It was an open criticism under previous managers and regimes; the Chelsea team are too old was the critique that came from fan, pundit and commentator. It was a valid one too; the average age of their starting XI has been consistently high for the past 3 seasons and growing. Last year their aging squad hit its all-time high of 29.9 years of age, 3.3 years older than Mourinho’s Chelsea that became the fifth English team post-war to win back-to-back Premier League titles. Furthermore, the last time Chelsea had an older squad was the 1999/2000 PL campaign and that year they finished 5th, 26 points adrift of the eventual winners Manchester United. It was their lowest finish for three campaigns.
For a short while at the beginning of this campaign, the ominous age factor eluded the media, AVB’s possible list of excuses and indeed the fans; at least it wasn’t publicly utilised. The fact that the age problem was tentatively remedied somewhat, with the reduction in the average age by 1.9 years, through the introduction of Sturridge into the starting XI and the purchases of Lukaku, Romeu, Mata and Meireles, may be why.
Sturridge and Mata in particular have shone this season, breathing fresh life into what would’ve been a dying Chelsea squad without their contribution. The former looks like his form so far may well earn him his plane seat to Poland & Ukraine next summer as he continues to blossom in the wide role of Chelsea’s front three. In Chelsea’s 14 PL games this season, Sturridge has played in 10 and scored 7. His scoring success is 70% from 10 shots on target and his goal tally is greater than Chelsea’s other front men put together. In fact, out of Chelsea’s top 5 scorers, he is the only striker.
Unlike Mata, most creative midfielders suffer from stagnated spells and purple patches; for the Spaniard he hasn’t stopped producing. In Chelsea’s past 9 games, Mata has laid on 7 assists and scored a further three in the Premier League, averaging direct involvement in 0.71 goals per game (gpg) in a Chelsea side that are averaging 2.2gpg. After Mata and Sturridge, the most fruitful Chelsea player is their evergreen midfield spearhead, Frank Lampard . Despite being Chelsea’s second top scorer with 6 goals and a further 4 assists, Lampard hasn’t escaped the limelight of the aging squad debate and his frustration at his withdrawal on the hour mark, at the weekend against Newcastle, was evident.
Before Chelsea’s away fixture at an emotional St. James’ Park, The Blues were the only team in the top 7 that hadn’t picked up points against any of the other top seven sides. Allegedly, despite stating that, “this is not a period of transition,” AVB has caved into to an excuse synonymous of the recent Chelsea team and has supposedly started to plan for a comprehensive overhaul of Chelsea’s aging squad in the summer, not happy with the start his side has made.
If this is the case, who should bow out at Stamford Bridge?
Didier Drogba
Drogba, whether Chelsea fans like it or not, is a shadow of his former self, putting shots wide where he previously would’ve seen them end their flight path in the net and firing headers over where he normally would’ve buried them. Once a force, as recently as last season proven by leading the charts for the most shots on target, Drogba has only returned 2 goals this campaign. He’s had flashes of the Drogba that has hit 29 Champions League goals for Chelsea, but he has sunk into the background and if it wasn’t for Fernando Torres’ even worse form, I’d imagine AVB would’ve already considered showing him the door in the summer. As it is, speculation has surrounded the Ivorian and a possible move to Tottenham has already been mentioned, however Drogba has insisted that, “I am fine here and my personal case is not an important factor for me at the moment,” perhaps subconsciously eluding to his poor form and return.
Nicolas Anelka
The former PSG, Real Madrid, Arsenal and Manchester City striker is almost certainly heading out of Stamford Bridge and has claimed he already knows the destination once he moves. Time under AVB has been miserable for the elite club journeyman: he hasn’t played for Chelsea in the PL since Chelsea’s 1-0 defeat at Loftus Road back in October and to add more pain to the Frenchman’s campaign, he’s only completed one 90-minute run out and has only scored once. Anelka has been a model professional throughout AVB’s tenure, and having been officially transfer listed, the striker said, “The club, which is going through a difficult time, has decided to work with Chelsea’s players of the future and, as I am a good professional, I have accepted this.” The rumours are he is heading to China.
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Petr Cech
Once hailed as the greatest ‘keeper in Europe, twice in a three year period, the Czech ‘keeper has endured a tough start to life under AVB. The Portuguese is building a team based on the formation and philosophy of attacking minded wing backs, ball playing centre backs and a high back line. Cech has had to quickly adjust to a team that had been constructed with a mentality of defence, still existing from the Mourinho era, that set a record for the least goals conceded in the Premier League: 15. The stats would suggest he hasn’t stepped up: after 10 PL games, Cech’s saves to shots ratio was 46%, 33% worse than de Gea’s and he’d only kept 1 clean sheet, their first game of the campaign. Their desire to improve and adapt to the high line, resulted in Chelsea averaging more bookings per game under AVB than any other manager since Ranieri. He has gone on to keep three more clean sheets, including a current run of 180 minutes without conceding, but will AVB soon turn to his Belgian prodigy, Thiabaut Courtois?
Jose Bosingwa
The touchline-bombing right back cost Chelsea just over £16m, when fellow countryman Scolari brought him to the club along with another Portuguese international, Deco. Deco’s spell at Chelsea proved to be much shorter than Bosingwa’s, having departed at the beginning of last season. Bosingwa stayed and has had his Chelsea career plagued by a knee injury that put him out of the majority of the 2009/10 campaign as well as the World Cup. With David Luiz seemingly preferred at centre-back alongside Terry, Ivanovic has been pushed out to right back, effectively dislodging Bosingwa. Despite regularly getting 90 minutes at the beginning of the season, they are drying up and at 29, AVB may well choose to cash in now.
Frank Lampard
Surely not? However, Frank Lampard’s part to play at Chelsea may well be on the downward decline now. At the beginning of the season, the questions over his career rang out. I was never in doubt; for me he is essential to Chelsea, as was Scholes for 15 years of his time at Manchester United. However, the paper read the end and since then the speculation has mounted. Question marks fell over his England career and he replied in the best possible way: he captained his country and headed them to victory over the European and World Champions.
Question marks fell over his Chelsea career and he replied effectively: he scored a hat-trick against Bolton, firing Chelsea to a 5-1 success over Bolton. However, some have said AVB is not treating Lampard as the necessity predecessors have. He was dropped for Chelsea’s fixture against Swansea, having only played 45 minutes the week before and since then, Lampard has again become familiar with the bench. In Chelsea’s last two games, Lampard only played a total of 80 minutes from an available 180.
Departures are not necessary, look at Chelsea’s title rivals of recent years: Manchester United. Gary Neville eased out of the game, going from a 90 minute regular to a regular position sharer with the other club’s right backs, before eventually retiring. Ryan Giggs is still playing, but not as much as before. He has accepted that. Scholes ducked out knowing he wanted to quit before he was past his best. Ferguson has been the master of managing numerous transitions.
He is in the middle of one now; last year’s average age at United was 30.1 and the vital experience of older players such as Giggs and Scholes was pivotal to their title success. However, Ferguson has involved himself with another rebuilding of the first team, taking the average age down to 25.3: a cut of nearly five whole years. While departures are not necessary, a reshuffle is. If certain players don’t want to leave, they may well have to settle with less game time.
