Chelsea's Objectives for the Next Decade

When Roman Abramovich bought Chelsea in 2003, the club's ambitions dramatically increased.

Since then they have transformed into a European super power, winning three Premier League titles and the UEFA Champions League along the way.

The fans have been infected by the owner's hunger for success and aspiration to be the best.

So what are their objectives for the next decade?

Managerial Stability

Chelsea have had eight different managers in the past 10 years: Claudio Ranieri, Jose Mourinho, Avram Grant, Felipe Scolari, Guus Hiddink, Carlo Ancelotti, Andre Villas-Boas and Rafael Benitez.

Despite receiving plenty of criticism for this ruthless approach, Chelsea have enjoyed sustained success throughout this period. Whilst the hire-and-fire culture is common in Italy and Spain, in England the belief has always been that stability is one of the key elements to long-term success.

While managerial stability is most definitely preferable, it is essential to have the right man to take your club forward. In Jose Mourinho that is exactly what Chelsea have.

With the "Special One" back in charge, the fans can finally enjoy an extended period with the same manager. This should allow the club to build a better structure, a clear philosophy and a stronger identity.

Develop World Class Players from Academy

John Terry broke into the first team 13 years ago. Since then, not one player from the academy has gone on to become a key player at Chelsea. For a top club which has produced the likes of Jimmy Greaves, Ray Wilkins and Peter Osgood over the years, it is simply not good enough.

Roman Abramovich has spent a lot of money on developing the academy by improving the quality of players, coaching and training facilities.

Chelsea fans can expect this investment to start bearing fruit in the next few years. Two consecutive trips to the FA Youth Cup final and reaching the Next-Gen Series final last season show that progress is being made.

The two most exciting prospects are Nathaniel Chalobah and Ruben Loftus-Cheek. Whilst they are still very young, both appear to have the potential to break into the first team and eventually become world-class players.

Master Attacking Style

As successful as Chelsea have been in the past decade, they have persistently been accused of playing "boring" and "defensive" football.

When Jose Mourinho first arrived at Chelsea, he molded a formidable counter-attacking unit that was built on power and discipline which fit the profile of the players the club had at that time.

Now they have a group of young players who hold very different qualities.

Eden Hazard, Oscar, Kevin de Bruyne, Marco Van Ginkel and Willian are all recent signings which indicate an intent to play a more possession-based and offensive style of football.

The ultimate aim is to be able to go to the Camp Nou or the Allianz Arena and not only emerge victorious, but to also out-play the opponents in the latter stages of the Champions League.

4 Premier League Titles

The Premier League is the world's most popular league, and winning it remains a primary ambition every season for Chelsea.

They may now be one of the biggest clubs on the planet, but they still have a lot of catching up to do on Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United when it comes to league titles.

The Blues have won four titles in their history, ranking equal seventh of all time. If they can get four more, they would jump into fifth place ahead of Sunderland and Aston Villa, who have won six and seven respectively, and would only be trailing Everton by one title.

Winning four league titles out of the next ten may appear slightly ambitious, but when you consider Manchester United won five titles in the past decade, it is certainly feasible.

3 FA Cups

The FA Cup was first held in 1871/72, making it football's oldest competition. It's rich history makes it a very prestigious tournament, and perhaps the most important domestic cup in the world.

In recent years, Chelsea have had a special connection with the FA Cup, winning it four times since 2007 and taking their total number of victories to seven.

They rank fourth all time on the winners list, equal with Liverpool and Aston Villa and are only four behind Manchester United's record of 11 triumphs.

The main issue is that Tottenham have won the FA Cup eight times, and Chelsea fans really don't like it when Spurs have anything over them. Another three successes in the FA Cup this decade would more than likely take Chelsea's tally above Tottenham's, and would potentially draw them level with Arsenal on 10.

2 Champions League Trophies

In 2012, Chelsea finally got their hands on the UEFA Champions League trophy, becoming the first winners from London and joining an exclusive club of 22 teams to win Europe's premier club competition.

After basking in the glory of being champions of Europe for the whole of last season, the fans are looking to the future. It is now about building on the history of the club and creating a dynasty.

If Chelsea can secure two more Champions League victories in the next decade, they will join an elite group of eight clubs to win the trophy at least three times.

Significantly, it would also mean they would move level with Manchester United (assuming they don't win another) as the second most successful English team in European Cup history.

Considering the young talent at their disposal and with Jose Mourinho at the realm, winning another two Champions League trophies in the next decade is not out of reach for the Blues.

FIFA Club World Cup

There is only one trophy missing from the Stamford Bridge cabinet, the FIFA Club World Cup.

In 2012, Chelsea lost their first final, 1-0, to Corinthians.

Some fans don't seem to care too much about this competition, because the quality and prestige of the Champions League is that much higher. They simply deem the FIFA Club World Cup to be an irrelevant exhibition tournament.

There are also many other fans, myself included, who see this tournament as the ultimate honor in club football. It is, after all, an opportunity to be champions of the world, and have the right to flaunt it with an official badge.

As a European team, the only way to qualify is by winning the Champions League, and surely next time around Chelsea won't let the FIFA Club World Cup slip.

FIFA Ballon D'Or

The FIFA Ballon D'Or is the highest individual honor in the game. When a player wins the award, he also brings significant prestige to his club.

Chelsea have never had a player crowned as the best in the world, Frank Lampard came closest in 2005, finishing as runner-up to the Brazilian genius Ronaldinho.

Eden Hazard appears to have the potential to compete for this award, but he must develop his game much further if he is going to be recognized as the world's greatest player.

As the star of an extremely talented Belgium team, and under the tutelage of Jose Mourinho at Chelsea, it is entirely possible that one day he will be the first player to bring the FIFA Ballon D'Or to Stamford Bridge.

New Stadium

Stamford Bridge has been Chelsea's home since the club was founded in 1905. The fans love the stadium, and it is very hard for them to think of their team playing home matches anywhere else.

Nonetheless, the reality is that they have begun to out-grow their 42,500 seater.

Chelsea are now competing with clubs such as Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Manchester United, who all have a capacity of over 75,000. This highlights the necessity to increase the size of their stadium.

The ideal scenario would be to expand Stamford Bridge into a 55,000+ seater. According to Chelseafc.com, the club have looked into this option. However at the current time it appears to be out of the question due to its location.

If Chelsea can't find a solution in expanding their current stadium, then they must look elsewhere.

As long as the new stadium is within a close proximity to Stamford Bridge, the majority of the fans would understand the decision and would be happy that the club is moving forward.

The Treble

When a club wins the treble, the season doesn't only go down in their own history, but it also goes down in footballing folklore.

Chelsea achieved the Premier League and FA Cup double in the 2009/10 season under Carlo Ancelotti, and the next target is to go one better and win the treble.

In England, the treble consists of winning the League, the FA Cup and the Champions League.

This has only ever been achieved once, by Manchester United in their remarkable 1998/99 campaign. This demonstrates just how difficult it is to win the treble, especially for an English side.

On the other hand, Barcelona, Inter and Bayern Munich have all won the treble since 2009. This suggests that it is plausible for Chelsea to do the same in the coming years.