5 Changes Chelsea Must Make to Secure Champions League in 2015/16

Where Chelsea succeeded in the Premier League last season, they failed in Europe.

Despite reaching the Champions league semi-final a year earlier, Chelsea were dumped out at the last-16 stage in 2014/15 after a disappointing performance over two legs against Paris Saint-Germain.

Following a 1-1 draw in the first leg in Paris, PSG scored two away goals at Stamford Bridge, meaning the 2-2 draw on the night was good enough to send them through at Chelsea's expense.

It was a wake up call for Jose Mourinho and his players. Now, as we look ahead to the upcoming season, the priority is to do much better.

But how?

Chelsea didn't lose a game in Europe last season, which suggests there isn't too much work to do to transform this team into European champions.

Join us as we look at some areas that could could make the difference for Chelsea's Champions League fortunes.

Add More Firepower

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Despite being Chelsea's leading goalscorer last season, Diego Costa didn't score a single goal in the Champions League.

So when your biggest goal threat isn't a threat in Europe, it's got to be a concern. A big one.

Jose Mourinho has already added Radamel Falcao to his squad in order to remedy that, but with four goals to his name in a Manchester United shirt last season, it's difficult to imagine he is the answer.

We know how structured Chelsea are defensively, yet they need more menace to allow them to play on the front foot.

Signing another player to help ease the burden on Costa when it comes to the goalscoring is a must.

Every team with hopes of winning the Champions League can boast significant strength in attack, and Chelsea need to match that.

Ease the Burden on Eden Hazard

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Things went wrong against Paris Saint-Germain last season because Eden Hazard was marked out of both games.

It's easier said than done, but Laurent Blanc's tactics were clear: Hazard was to be stifled at any cost.

PSG adopted some dark tricks in their approach, but ultimately it worked. They got their reward by stopping Hazard playing which, in turn, stopped Chelsea playing.

Without their diminutive Belgian, Chelsea weren't fluid enough, they lacked any sense of dynamism and were easy to deal with in attack.

That cannot happen again.

Jose Mourinho must add players to his squad who can give Chelsea more options when Hazard is targeted—players who can create openings and offer a plan B.

Until Chelsea add more of that creativity, they're going to struggle to rival the top teams on the continent.

Show More Courage in Attack

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Again, to reflect on that Paris Saint-Germain away-goals defeat, it was striking how Chelsea seemed to be at a loss on how they should attack Laurent Blanc's men.

PSG had started the better team in the second leg, but the pendulum swung considerably in Chelsea's favour when Zlatan Ibrahimovic was sent off for a tackle on Oscar.

Television replays showed there was minimal contact, although the referee saw it otherwise.

Chelsea seemed to relax for a period in the aftermath, but they were soon caught in two minds: Should they stick or twist, given their first-leg advantage?

Hindsight tells us the option to stick was the wrong one.

Chelsea were too cautious on the night and that proved their downfall. PSG were there for the taking and they should have gone for the jugular.

It was a sign that this team is far from the finished article. They were naive against PSG and paid the price.

Seize the Initiative

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Moving on from the previous slide, this remains an issue for Jose Mourinho and his tactics.

There is no amount of business the Chelsea manager can do in this transfer window to remedy his own approach.

Mourinho needs to ensure Chelsea take control of matches early and dominate their opponents.

The Champions League isn't the Premier League or La Liga. After the group stage, it becomes about cup football and, more often than not, those who seize the initiative in cup ties are the teams that win.

Tactics between league and cup football are different. Teams are playing in one-off situations and so much comes down to the simple factor of who performs the best on a given day.

It's why we see so many upsets in the FA Cup and other competitions.

Chelsea were too reserved in Europe last season. They seemed to be playing the long game, waiting to see how things panned out before they made their move.

When the time came, it was too late and the game against Paris Saint-Germain had passed them by.

It's not about being gung-ho, but with a few subtle changes to how this team sets up, Chelsea have the personnel to go and win games by controlling things.

Give Up the Ghost in the Capital One Cup

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Regardless of the competition his team are competing in, Jose Mourinho genuinely wants to win every trophy.

It's an admirable quality and one that has got him where he is in management today.

If he wants to give Chelsea the best opportunity of winning the Champions League, he needs to sacrifice a competition, though.

Chelsea won the Capital One Cup last season, so that would appear the logical one.

The competition means the games stack up for those advancing to the latter stages and put pressure on teams at a vital stage of the season—the two legs of the semi-final coming shortly after the busy Christmas schedule.

It seemed Chelsea were playing big game after big game in the early part of 2015, and that would have had an impact on the players as they approached their match-up with Paris Saint-Germain in February.

Not only that, playing so regularly means tactical sessions on the training ground are reduced significantly with the focus turning to playing recovery.

There's a reason no team has ever won the quadruple in English football—something has to give at some point.

Chelsea enjoyed their day out at Wembley Stadium for the Capital One Cup final in March, but one suspects a day out in Milan for the Champions League final will trump that next season.

Garry Hayes is Bleacher Report's lead Chelsea correspondent. All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter @garryhayes.