’s high energy style last a season without a bigger and deeper squad? Conte’s record at Juventus is rather relevant in this regard – The Old Lady were unbeatable in Serie A, but were unable to get past the quarter-final stage in the Champions League. While his Juve teams were often able to outplay opponents, they struggled to kill teams off in Europe. In Chelsea’s case, the FA Cup defeat against Arsenal was a reminder that Chelsea lacked real options off the bench.

[caption id="attachment_6219" align="alignnone" width="1000"] Image: CFC Facebook Page[/caption]

While players like Michy Batshuayi deserve more time to prove themselves, Chelsea has serious work to do this window. While John Terry’s departure was expected, the departure of their young players like Dominic Solanke, Nathan Ake, Nathaniel Chalobah and Ruben Lotus-Cheek was somewhat disappointing. There are only 17 first team squad members currently available for selection, even if the clear out gives the club an opportunity to tailor the squad to Conte’s liking. Anthony Rüdiger from Roma is good business, and the return of Andreas Christensen from Borussia Möchengladbach offer decent options at centre-half. The addition of Tiemoué Bakayoko, an imposing midfield destroyer, should provide more steel alongside Kanté. That said, Bakayoko will be unavailable until September. It is puzzling that Chelsea are ready to let Nemanja Matić leave so easily, before lining up another defensive midfield option.

[caption id="attachment_6220" align="alignnone" width="1000"] Image: CFC Facebook Page[/caption]

There were rumours circling that the next order of business was to complete a mega move for Juventus left-back Alex Sandro. Given how well Marcos Alonso performed last year for the Blues, there are more immediate priorities further forward. Break the bank for Alexis Sanchez or Sergio Agüero, if you will. The links to Alvaro Morata and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang are encouraging, as both are decent forwards that could strengthen any team. Torino’s Andrea Belotti also remains a possibility, and fits the mould for a target man No. 9, even if he would be even less proven than Morata and Aubameyang. It is hard to gauge the likelihood of Chelsea signing any of these forwards. As none of them have featured in the Premier League, there is also the matter of whether they can adapt quickly enough to fire Chelsea to title contention at home and abroad.

[caption id="attachment_6221" align="alignnone" width="1000"] Image: CFC Facebook Page[/caption]

Chelsea’s summer, and quite possibly season will be defined by whether they can replace Diego Costa. Chelsea may have some of the best wingers in the division – Hazard, Willian, Pedro – but replacing Costa’s goals and presence upfront will be key. There is a reason why Man United forked out 75 million for Lukaku – elite goalscorers are a rare commodity. Chelsea may have to do the same before the summer is up. One big signing could change the entire conversation about their prospects next season.

One Man’s View interprets the happenings in football from an alternative angle. Alternative, not alternative facts. 

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All The Info You Need About Chelsea, Inter Milan and Bayern’s Visit To Singapore

European football giants Chelsea, Inter Milan and Bayern Munich will be heading to Singapore this July for the International Champions Cup.

Officially announced earlier today, the ICC will be held at the 55,000-seater National Stadium, with Singapore as the only Southeast Asian leg of the tournament.

Additionally, Singapore will host the ICC for the next four years, ensuring a visit by the world’s biggest football clubs every summer until 2020. Given that top teams including Barcelona, Manchester United and Real Madrid have participated in the ICC over the last couple of years, this could only mean good things for football fans here.

The Singapore leg of the 2017 tournament will be held between July 25 to 29, with tickets starting from S$25 (children) to S$40 (adults). The price is surprisingly affordable, given the sheer popularity of the teams within the region.

Tickets will go on sale on March 30 on the Sports Hub

Chelsea, Inter Milan and Bayern Munich To Play In Singapore This July

Update [Mar 16, 2.45pm]: The ICC have officially announced the ticket prices, fixtures and more. Read here.

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Premier League leaders Chelsea are poised to make their first appearance in Singapore this July during the International Champions Cup, a series of pre-season tournaments that take place simultaneously across the globe.

According to

 

Based on reports, the official announcement will be made next week, but the deals for Chelsea, Inter and Bayern have already been agreed upon.

The matches are expected to take place in the later part of July, with Bayern speculated to face off Chelsea and Inter on July 25 and 27 respectively.

The ICC is growing to become the premier pre-season tournament for football fans, who have close to no footballing action during the three months of off-season.

Last year’s tournament spanned across 19 cities in seven countries and had top clubs including Real Madrid, Barcelona, Manchester United, Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool.

More information on the official announcement, exact dates and the release of tickets to come.

Here are Five of the Best Looking Fan-Made Nike x Chelsea Jerseys

Chelsea and Nike recently confirmed their kit deal worth a huge £900 million lasting 15 years, starting from next season.

With that in mind, we scoured through the Internet for some of the best mockups by fans for Nike-made Chelsea kits and we were not disappointed.

Bear in mind that some of these were made way before the deal was announced.

1) Collared-up

eksg2v0(Credit: Taking inspiration from Everton’s past kit, the white collars and sleeve helps to give a classy touch to the Chelsea outfit. The covered buttons keep the top elegant and the embroidered Nike logo provides a clean finish.

2) 50 Shades of Blue 

0ohe2y3-2(Credit: While the shades of blue shown aren’t quite the Chelsea blue, the illusion of dynamism and movement is a nice touch and unlike anything we have in the current kits across the top clubs. As with the first, this mockup contains the simplicity and minimalism of Nike’s designs and it’s not hard to imagine it on actual players.

3) Form-fitting

civaqpeuoaapiew(Credit: iChelseaTweets)

In accordance to this year’s template for Nike jerseys, this mockup is probably the most likely to exist out of all the rest. The template has been seen on the England jersey as well as Manchester City’s, with a darker shade used on the sleeves and shoulders to make the torso stand out.

4) All Frenched Up

4ochtftpgqg(Credit: screen-shot-2016-05-31-at-15-05-13(Credit: Breathe Chelsea)

A first-look at a possible Away jersey, this mockup is fairly representative of what Nike might go with. It has the Dri-Fit holes at the abdomens and the Photoshopper even bothered to add the Premier League patches on the sleeves. The only real issue is that the design feels like a little “last season”.

Nike and Chelsea Confirm A Whopping £900million Deal Until 2032

Chelsea Football Club have confirmed a kit deal with Nike, marking the end of their current partnership with Adidas when the current 2016/17 season comes to a close.

The deal is believed to be worth £60m a season for the next 15 years, the largest commercial deal for the club and twice as much as what Adidas is currently playing to the London side.

Manchester United is still on top when it comes to pay checks from kit sponsorship in the Premier League, with Adidas paying United approximately £75 million a season for ten years. Real Madrid, also on a 10-year deal with Adidas, rakes in £106 million every season.

Chelsea’s deal however lasts 15 years, locking down a steady stream of £900 million over that period for the Blues.

Chelsea director Marina Granovskaia said: ‘This is an incredibly exciting and important deal for the club. Like Chelsea, Nike is known around the world for its excellence and innovation and we look forward to working together in what is sure to be a successful partnership.”