Chelsea Must Get Younger If They Wish to Be EPL Title Contenders

Chelsea did something Monday no one else in the English Premier League had been able to do all season, and that is beat Manchester City.

Despite the victory, Chelsea is not a contender for the Premier League title and they must make drastic changes to the structure of their team if they are to contend.

Their biggest problem is age. The team has hung onto players that are not effective anymore and has not injected enough youth to the squad, though hey did address getting some youth over the summer transfer in signing Oriol Romeu and Romelu Lukaku. 

Romeu has particularly impressed over late. He wins the ball well and makes solid passing decisions when he has the ball. There is no reason Chelsea need to play John Obi Mikel over him at this point.

In central defense the tandem is set with John Terry and David Luiz. I don't see the point of keeping Alex on the squad. He's already 29 and not a regular in the lineup. It's time for Chelsea to sell him and get a couple of hot center back prospects for the future. They need to make moves similar to what Manchester United did in getting Phil Jones and Liverpool did in getting Sebastian Coates. 

Frank Lampard is another player whose Chelsea career should be winding down. He was a world-class talent in his prime but he is not an everyday player anymore. Perhaps Chelsea will be inclined to keep him around because he is English and has had a storied career, though it is obvious Raul Meireles is the better option for the attacking midfield role in system Andre Villas-Boas uses. Chelsea must also devote playing time to Josh McEachran, one of the best prospects in England.

Another move Chelsea must make soon is to get rid of either Didier Drogba or Fernando Torres. Daniel Sturridge is now the obvious choice as the No. 1 striker on the team. Sturridge is also more versatile than the other two because he can play the out wide or central forward position in Villas-Boas' 4-3-3.

Drogba and Torres are only effective in the central striker role—not to mention Lukaku will be the successor to the Drogba/Torres role, so there is no point in keeping both Drogba and Torres when Lukaku is in the wings.

Speaking of the attack, Nicolas Anelka is leaving for China in January and Florent Malouda should not be far behind. Juan Mata has been excellent for Chelsea this season, and a more dynamic player than Malouda should be playing out wide opposite Mata. Too bad Neymar decided he would not come to Chelsea last year because he would be a perfect replacement. 

The EPL is more competitive than it has been for the past decade. Tottenham and Manchester City are contenders to take Champions League spots each season now and Manchester City is the title favorite at this point. Chelsea's core of players that led them to three titles in this era have aged and they must change the makeup of the team; otherwise, all they will be playing for is third-place finishes behind the Manchester teams.