What Is Next For Chelsea After Its Loss To Liverpool?

Chelsea FC are doing some soul searching after its loss to Liverpool last Sunday. As a result of this defeat, Carlo Ancelotti has written off any hopes for a Premier League Title.

I decided to invite Ashan 49 and Cesar Diaz to a round table discussion concerning the future of Chelsea.

The following questions were posted:

1.. Did Chelsea make a mistake by signing Fernando Torres?

2. Can Chelsea salvage Its current EPL season?

3. What can Chelsea do to save its current season?

4. Chelsea is set to face FC Kobenhavn on the 25th of February 2011 for a place in the  UEFA Champions League Quarter Finals. What are your predictions?

Did Chelsea Make A Mistake by Signing Fernando Torres?

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LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 06: Fernando Torres of Chelsea in action during the Barclays Premier League match between Chelsea and Liverpool at Stamford Bridge on February 6, 2011 in London, England. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)

Ashan 49:

I was surprised by the signing of Torres to Chelsea, but then it slowly made sense. In my opinion I think he is the replacement for Didier Drogba who will soon probably look to retire.

So in saying that in the long-term think the signing of Torres is not a mistake, when he hits form he is top 3 worldwide.

Torres got a lot of criticism because he was not performing well recently, but it is tough for him to adapt due to all the media attention drawn to the Liverpool move, getting use to the new players, new systems, morale drop at Liverpool ,and maybe performance anxiety during the World Cup.

All these factors may have been responsible for the current form of Torres.

But so far at Chelsea we have only seen him in one match, against a defensive Liverpool set up, so we need to see Torres in more matches to see the bigger picture. His morale should of improved as in his opinion he is now with a club that is likely to win silverware.

Torres is part of the new transition that Chelsea are slowly easing themselves into, with the signing of David Luiz and Torres. I think they are looking to develop a more cohesive, fluid style of football for the near future.

Once things settle down Torres will slowly hit form again, and that’s when the other teams should worry. The loss at Liverpool & wanting to win silverware will motivate Torres to work on his form.

Cesar Diaz:

No… Chelsea needed a striker who can compliment Drogba while creating more scoring opportunities for Chelsea. Had Torres scored against Liverpool last week, everyone will be saying what a fantastic signing while laughing at Liverpool. Torres needed a change of atmosphere and Chelsea needed a tweaking in their offensive and both sides are going to benefit from this.

Can Chelsea Salvage Its Current EPL Season?

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COBHAM, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 11: David Luiz of Chelsea is presented his shirt by Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti during a press conference at the Cobham training ground on February 11, 2011 in Cobham, England. (Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images)

This question and the next one were asked in this discussion before Carlo Ancelotti wrote off any hope for Chelsea in the current Premier League season.

Ashan 49:

If Chelsea pick up squad form and morale I think they can pull through some of their fixtures. They have a match in the Champions League against FC Kobenhavn and if Torres should start and bags a  couple of goals it will probably lift the squads morale quite highly.

They should beat Fulham and Everton given their respective current form and not lose a potential 6 points. Any loss of points will prove damaging, they cannot afford to risk losing their 4th spot at this point in the season.

So I think Chelsea should just concentrate in maintaining their 4th spot in the EPL

Cesar Diaz:

Yes, it’s better to go in a slump during the middle of the season where they went 0-3-4 (11/14/10 – 12/27/10). With 13 games left in the EPL season, Chelsea is more than capable on going on a winning streak and by Torres’ 5th game with the team, he and the team should have a better understanding of each other’s flow.

What Can Chelsea Do To Save Its Current Season?

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COBHAM, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 11: Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti address a press conference at the Cobham training ground on February 11, 2011 in Cobham, England. (Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images)

Ashan 49:

I think the most beneficial thing Chelsea can do, is try their best in integrating Torres in the squad. Find a good squad formation that makes every player happy. Prior to Torres, Chelsea played well in the 4-3-3, but with Torres, its likely they’ll adopt a diamond formation. They might sit Torres on the bench, get him to watch the players to develop an understanding of them and then sub him for Drogba in the latter stages of games.

But one thing is clear, they need to unlock the form of Torres and once they do that, I think they can do more then just survive this season. Also, of course, they have to be lucky, in terms of the teams above them dropping points.

Cesar Diaz:

Score more goals because their defense is pretty solid. The only teams to score 3 goals against Chelsea were Sunderland (tie) and Arsenal (loss). If Chelsea had produced wins in at least 5 out of their 7 draws, we would be talking about how the team has enhanced it self with the signing of Fernando Torres. With the situation that they’re currently in, they need to simply produce more goals by intelligently attacking the net.

Chelsea Predictions For Next Group F UEFA Champions League Quarter Finals

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MARSEILLE, FRANCE - DECEMBER 08: Didier Drogba of Chelsea runs with the ball during the UEFA Champions League Group F match between Marseille and Chelsea at the Stade Velodrome on December 8, 2010 in Marseille, France. (Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Image

Chelsea is set to face FC Kobenhavn on the 25th of February 2011 for a place in the UEFA Champions League Quarter Finals. What are your predictions?

Ashan 49:

I think Chelsea will beat FC Kobenhavn, If Torres starts, I think its likely he will, and he will relish the chance to get off the mark for his new club. This is the type of challenge that Torres needs to raise his form, in turn having a positive effect on the Chelsea squad.

I think they’ll beat FC Kobenhavn 2-0.

FC Kobenhavn were beaten by Barcelona and Drew with them, so it will not be easy, but I think Chelsea’s impressive Champions League form so far will encourage them to not throw that away.

So in conclusion in relation to the title,

“What Next For Chelsea After Its Loss To Liverpool?”

I think they need to maintain their premier league spot, put the Liverpool loss behind them and focus on the Champions League. Chelsea have a very good squad that are just low in morale, (As an Arsenal fan it could not be better but I know not to write them off just yet, as Torres has yet to jump start his form).

I think Chelsea should make Champions League priority and just maintain their premier league spot.

The Debut of Torres in the EPL may not have of been to many fans standards, but we have yet to see his Champions League debut. It could be the turning point for him, to which I think is vital to salvaging & dictating Chelsea’s EPL/CL season.

Cesar Diaz:

2-0 Chelsea

Roberto Alvarez-Galloso:

I think that Chelsea will defeat FC Kobenhavn and advance in the UEFA Champions League. My opinion is that Ancelotti wrote off the current Premier League in order to concentrate on the UEFA Champions League.

Chelsea may use this piece of advice in order to continue the course.

I would like to thank Ashan 49 and Cesar Diaz for their participation in this roundtable discussion. Until next time.