Optimism Abounds As a New Season Approaches

A new season is almost upon us. After having our footballing hunger abetted by the brilliant Euro 2008, leagues across Europe are raring for action. Like fans of most teams, I am quietly confident of my team’s prospects. This thread connects fans in what can be a very partisan sport, no matter what division or league your team is in.

Chelsea are my team, and I’m frankly salivating at the thought of what the new season will bring. The pain of going to Moscow and witnessing us lose a Champions League Final has made me anticipate the return of football and the chance to achieve what we so narrowly missed out on last season.

The appointment of Luiz Felipe Scolari was a very good choice by the Chelsea hierarchy. While the press rather comically banded around every manager under the sun for the job, the Chelsea board remained calm, simply stating that they were happy with the search for a new manager. The appointment, without a doubt, caught the press of guard .

"Big Phil" as the tabloid press have taken so readily to calling him, has won a number of trophies in a number of different countries, including of course, the World Cup with Brazil in 2002. His teams can play attacking football, but also winning football.

He isn’t afraid to make big decisions for the benefit of the team, as he showed when he dropped Romario from the Brazil squad for the 2002 World Cup to accommodate the 3 R’s; Ronaldo, Rivaldo and Ronaldinho. Such a skill is needed at a club like Chelsea, where some of the player’s ego’s were not checked by the unimposing but competent Avram Grant.

The signings made so far will improve the squad, and the rumoured purchase of Robinho from Real Madrid would add quality on the wing, where Florent Malouda and Shaun Wright-Phillips have often failed to impress.

The arrival of Deco will bring some extra creativity, if not goals, to Chelsea. Such a task will likely still be delegated to Ballack and Lampard, who looks like he will be staying for at least another season. There is no doubt that Chelsea have a world class midfield, with strength in depth with the likes of Mikel, Essien, Ballack, Lampard and Deco to choose from. It’s a nice problem for Scolari to have.

Jose Bosingwa could be the solution to Chelsea’s right-back problems, something which has affected the club since Mourinho took charge. As we saw in the Euro’s, Bosingwa is not scared of going forward, and Scolari’s vision of playing more attacking football will include the likes of Bosingwa and Ashley Cole bombing forward from the back, something which we have seen in Chelsea’s two pre-season games so far.

Jose Mourinho’s purchases last summer have so far proved to be inadequate, and it seems as if most of his buys will be shipped out before the season has kicked off. Steve Sidwell has already gone to Aston Villa in a £5 million pound deal, and rumours surround the futures of Claudio Pizarro, Tal Ben Haim and Florent Malouda. The deadwood is being shifted, and quality has been brought in.

My only slight worry is in the striking department. If Drogba decides to go, then we are left with Anelka, Shevchenko, Pizarro and the talented but inexperienced Franco Di Santo.

I don’t think this would be the end of the world, as they would be supported by the likes of Lampard, Ballack and Deco from the middle, and Joe Cole and Kalou from the wings. Also, playing in his favoured central role, Nicolas Anelka should flourish. The main reason for his largely ineffectual performances last season was Avram Grant’s tendency to play him out wide.

Andrei Shevchenko got injured last Christmas when he finally hit form, with his performance in the 4-4 draw with Aston Villa (setting up Alex and crashing in a superb goal) being one of his finest performances in a blue shirt to date. If he is partnered up front with another striker and given a run in the side, we might see him recapture that form.

Claudio Pizarro scored only two goals last season, but he wasn't given much of a chance to impress by Jose Mourinho. It will be better to judge him once he has been given a run in the team by Scolari.

Franco Di Santo has shown plenty of promise in his short time at the club. He scored seven goals in eight reserve team games last season, finishing as the team's top scorer despite only arriving in January. So far in pre-season he has scored two goals in two substitute appearances.

Chelsea’s pre-season so far has consisted of two easy victories over some mediocre opposition. But the games have provided glimpses of Scolari’s philosophy and the style of play he has in mind for this Chelsea team.

Scolari has experimented with two strikers in a 4-2-2-2 formation, with Anelka and Kalou upfront. Neither of them are very good at playing the role of battering ram that Didier Drogba has played so well for the past four years, so it seems that Scolari’s Chelsea will aim to play the ball on the ground a bit more, instead of just lobbing it up to Drogba.

The pace at which the players have come forward with has also caught my eye. Under Mourinho, Chelsea’s build-up play was very measured and tentative, the incisive pass or attempted break through would often not be very quick. In his two matches in charge so far, Scolari’s players have come forward much more quickly, utilising Nicolas Anelka’s pace and ability to play off the shoulder of the last man.

The full-backs have also been given more license to roam, with Ashley Cole and Jose Bosingwa (very briefly) doing so in Chelsea’s first game against Guangzhou. Paulo Ferreira was given a similar remit against Chengdu Blades, but he doesn’t seem as competent going forward as Bosingwa.

Overall, it seems a more attacking approach will be employed next season.

As I mentioned at the beginning of the article, Chelsea came so close to winning a number of trophies last season. The thought of what a highly competent manager like Luiz Felipe Scolari could do with very much the same squad should have Chelsea fans dreaming of Rome in May. And why not?

A relative asked me yesterday, "What will Scolari bring to Chelsea?"

“The league title,” I quipped.

The veracity of my optimism will only become clear come May, but I’ll be in plentiful company awaiting the outcome of the optimistic predictions I have given for my team.