Chelsea: 10 Things Andre Villas-Boas Must Get Right to Win Premier League

Andre Villa-Boas will have to correct several mistakes made under Carlo Ancelotti's Chelsea last year in order to bring trophies back to West London.

The Portuguese is meticulous in his approach and will exhaust every possible option in striving to form a Chelsea team capable of winning the big trophies again.

Here are 10 areas of concern that Villas-Boas could look to address in order for Chelsea to improve.

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Add Pace, Directness and an Improved Tempo to the Blues

There is no secret that Chelsea suffered last season when the opposition decided to allow them possession of the ball and defend deep.

A key component missing in Chelsea’s attack was pace. There were large spells of patient build-up that opened up plenty of openings but Chelsea could not capitalize due to a lack of explosive pace that is necessary to catch well-organised defenses off guard.

This has been missing at Chelsea since the days of Arjen Robben and although acquiring new players may be an option to correcting this flaw, there remains some interesting propositions at Andre Villas-Boas’ disposal among the current squad.

Daniel Sturridge has returned from a successful loan spell with Bolton and is capable of committing defenders by making dangerous runs across the left back towards goal from a right-wing position. Gael Kakuta is somebody who is also capable of performing in a similar way and has impressed somewhat at Fulham last season; he is currently on display at the FIFA World Youth Cup in Colombia with France.

Alternatively Chelsea could congest the middle of the pitch, a feasible prediction considering their strength in this area, before releasing a wide player who capable of hugging the touch line. Ashley Cole does this perfectly and for all his weaknesses defensively, José Bosingwa offers a similar ability attacking as the right full back.

Add Some Creativity to the Midfield Capable of Dictating Matches

Chelsea will welcome additional creativity in the midfield this season without landing their No. 1 transfer target, just yet, in Luka Modric.

Yossi Benayoun is fit again after he endured a torrid time last season through injury. The Israeli is capable of unlocking the most stubborn of defenses by dragging opponents out of position with his dribbles from one side of the pitch to the other.

Then there are two younger options. Oriol Romeu was acquired from Barcelona and the 19-year-old is an exquisite passer of the ball who has been dictating the play of Spain U-20s this summer in Colombia at the World Youth Cup. The Catalan midfielder operates from a deep position, which will be useful as Chelsea often have to be patient in their build-up and requires the holding midfielder to recycle the play and dictate the tempo to the attack.

Josh McEachran also has a similar range of passing and the 17-year-old would probably feel more comfortable operating closer to the strikers. Tipped for stardom the Englishman will not feel out of place given his maturity in last season's Champions League. McEachran has a wand of a left boot that could do wonders for Chelsea's strikers this season.

An Outlet from Right Full Back Is Require to Balance the Side

Ashley Cole is often seen as the perfect left back and Chelsea are blessed to have such a complete player in this position, but it also highlights the flaws at right back.

Branislav Ivanovic is a very solid option who is strong in the tackle but lacks a bit of pace to drift past opponents once breaking forward.

On the other hand Jose Bosingwa can often be exposed due to his poor positioning defensively.

But Villas-Boas will know that his side should have the majority of possession in most games and that Bosingwa can balance the side somewhat and allow the Blues to attack down both sides. 

Help Fernando Torres Regain His Confidence

Helping Fernando Torres rediscover his finest form will be tough but the Spaniard will surely feel invigorated after enjoying a summer holiday for the first time since 2007.

El Niño has had a full preseason of preparation and should be relishing his opportunity at Chelsea after yearning for the move for so long. Time is running out for Torres to claim the sport's most prestigious domestic prizes to match his glorious success with Spain.

Torres is the type of striker who loves to link up with teammates before spinning in behind defences as he did with Steven Gerrard to great effect at Liverpool.

Yossi Benayoun, Daniel Sturridge and even Josh McEachran seem to have the quick feet and the lateral movement to be able to play intricate one-twos in tight spaces.

Even better would be a certain Luka Modric. If Torres can develop a relationship with a teammate whereby either player is capable of penetrating the opposition’s defense by exchanging passes, then the opposition will allow him more space and chances will arrive.

Find a Way of Combining Didier Drogba and Fernando Torres to Devastating Effect

Of course 4-3-3 is Villas-Boas’ preferred formation and it is not always going to be possible to accommodate Didier Drogba with Fernando Torres, but to know there is the possibility of a Plan B could be vital to Chelsea’s ability to switch tactics and chase matches.

The sheer presence of Drogba alongside Torres should technically pose problems to the opposition.

So it is therefore Villas-Boas’ job to find a midfield that is capable of linking with these two phenomenal strikers when they are on the pitch together.

The problem last year was the space between the strikers and midfield when more than one out-and-out forward played for Chelsea.

A possible solution to this could be sacrificing Frank Lampard at times for a attacking midfielder capable of carrying the ball over a large distance under close control.

Benayoun could be this player but a more exciting prospect is Lucas Piazon. The Brazilian will arrive in Janaury from São Paulo and his style is often compared to Kaká.

Give Daniel Sturridge a Chance; He Deserves It

Simply looking at his goal-scoring record while on loan at Bolton (eight goals in 12 games) suggests Daniel Sturridge is ready to contribute in a major way at Chelsea.

By giving the 21-year-old greater minutes on the pitch, Chelsea will reap the rewards.

Villas-Boas would be foolish to not give this mercurial talent a chance, given his hunger to succeed at Chelsea rather than strive for a permanent move to a smaller club with great first-team guarantees.

Accept Some Players Make Mistakes but Could Offer Something Different

This is mainly referring to Jose Bosingwa, since everybody knows his defensive qualities leave a lot to be desired. Having said that, the Portuguese enjoys getting forward and possesses great pace that allows him to ghost past full backs with ease.

Villas-Boas will need to weigh up the equation but I think it is entirely possible that Bosingwa will be given plenty of playing time against weaker opposition who plan to use stubborn tactics to frustrate Chelsea.

Other players that this could apply to would be John Obi Mikel. The Nigerian is a huge man standing at 1m 88cm with a muscular build.

Mikel may have been frustrated in the last few years at the highly disciplined role that has been handed to him by consecutive managers.

Villas-Boas would be wise to explore the idea of a second player capable of holding the midfield together while offering Mikel the opportunity to drive forward.

This leaves risk in that Mikel could lose the ball but his passing ability is capable of hurting defences due to how neat and crisp he is at playing 5- to 10-meter passes. It is at least worth experimenting considering how devastating the Mikel was in an attacking role for the Nigerian youth teams.

Finally Sort out the Defensive Midfield Role

There are many candidates for this role: Mikel, Romeu, McEachran, Ramires or even Michael Essien once he returns from injury.

Plenty have been afforded the opportunity to make the role their own but few have succeeded since Claude Makelele left the Blues.

This leads me to believe that Villas-Boas will tinker with the 4-3-3 that Chelsea have grown so accustomed to. The Portuguese tactician could very well implement two holding midfielders in tandem as he did with Porto with Fernando and Joao Moutinho.

This would give greater freedom to Frank Lampard whilst preventing the sole defensive midfielder of last season being exposed.

Maintain Florent Malouda's Hunger to Deliver More Goals

Florent Malouda may not be to everybody’s taste but the Frenchman does provide the second-highest source of goals from midfield at Chelsea after Frank Lampard.

During the last two seasons, coincidentally since the arrival of Yuri Zhirkov (who became a threat to his place), Malouda has scored 29 goals.

A midfielder who can provide this is a valuable commodity, and to maintain this output Villas-Boas will have to keep him on his toes by pressurising Malouda with the threat that others could come in to take his spot. 

The Frenchman may be the wrong side of 30 but still has a lot to offer this Chelsea side.

Use Frank Lampard Sparingly

Frank Lampard is irreplaceable.

What he has contributed to Chelsea in 10 years is remarkable and the stuff of legends. As he grows older Villas-Boas will need to keep Lampard fresh for the crunch moments of the season.

Lampard’s uncanny ability to score important goals could be crucial in defining Chelsea’s season as a success or not. This is why it could be the first season in Lampard’s career that he is rested when fully fit.

This should do him the world of good by enabling him to be able to reach his maximum during the business end of the season.

We wait with interest for Sunday's game away to Stoke to find out how exactly Villas-Boas has altered the Blues for the better.

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