5 Things Andre Schurrle Must Do to Take His Game Forward in 2014/15

After a promising debut campaign in English football, you get the sense 2014/15 is going to be the year Andre Schurrle really announces his arrival in the Premier League.

The German had some excellent periods last year, including when he scored his first Chelsea hat-trick against Fulham, and he proved a fine addition to the Chelsea squad.

After playing a big role in Germany's World Cup success this summer, now, he will be looking to become a regular under Jose Mourinho, building on all that he has achieved in west London thus far.

With competition for places always high at Cheslea, Schurrle knows he has a tough task ahead of him.

Without a doubt, he has the talent to achieve it, but what areas can Schurrle target to show Mourinho he must be a first choice every week?

Bleacher Report delves a little deeper.

Track His Runners

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It always seems somewhat harsh on attacking players that they can be judged just as much for their defensive capabilities as they are for what they achieve going forward.

Like it or not, though, in a team coached by Mourinho, every player must adhere to the coach's desire for defensive perfection.

Right now, Schurrle isn't quite there.

Already this season we've seen Chelsea concede two important goals when Schurrle has failed to keep track of his man out wide.

Against Swansea City, it was Wayne Routledge who evaded him to send in a dangerous cross that John Terry turned into his own net, putting the Swans 1-0 up. More recently, Frank Lampard was the beneficiary, latching onto James Milner's cross to equalise for Manchester City in a 1-1 draw, with the latter ghosting in behind Schurrle.

Until the German perfects that side of his game, it'll be difficult for him to take his game forward simply because he will not play regularly enough under Mourinho.

Become More Prolific in Front of Goal

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Schurrle scored 10 goals in his first season as a Chelsea player.

It marked an excellent return, especially considering he started just 23 games, making 45 appearances in total.

This year, he has two goals to his name, but he has some way to go if he is to rival the return of Eden Hazard in his second season at Stamford Bridge.

Last year, Hazard scored 17, and in the process, he raised the bar for Chelsea's attacking midfielders.

If Schurrle can prove more prolific in front of goal, he'll become a deadly asset for Mourinho.

Become More Creative

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Leading on from our previous slide, it's not just about the goals Schurrle scores, of course. It's also about those he creates for his team-mates.

Schurrle has already finished off two excellent team moves for Chelsea this season, scoring a wonder goal against Burnley followed by a fine counter-attack goal against Manchester City, too.

He doesn't have an assist to his name yet, however, and last term, he recorded just two.

His goal output is encouraging, but Schurrle needs to add a more creative streak to his game in order to help his team-mates.

Develop an Ego

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Schurrle is a rare character in modern football. In many ways, he is too nice, and it can be detrimental to his game.

Against Bolton Wanderers in the Capital One Cup—a game Chelsea won 2-1—Schurrle put in an excellent display and could count himself unfortunate to have not come away with at least a goal to his name.

Unfortunately for him, Schurrle came up against a goalkeeper in inspired form, a goalkeeper it seemed that was determined to save anything and everything the German threw at him.

It was one of those nights, although Schurrle seemed to be carrying an air of fear about him. For every shot saved or that missed the target, he would often have a glance at the Chelsea dugout as if to gauge the reaction of Mourinho.

More often than not, to his credit, the manager applauded his player's efforts.

That said, Schurrle needs to be more ruthless. He needs to develop a bigger ego that shows more belief in his decisions, without fear of whether or not his manager is happy with him.

We rarely see Hazard looking over his shoulder at Mourinho. The Belgian makes plenty of errors in matches, but his confidence never wavers. He is resolute and has belief his ability will get the reward at some point.

If Schurrle can add that to his game, he'll be world class.

Impact Games from the Off, Not the Bench

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The view from some is that Schurrle is more a super sub than a proven starter for Chelsea.

Those critics have a point as, last season especially, the German's best displays did come from the bench.

Indeed, even in the World Cup for Germany, it was as a substitute that Schurrle made his impact.

He needs to change that perception, though.

The only way to do it, of course, is influencing games from the outset.

This season, it has been 50/50 in that regard, with Schurrle proving effective in both roles he has played.

If he can repeat his consistent form as a substitute when starting matches for Chelsea, Schurrle will become a regular for Mourinho.

He has everything to make that step up and is a superior talent to some of his other team-mates, playing a different role on the wing that adds depth to this Chelsea team.

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Garry Hayes is Bleacher Report's lead Chelsea correspondent. Follow him on Twitter @garryhayes