Chelsea's Biggest Regret of the 2014/15 Premier League Season
When a team breezes its way to the Premier League title like Chelsea did this season, it's difficult to look back with any regrets on a successful campaign.
Jose Mourinho's side were scintillating—a powerful beast that destroyed the field put against them.
There were dips along the way—notably those defeats against Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur that dented their invincibility—but Chelsea were pretty much unstoppable.
Everything Mourinho hoped to achieve, Chelsea did.
Winning the Premier League title with three games to spare tells us that. Chelsea addressed their weaknesses and recruited well, and it was to their rivals' detriment.
Mourinho has a long flight back to London after Chelsea complete their post-season tour Down Under this week. If he hasn't already, that will give him time for reflection on what the sale of Andre Schurrle meant for his team.
As we're talking regrets, Mourinho must surely feel a sense of contrition around the German's Stamford Bridge exit and what followed.
Chelsea have been praised for the way in which the club has conducted its business in the past few transfer windows. They've continued to sign big-name stars, yet equally, they've funded those pursuits by selling a few of their own.
The loss of David Luiz for £50 million was hardly felt in west London in 2014/15—regardless of his Champions League exploits against Chelsea. Other high-profile departures such as Juan Mata and Kevin De Bruyne have been of more benefit than anything else, too.
Schurrle's different, though. He may not have the profile of his former team-mates, yet he gave this Chelsea team something different.
He could impact games from the bench, and even when starting, Schurrle provided an end product at important times.
Since he left in January, Chelsea have lacked that.
Schurrle's replacement was Juan Cuadrado, and despite a reputation to the contrary, he weakened Chelsea in the second part of the campaign.
Sure, when Schurrle was sold to Wolfsburg, he had become a peripheral figure at Chelsea. He was struggling for form and fitness, something brought on by illness and the after-effects of the World Cup.
Things certainly weren't looking good for him, yet a little more patience from the manager would have been beneficial.
We saw how Mourinho managed the likes of Eden Hazard and John Terry this season. The pair were sent on short breaks at different stages of the campaign, helping them stay fresh and remain a key part of what Chelsea achieved.
Mourinho wasn't as forthcoming with Schurrle, and it showed. There were games when he was hooked at half-time, and others when he was left out of the matchday squad altogether.
That must have damaged his confidence.
It's hardly the point, though. Chelsea replaced him with Cuadrado, who gave less in the last six months than a half-fit Schurrle had before him.
Mourinho called for Cuadrado to be given time to settle in English football. When he signed midseason, Mourinho knew it was going to be difficult for him to make an impact.
Did the manager suspect he would be as bad as he has been? Surely not.
Cuadrado has offered nothing for Chelsea. What's most concerning about him is that he seems to lack the basic abilities to play the game; Cuadrado seems to have forgotten how to control the ball, he can't cross and outside of some blistering pace, doesn't have a trick up his sleeve.
The theory is that he needs space in behind defenders to be most effective; well, he isn't going to have that luxury at Chelsea where Mourinho's men more often than not have to play through teams.
Schurrle's Chelsea career ended disappointingly, however, Cuadrado's has started much more so.
Too often when Chelsea needed a player to impact games from the bench, Mourinho would turn to his substitutes and knew he was lacking that edge.
That's where Chelsea's squad must be strengthened this season, only Mourinho weakened it significantly when he allowed Schurrle to leave.
Outside of Premier League games, when Chelsea needed a response against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League, the options just weren't there, either.
Chelsea were knocked out out of Europe for much more besides that, yet not having those impact players to come off the bench certainly played its part.
Cuadrado was never an answer for the manager, whereas Schurrle had been.
Chelsea sold the German for £22 million, which they soon passed on to Fiorentina for Cuadrado.
Mourinho must regret that. Cuadrado's been his biggest mistake.
Garry Hayes is Bleacher Report's lead Chelsea correspondent. All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter @garryhayes
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