Guus is not staying. So we need a new manager. Everybody keeps talking about Ancelotti and Rijkard. The Meister is of the opinion that instead of them, we need someone young and fiercely committed to the club. Who better than Zola!!! The added bonus is that we would get back Steve Clarke as well, and make no mistake about it people, Steve Clarke is the one who was responsible to a great extent for turning Stamford Bridge into a fortress.
The Meister recently saw an article about the wages of players and quite a few of the very highly paid ones are in Chelsea. Suffice to say that it is a big ass strain on the balance sheets.
Some of these players are definitely not worth the moolah.
The team has has beens like Ballack and Deco. They are just too slow now for the EPL. Deco's contribution this season has been more or less zilch. Ballack has played almost every match and has run around a lot, passed, tackled etc. The thing is that any ordinary player can do all these. Paying a superstar a huge amount for this is not worth it. So, next season we need to get rid of them. We can retain Ballack only if he takes a significant substantial paycut.
Next comes the prima-donnas - Drogba, Anelka and Ashley. There are no disputing their class but they increasingly look like bad influences and petulant and spoilt. The Meister thinks that their game is definitely on the wane. So get rid of them. All 3 should fetch a high price in the market.
Next we come to the never wills - Malouda, Ivanovic, Ferreira and Kalou. They are simply not good enough for the EPL. Sell them.
So that's around 8 players who should be off-loaded. Alex is a borderline case. He is good no doubt but not happy playing 3rd fiddle behind Terry and Carvalho. The matter should be discussed and a decision taken.
If we do all of these, then we should have some substantial amount of money to spend on new recruits.
But who to buy?
Well, let's start with the defence.
Terry, Carvalho and Bosingwa pick themselves. That leaves left-back. Who better than Phillipe Lahm. The guy has a good defensive intuition, is very fast and has a brilliant attacking flair and crossing abilities. The guy can score as well. He would be perfect to play off Joe Cole while attacking.
Belleti is the kind of player who seems to be able to play as defensive midfield, right back or left back depending on the situation. Mancienne can also play as right back. So, that's the sub defenders for the flanks. Now we need sub central defenders. If Alex stays fine, even then we need another option. If he doesn't then we definitely need another as carvalho and Terry seem to get injured quite frequently. Essien can play as centre back but not against the really top teams.
Phil Jagielka is the defender of the season as far as the Meister is concerned. However, he might not agree to play as a sub. He can play as a defensive midfielder as well. he can be enticed with money and with the opportunity to play in Champ League.
If he doesn't agree, then Curties Davies of Villa, Hangeland of Fulham, Upson of West Ham or Figuera of Wigan are also good options. The advantage of these players is that they have already played seasons in the EPl and have proved themselves to be quite good.
Now we come to the midfield. We have Lampard and Essien, both of whom quite simply have to play. So does Joe Cole. Now the decision is whether to play Essien as defensive midfield or attacking midfield. If he is defensive midfield, then we need another attacker, otherwise we need a defensive midfield. That purpose can be served by Mikel or Belleti or if Jagielka comes Jagielka.
Now if Essien is playing defensive midfield then Lampard up front and Joe Cole on one of the wings are okay. We need someone for the other wing or someone to support Lampard. Queresema is still an enigma. who knows how he will end up.
From the other leagues it looks like Ribery and David Silva will be in the market. Any of them will be a great catch.
If we look at the English scene, then it looks like Xavi Alonso might be available if Barry goes to Liverpool. Also David Bentley is certain to be available. He needs a kick up the backside otherwise he is very talented. Antonio Valencia from Wigan is a good option. So is James Milner from Villa.
On an outside, if Rafael Van der Vart really wants to come, he might be a good catch. Tugay Stuart Downing, Guiterrez, Rory Delap, Geovanni are also cheap options esp since any of their clubs might go down.
That brings us to the front. We need fresh blood, we need young hungry, talented players. 2 such players who will be available in the market come summer are David Villa and Lucas Podolski. Both are young, fast and immensely talented. If Chelsea can buy both it would be great.
If we can get only one of them, or even otherwise we need a backup or 2.
Franco di Santo and Ben Sahar need to get more chances and can be used in league and cup games. But for the really big matches, another experienced player might be needed. James Beattie come to mind. If Newcastle goes down, then Michael Owen is also a distinct possiblity.
All this is just hope and speculation. Who knows what will happen. Judging by past performances, we might again end up with duds. But hell a guy can dream.
