5 Changes Chelsea Need to Make to Get Back Among Europe's Elite
It's a time of revolution at Chelsea—or at least it needs to be.
Antonio Conte has been named as the club's next permanent manager, and when the Italian takes office this summer, he will have a long list of things he must achieve in order to turn around Chelsea's fortunes.
The Blues have been champions only in name this season. They've barely threatened the top 10 all year, let alone put up a fight to defend their title. With a squad that looks unbalanced and the future of many stars being questioned, Conte has a considerable job ahead of him.
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So where does he start? Does Conte clear out his squad and revitalise Chelsea with his own players? Does he work with what he's got and attempt to get misfiring stars back to their best?
It's not all about the dressing room, though. There are problems elsewhere at Stamford Bridge that have contributed to the club's failures, such as an ill-conceived transfer policy and high managerial turnover.
With all that in mind, what can be done to get Chelsea back to the top of the Premier League and competing in Europe once more? Bleacher Report identifies some key areas.
Update the formation
A big factor in Chelsea's struggles has been how dated their setup has looked this season.
From dominating teams last year, the 4-2-3-1 has started looking old hat, with other sides in the Premier League adapting to the ever-changing approach of coaches and players. That's allowed them to turn the tables on the Blues and combat them in ways they couldn't last season.
All the while, Chelsea have remained static.
It all started with that Champions League loss to Paris Saint-Germain in March 2015. Even with a man advantage at Stamford Bridge in the second leg, Chelsea's system struggled to give them dominance.
It may work defensively, but moving forward, Chelsea are restricted. They play through the middle too often, which means teams can contain them easier.
Looking back at the best football Chelsea have played in the history of the club, let alone more recent times, it's been with wingers deployed to stretch teams. Playing so centrally suffocates Chelsea's effectiveness, and the club needs to refresh the formation moving forward.
With so much talent in the current squad, including Eden Hazard, Cesc Fabregas and Diego Costa, Chelsea have the personnel to be adaptable and create a more dynamic approach that will punish opponents.
Sign another world-class striker
For all that is written about Costa, there isn't enough praise for what he is capable of as a footballer. In that sense, he's among the most underrated players in Europe.
Costa doesn't help the situation with some of his antics, which puts the focus elsewhere. For all the negative headlines, he is a world-class striker, though, and Chelsea are much stronger with him than without.
We've seen that in the few games he has missed recently through suspension, where Chelsea's front men haven't looked as potent. While outlining just how vital he is, it's also shown the glaring holes in Chelsea's squad.
The Blues can't go another summer without investing in another world-class frontman to complement what they already have. Costa is the club's only consistent goalscorer, which is a major weakness.
It means that Chelsea are not only dependent on him but also lack options. With Antonio Conte coming in this summer, he needs reinforcements in order to get the club back on track. Some of those additions can come from the academy, but certain areas need ready-made players who can make an impact instantly.
Two world-class strikers will allow Conte to adapt his forward options. Will he play just one front man or two in that familiar 3-5-2 he deployed at Juventus?
Regardless, Chelsea must add goals to this team, and a proven goalscorer is the only way that's going to happen.
Continue blooding youth
Getting back among Europe's elite is one thing; remaining there is quite another.
That perspective is so well-versed in the modern era that we're bordering the realms of cliche just by mentioning it. Where Chelsea are concerned, however, it's the reality. The club reached the top last season by winning the title, and they have suffered significantly since.
It's come about because the squad has suffered from years of bad investments and a poorly thought-out transfer policy that hasn't helped them evolve.
To help remedy that, Chelsea must continue what Guus Hiddink has started by giving more younger players a platform to show us their wares.
It's not just about blooding young talent for the sake of it. It's about creating a spine that can serve the club for the long term in the same way Manchester United's Class of '92 so famously did for Sir Alex Ferguson.
Critics can point to that approach being all but dead in the modern game, but Chelsea's dominance in youth football in England and abroad suggests they're uniquely placed to buck the trend. The club has an opportunity to achieve something special with their academy players and in so doing maintain success.
Transfers are a reality of football, and every club must invest in order to keep apace. Bringing through the next generation from within is just as vital to that, however.
Revise an erratic transfer policy
We touched upon it in the reference to youth above, and the time has come for Chelsea to address how poor their transfer policy has been in recent years.
It wasn't so long ago we were lauding them for swiftly signing Cesc Fabregas and Diego Costa ahead of the 2014 World Cup, but that summer window stands in isolation. What we saw before and since then was Chelsea operating with business too much at the forefront of their policy.
The player turnover at Stamford Bridge in the past five years has been considerable, but what do Chelsea have to show for it? They have a depleted squad, with some of the Premier League's leading players having left them to realise their potential.
Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku and Daniel Sturridge are just three former Chelsea players who have gone on to prove themselves away from Stamford Bridge. In all three cases, neither player was given enough opportunities due to limited options and a loan system that was more about maintaining their transfer value than it was developing them.
There are many more besides, and for it to stop, Chelsea have to bring back some balance. They need to focus on what they need to strengthen their squad first before snapping up players with future sales in mind.
As a business enterprise, it works. As we can see from the state of Chelsea's current squad, it has impacted the balance at the club, though. It's an area that must be cleaned up.
Show faith in their managers
Antonio Conte is the 10th managerial appointment in the 13 years that Roman Abramovich has owned Chelsea. When he eventually takes over the reins after Euro 2016, it's clear the Italian is going to need time to bring about the change required at Chelsea.
If results aren't dramatically improved, Chelsea must show faith in the man they've appointed to reinstate them at football's top table.
There aren't many quick fixes in football, especially when a club has gone through what Chelsea have this season. There are fundamental flaws in the structure, and it has to be given time to recover.
The model of long-serving managers in Europe has been quashed in recent times. Outside of Arsene Wenger, it's difficult to name a manager of significance who has remained with one one club for over five years.
This isn't about Conte building a dynasty in west London, however. It's about him resetting the balance at Chelsea and bringing them back up. He isn't going to achieve that in the first few months of his tenure. He has a three-year contract for a reason—it represents a cycle, and it's about time Chelsea started giving managers an opportunity to serve on that.
With so many holes in his squad and problems elsewhere, Conte has his work cut out as it is. He doesn't need to feel the glare of a trigger-happy board every time Chelsea hit a rough patch of form.
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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