Chelsea: Mourinho Will Make Blues Most Improved Premier League Side in 2013-14

(All stats courtesy of Transfermarkt unless linked otherwise.)

A lot has happened in a year at Stamford Bridge, even for the Roman Abramovich era. In May 2012, Chelsea were still celebrating their first Champions League triumph, which was a highly admirable feat on it's own, and even more so considering the teams they knocked out while employing Roberto Di Matteo’s defend-and-counter tactics.

Since then the hugely popular Italian has led the team through a poor run of form, which led to him being replaced by a hugely unpopular Spaniard, who eventually won (most of) the fans round by giving them Europe’s second-largest prize to go with the first. And now he’s gone, having flown off in the direction of Napoli this week.

In short, Chelsea have gone from the highest of highs to coach-less, then they welcomed a manager who nobody wanted, only for him to give them what they sort of wanted, for him to then make way for the man who they really wanted. Not bad for 12 months' work.

Jose Mourinho is certainly walking into a healthier Chelsea than Rafa Benitez did. When the ex-Liverpool boss joined in November, the Blues had lost two and drawn two of their past five league games. Naturally things took time to improve—they drew three and lost one of their next five—but an 8-0 thrashing of Aston Villa turned the tide, and they got back to winning ways, eventually finishing in third.

You could say that Benitez has done the hard work for Jose: He took a defensively minded team lacking in confidence and transformed them into a fluid counterattacking beast.

Eden Hazard, who initially struggled during his first season in the Premier League, found his feet under the Spaniard, while Fernando Torres—the man whose poor form some consider the main reason that Benitez was brought in—found some rekindled self-assurance and bagged 22 goals and 11 assists for the season.

While Torres and Hazard have improved dramatically—and players such as Juan Mata and Oscar have gone from strength to strength—David Luiz has been making a case for himself as most improved PL player of the season.

Gary Neville summed it up when he likened Luiz’s positioning to a 10-year-old playing FIFA on a PlayStation, in an article from The Times (subscription required). That may still be true in some respects, but respect is due as the Brazilian developed from a dodgy defender to an effective midfielder under Rafa.

It is unlikely that Mourinho will want to rely on either Torres or Demba Ba up front next season, but replacing a striker is not all that complicated, and, if done correctly, will be the missing piece of the puzzle.

Juan Mata and Eden Hazard topped the PL assists table for 2012-13 on 12 and 11 respectively, so with a Radamel Falcao or an Edinson Cavani to feed, you can imagine the effect it would have on opposition defences. It will be interesting to see if the “Special One” will give the brilliant Romelu Lukaku a chance, as the 20-year-old Belgian is returning from a West Brom loan in which he scored 17 for the season.

Mourinho’s strategy of teasing the opposition on then breaking at pace is not too far from the style instilled by Benitez, so the transition should be fairly comfortable. Add to this that the players he already has—regardless of who he brings in—are among the brightest talents in Europe, and things are looking rosy.

While John Terry still has delusions of grandeur as far as his importance to the team goes, the truth is that the 32-year-old is likely to be eased out, a job already half-done by injury. While still a capable defender, he never had much pace, and the little he was blessed with has deserted him and been replaced with a higher tendency for error.

Ashley Cole is another player who could be eased out over the next season or two, but that would be nothing to do with his form and all about his age. Ryan Bertrand has promise, but he needs more playing time to unlock that potential.

Gary Cahill will no doubt remain in the central pairing, but David Luiz’s future could and should lie in midfield. Mourinho will not allow a player who can clearly perform at midfield but is prone to bad positioning to sit in the back four when there are far better options available, so there may be a hunt for a top-class centre-back over summer.

With the defence likely to be shored up and a stellar talent—we can debate on who it will be for as long as we want, but there is no doubt that it will be a world-class player—brought in at the point of the attack, judging by the current crop the future is bright for Chelsea.

Eden Hazard has acclimatised, with his best years lying ahead, while Oscar is every bit of flair and imagination we have come to expect from expensive Brazilians. Juan Mata is simply as brilliant as ever. Let’s just take the time to picture those three with Cavani, Falcao or maybe Gonzalo Higuain in front of them…

Last season, Chelsea’s goals scored and goal difference were second in the league only to Manchester United. Jose Mourinho, being one of the best managers in the world, will no doubt improve on these figures, aided by Abramovich’s unthinkably deep pockets.

Last time he was in England, the Portuguese took the league by storm. He secured back-to-back titles, and only Alex Ferguson was able to see him off—he has returned to find Ferguson retired and United in a state of transition and uncertainty.

If it wasn’t for Manchester City and their millions, 2013-14 could turn out to be something of a one-horse race...as long as he and Ambramovich can keep their egos apart.