Jose Mourinho: Outlining a Successful First Campaign Back at Chelsea

For many Chelsea fans, the return of Jose Mourinho feels just like being reunited with an old friend after too many months of separation. But although the Special One might be back in his rightful place, the hard work has only just begun.

Although they won the Europa League, last season has to be considered a disappointment by Chelsea's standards. As such, Mourinho has a fair bit of work to do in order to pull the Blues back to a Premier League title.

Here are some of the things that Mourinho will have to take care of if he is to have a successful first season back at Chelsea.

Summer Sales

So far, the Blues' only signing of note has been Andre Schurrle from Bayer Leverkusen.

But in order to strengthen the squad sufficiently, Mourinho will be looking to sign at least a couple more players before the summer is out.

Despite the signing of Schurrle, Chelsea will probably want to add at least one more striker, particularly if Fernando Torres' future lies elsewhere.

They will also need to add a defensive midfielder and possibly one more defender as cover.

Pick a Captain

Jose Mourinho has already stated that John Terry will remain the captain of the club this season but that it does not guarantee him a starting place in the team.

Although Terry is still technically the captain, that does beg the question of who will be the man to take charge, should he be dropped. Frank Lampard is the obvious alternative, but who will be the long-term successor to Terry? Perhaps now is a good time to figure that out.

Fernando Torres

Jose Mourinho has also indicated that he has yet to talk to Fernando Torres regarding his future at the club.

The £50 million striker is one of the main things that the manager will have to sort out before the start of the season. He could either sell the Spaniard, and use the money for transfer funds, or he could put his faith in Torres in the hope that he can build upon the patches of good form that El Nino showed last season.

In at the Deep End

A good start can be enough to put a team in the driver's seat for the rest of the season, but August could be a potential early stumbling block for the Blues.

In just the first few fixtures, Jose Mourinho's team will face holders Manchester United at Old Trafford in the League and follow it up with a rematch of the 2012 Champions League final, when they face Bayern Munich in the European Super Cup.

Although a disastrous first month is not enough to ruin a season, a good first month can set the tone for a title-winning one.

Negotiating Christmas

August will not be the only tricky part of the season for the Blues.

As usual, they will face a crucial few weeks over the Christmas period, this year facing a potentially tricky few games against Arsenal, Swansea and Liverpool.

Getting out of December with as many points as possible could be one of the most important factors in winning a Premier League title.

Champions League

Although Mourinho does not have the same amount of pressure to deliver a Champions League trophy as he did in his first stint at Chelsea, success in Europe is still something that is expected at the club.

After exiting the tournament after the group stages this year, much more will be expected of Jose Mourinho's team next season.