Power Ranking Every Chelsea Player from the 2014/15 Premier League Season
Chelsea have officially been crowned Premier League champions, rounding off their season with a 3-1 victory over Sunderland on the final day of the season.
That was the perfect end to 2014/15, after Jose Mourinho's men had sealed the title three weeks earlier.
They had to be patient before they could lift the trophy, though, and they went out with a bang.
For all their dominance, who have been the best players for the champions? Who was the one player they couldn't do without?
Join Bleacher Report as we go through the Chelsea squad to rank every player who featured throughout the past 12 months.
As ever, these rankings are highly subjective, so if you disagree with how we've ranked the Chelsea stars, let us know in the comments below.
Honorable Mentions
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Chelsea used a total of 26 players in the 2014/15 campaign.
That figure was rapidly increased toward the end of the season when we saw Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Izzy Brown and Andreas Christensen given their Premier League debuts.
Before that, Nathan Ake and Dominic Solanke had also featured in the cup games—Solanke making his Champions League debut despite barely being 17 years old.
Outside of them, Andre Schurrle and Mohamed Salah were also present for Jose Mourinho's side.
Given the small amount of game time the youngsters played, we haven't featured them in our power rankings. They haven't had enough time to make an impact, although the future still looks bright for Chelsea's academy stars.
As for Schurrle and Salah, both left the club in January. Schurrle joined Wolfsburg, while Salah was shipped out on loan to Fiorentina.
18. Juan Cuadrado
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It’s been an unconvincing introduction to English football for Juan Cuadrado.
We knew he needed time to settle in the Premier League, but his first six months have been disappointingly woeful.
To make matters worse for the Colombian, his best performance in a Chelsea shirt came against Sunderland on the last day of the season, but it was cut short through injury.
The one positive to take from Cuadrado’s start at Chelsea is that things can only get better. Surely?
17. John Obi Mikel
3 of 19
With the emergence of Ruben Loftus-Cheek, surely that calls time on John Obi Mikel’s Chelsea career.
The midfielder has been at the club for almost a decade, yet he’s failed to make the impact many predicted he would.
Indeed, it’s difficult to see why Manchester United and Chelsea were so eager to battle so publicly for Mikel’s services.
This year has been another disappointing one for the Nigerian. Chelsea have younger—and better—players coming through, and it’s about time he moved on.
16. Ramires
4 of 19
Injuries haven’t helped Ramires this season, but even that cannot hide the fact he has been in decline for the past few years.
The Brazilian seemed to peak in that memorable 2011/12 campaign when he played such an influential role in Chelsea’s Champions League success. Since that time he hasn’t hit the same heights.
Ramires has been a bit-part player for Jose Mourinho this season—but he’s been earning the salary of one who starts every week.
In a team of champions, Ramires hasn’t quite fit the bill.
15. Filipe Luis
5 of 19
Filipe Luis’ season has been a frustrating one, but it’s been for reasons beyond his control.
Cesar Azpilicueta seems to have made it his mission to torment left-backs at Chelsea, and right now, it’s definitely a case of mission accomplished.
The right-back has been Jose Mourinho’s first-choice left-back, and that has meant Luis playing a back-up role.
Whenever he has featured, Luis has looked strong and accomplished, but Azpilicueta has Mourinho’s affections right now, and that doesn’t look like changing any time soon.
Luis has had a limited impact as a result.
14. Oscar
6 of 19
Oscar ranks so low here based on the second half of his campaign. Again, for the third season running, the Brazilian has disappeared.
It’s frustrating.
When on form, the 23-year-old is exceptional, a real asset to Jose Mourinho’s side. When he’s off colour, he’s a dead weight being carried.
Oscar has offered very little since Christmas, and it’s a big concern ahead of 2015/16. Chelsea need their best players to be ready at the business end of the season, which Oscar hasn’t been.
How long can Mourinho allow that to happen?
13. Didier Drogba
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Didier Drogba made his last Chelsea appearance against Sunderland on the final day of the season, bringing down the curtain on an exceptional career in west London.
He received the send off he should have in 2012 when he first left the club.
His season has played out in that fashion almost. It’s been akin to a testimonial year, with Drogba returning to reaffirm his bond with the club where he made his name.
The glory of Munich 2012 wasn’t quite matched by him on a personal basis, but leaving the Premier League as a champion supports his decision for one last hurrah in England.
He’s been Chelsea’s third choice striker, but he has played the part well.
12. Petr Cech
8 of 19
Like Didier Drogba before him, it seems Petr Cech has played his last game for Chelsea.
After a decade as the club’s No. 1 goalkeeper, he’s been forced to play back-up to Thibaut Courtois this season. After a year of anguish, a player of his talents shouldn’t have to take much more.
He’s been a terrific servant for the club, breaking every record possible for a goalkeeper.
This season hasn’t dented that legacy, but given his limited appearances—Cech played just 16 games all season—it’s been his least productive in a Chelsea shirt.
11. Loic Remy
9 of 19
Loic Remy signed off 2014/15 in the perfect way, scoring a brace against Sunderland in Chelsea's 3-1 win.
That reminded us all of what a talent he is and the threat he poses in front of goal.
With the injuries he suffered this season, there was a danger we could have forgotten that.
His return of nine goals is a healthy one, though, and given that some of those came at crucial times, it raises the question of how many more he would have scored had he remained fit.
10. Kurt Zouma
10 of 19
Kurt Zouma is probably the one player who developed the most at Chelsea this season.
We know what his team-mates are capable of, but Zouma was something of an unknown quantity. He looked raw in pre-season, yet as 2014/15 developed, he grew into an important player.
So much so Jose Mourinho has since compared Zouma to Chelsea legend Marcel Desailly.
Zouma’s played at the heart of defence and in midfield, and he has rarely let his team-mates down.
Next season, we’re expecting more. Much more, and that’s to the detriment of Chelsea’s rivals.
9. Willian
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When we think of Chelsea’s attacking midfielders, the talk is often of Eden Hazard and Oscar (to a lesser degree). Willian can be overlooked, but as he has shown again this season, he’s an exceptional player.
The Brazilian grafts on the right side of midfield and is a key part of the pressing game Jose Mourinho wants his team to play.
Because of that, his ability as a footballer is forgotten. Willian has a bag of tricks in his locker, though, and while he isn’t prolific in front of goal—something he needs to improve—he has a knack for scoring at important times, like he did when clinching three points against Everton in February.
8. Gary Cahill
12 of 19
Because of a poor spell over Christmas, questions have been asked about Gary Cahill this season.
Is he still capable of being John Terry’s partner? Should Kurt Zouma replace him?
Such is Cahill’s character, he’s answered those. Not by complaining or making things difficult for Jose Mourinho; he’s done it by playing football.
Every player endures difficult periods in their career—it’s how they come through those periods that defines them.
Cahill has been back to his best since late February and was a big part of why Chelsea won the league.
7. Cesar Azpilicueta
13 of 19
Going back to our earlier slide with Filipe Luis, the fact Cesar Azpilicueta remains Chelsea’s first-choice left-back speaks volumes for the season he has had.
He ended Ashley Cole’s career at Stamford Bridge, and now he has fought off the battle with a player Chelsea signed for a considerable transfer fee.
He may not be explosive going forward or as exciting as some other defenders in Europe, but you know what you’re going to get with Azpilicueta.
He’s reliable, rarely puts a foot wrong and again, in 2014/15, he gave Jose Mourinho the defensive stability that is the cornerstone of any team he manages.
6. Thibaut Courtois
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When you’re replacing a legend as the No. 1 goalkeeper at a football club, the pressure is increased a notch. When said legend is your team-mate, it becomes even greater.
Thibaut Courtois has been faced with that this season, but he hasn't let the pressure of Petr Cech's presence get to him.
Courtois has shown why Jose Mourinho has put so much faith in him. He's been there when Chelsea have needed him and backed up the hype that has long followed him throughout his career.
There have been some errors along the way—think Hull City in March—but overall, Courtois has been an outstanding addition.
5. Branislav Ivanovic
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Before every Chelsea home game when Branislav Ivanovic is introduced, the stadium announcer pushes the same line: "Two Goal Branislav Ivanovic."
That's in relation to his exploits against Liverpool in the Champions League a few years back, yet age has not impacted him.
Ivanovic played every game of the Premier League season this year, and Chelsea were all the better for it.
He scores goals, but he is even better at ensuring they do not go in at the other end.
Ivanovic is a right-back, although he fills in when required in the middle and is a big part of making the Chelsea rearguard the fiercest in English football.
4. Diego Costa
16 of 19
Scoring 20 goals in your first season in English football is a fine return for any striker. When you've spent long periods out injured, it's even better.
Had Diego Costa's hamstrings not let him down, we would be talking about the Premier League's leading goalscorer.
The Spain international is exactly what Chelsea needed up front: he's been aggressive, a real nuisance for any defender he has come up against and, above all else, scored goals.
Costa gives Chelsea a presence in attack once more. They've been lacking that since Drogba's initial departure in 2012, so it's no coincidence they're back on top of the pile in the Premier League now they have a striker capable of achieving that.
If he's fit for an entire season next year, it could well be curtains for the rest.
3. Cesc Fabregas
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What was Arsene Wenger thinking? Why wouldn't any manager want Cesc Fabregas in his team?
Wenger's refusal to re-sign Fabregas last summer was Chelsea's gain, something his 19 assists can attest to.
The Spaniard has been the missing link between defence and midfield, giving Chelsea the attacking dynamism they lacked when they ran Manchester City close for the 2013/14 Premier League crown.
Fabregas' return to English football has been a resounding success. He spoke of having unfinished business at the start of the season, but now being a Premier League champion and also winning the League Cup, he has the full collection of medals on these shores.
He's fully deserved it, too.
2. Nemanja Matic
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We can talk about Chelsea's ability going forward, but what has separated them from the rest this season has been their ability to control games.
At times they have done that by dominating possession, on others by conceding the ball and playing a territorial game.
To do that, they require big personalities, players capable of playing with their backs to the wall and facing the opposition, well, face on.
Nemanja Matic is the best at that. He's been by far the Premier League's leading defensive midfielder, giving Chelsea stability and the physical edge they've needed.
Without him, Jose Mourinho's side wouldn't have won so many of the games they did.
1. John Terry and Eden Hazard
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How do you separate John Terry and Eden Hazard? You don't.
The duo are the reason why Chelsea are Premier League champions.
Whereas Terry has dominated attackers, Hazard has tormented defenders all season.
Both played all 38 games in the season (alongside Branislav Ivanovic), and without them, Chelsea would have lost a significant presence.
Talk of their performances is followed by the usual superlatives, but what impresses most about the pair is the number of bookings they collect—or not, as is the case.
Hazard was the Premier League's most-fouled player this season, but collected just two yellow cards all year. Terry equalled that number.
On the surface it doesn't mean much, but over the course of a season when playing every game, dips in form will often result in cautions or red cards.
A trailing leg, a dive or even kicking out at an opponent after yet another foul received isn't uncommon among players.
For this pair it is.
They were consistently Chelsea's best players; they were the Premier League's best players.
Garry Hayes is Bleacher Report's lead Chelsea correspondent. All quotes were obtained firsthand, unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter @garryhayes
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