Chelsea FC 2010/11 - A True Champions Story

[iridescentt]

An Introduction

The West London football club Chelsea FC is an English professional football club currently participating in the English Premier League. The team, founded in 1905, have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions three times, and have won the FA Cup five times, the League Cup four times and the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup twice.​

An Insight

Under the reign of former AC Milan manager Carlo Ancelotti, he came, he saw and he conquered. Chelsea finished the 09/10 season in 2nd spot with 81 points converted from 38 games; only 3 points away from bringing the title back to Stamford Bridge. Instead Manchester United took home the title with 83 points - their 4th consecutive Premier League title.

After a horrid start to the 09/10 season which resulted in numerous draws and defeats to lowly teams (ie. Bolton Wanderers, Portsmouth, Burnley, etc.) Chelsea were then struggling to even be in the top half of the table. Ancelotti devised what appeared to be an insane plan. Selling his many key players such as the likes of Nicolas Anelka (Real Madrid - 26M), Florent Malouda (Real Madrid - 14M), Deco (Atletico Madrid - 11M) and even giving his long serving Assistant Manager Ray Wilkins the flick - only for him to then sign with Real Madrid, who went on to win the La Liga title. He the went on to sign numerous key players to what stimulated the club to soar up the table at such a speed. With the likes of Anelka and Malouda now gone, Ancelotti went on to purchase a total of 6 new 1st team regulars:

• Mauro Zarate - Napoli - 24M
• Liedson - Sporting CF - 15M
• Joao Moutinho - Sporting CF - 13M
• Maxi Rodriguez - Atletico Madrid - 13M
• Nicolas Otamendi - V?lez S?rsfield - 10M
• Angel Di Maria - Benfica - 9M

Such a plan drew internal rifts within the Chelsea camp.

The media praised such defiance - Roman thought otherwise. Although the plan in theory worked, numerous members of the Chelsea squad including Terry and Lampard themselves spoke against the actions of Ancelotti and felt for those who had left the club. Thus, due to the 'black hole'-like internal problems Carlo Ancelotti, by the end the supposedly successful 09/10 season, had handed in his resignation papers to the Chelsea Football Club administrators signalling the end of his one and only year since arriving at Stamford Bridge.

Leaving what looked to be an unfinished building just waiting to be completed.​

The Present

There were talks of Guus Hiddink coming back to Stamford Bridge for a long term stint. Rumours spread to the extent that even reports of Avram Grant would be back sitting at the helm once more. But instead, as announced by Roman Abramovich during a press conference held just days after the resignation of Ancelotti, Jon Williamson was chosen to be the successor to the short tenure of Carlo Ancelotti.

Only recently bringing Russian team turn Champions League dark-horse Rubin Kazan to two consecutive Russian Premier League title victories, it was then that the oil magnate Roman had instantly requested the Australian born 30 year old to take the helm of Chelsea. Many media personnel and ex-Chelsea figures saw this move as unexpected and thought a more 'experienced' manager was to be appointed to take Chelsea through the 2010/11 season.​

The Future

What the future holds for Jon remains unknown. Will he be successful or would he be just another 'Scolari'. With so many skilled players and new signings at his disposal one would think how did Scolari stuff up so bad.

One thing was for sure, Jon wasn't just your ordinary manager.​

 

[shantanu_rooney]

Woww!!! Really great start there. Very impressive and well written and nice presented. Great signings there. Hoping you could achieve all the success with the Blues.

 

[iridescentt]

Cheers.

Thought I found a pretty good storyline as to how I could write a Chelsea story but just continue on with the 2nd season instead of creating a new save. I actually really did have a shocker of a start to the 09/10, didn't know what I was doing to be honest. I had actually lost 2-0 to Burnley But all was well when I found a key formation in 3-3-4.

 

[BKB1991]

Nice Writing. Looks like an interesting story, but my money is on United to take the trophy!

 

[ZoraxDoom]

Interesting...

 

[iridescentt]

Chelsea Vs. Manchester United Community Shield Preview
A Goal.com Preview into the hugely anticipated match
7th of August 2010

Prize: FA Community Shield
Venue: Wembley Stadium, England
Weather: 27 Degrees Celcius - Dry
Match Official: Howard Webb

The coveted FA Community Shield​

Speaking before this game, newly appointed Chelsea boss Jon Williamson says ?I think we are ready to start this season against Manchester United on Sunday. It will be a very difficult match but we are pumped are ready to go for it with all barrels firing. It will be the first time for me to be at Wembley and my first m. It is not a friendly game so it's very important for us to bring the Cup to Stamford Bridge. We're play against a great team - sure they may have trumped us last season but we had them covered in the UEFA Champions League and also in the other Domestic Cups. Honestly, I have nothing but respect for this team and to Sir Alex Ferguson but we want to win and play well. We want to put our quality on the pitch and thats what we do best.?

Sir Alex Ferguson meanwhile, seems to have the end of last season in mind going into this one. He later spoke at the same press conference just moments after Williamson had made his comments. ?Adversity is always an important factor in developing and improving. I have always reacted well to adversity over the years and whenever we lose a match I tell my players that the next game is the important one - the match we have to focus on. That has always been the case here at the club. When you lose the last game, the final of the Champions League, you've gotten so far yet you didn't come home with the victory. You have two or three months to reflect on the disappointment. We have not enjoyed that. But we will cope - and we will bounce back. ?

On the injury front only United look like they could be without star players Edwin van der Sar and Antonio Valencia who are both out with a bruised head injury which occurred during a training run a week or two prior to the match-up. Both are in doubt and are not expected to lineup for this Sunday. Otherwise as for Chelsea they look to field a full squad without any injury niggles or concerns.

Manchester United midfielder Antonio Valencia​

Odds:

Manchester United 5-4 (Favourites), Draw N/A (?), Chelsea 7-4

​

Starting Lineups (Possible):

Chelsea; 3 - 3 - 4: Petr Cech, Ricardo Carvalho, John Terry, Alex, Joao Moutinho, Frank Lampard, Yury Zhirkov, Michael Ballack, Joe Cole, Didier Drogba, Liedson. Substitutions: Nicolas Otamendi, Michael Essien, Gael Kakuta, Mauro Zarate, Ashley Cole, Angel di Maria

Manchester United; 4 - 4 - 2: Ben Foster, Patrice Evra, Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic, Wes Brown, Mirko Vucinic, Michael Carrick, Darren Fletcher, Parki Ji-Sung, Dimitar Berbatov, Wayne Rooney Substitutions: Joe Lewis, Giuseppe Rossi, Owen Hargreaves, Johnny Evans, Danny Wellbeck, Anderson, John O'Shea ​

Players To Look Out For:

The Manchester backline have got to earn their paychecks if they want any chance of stopping the Chelsea hitman Didier Drogba. The leading scorer for Chelsea last season, Drogba amassed a total of 27 goals for the 09/10 EPL season and 41 goals in total during that year - finishing with an overall Goal.com Player Rating average of 8.13 and took home numerous awards including taking a spot in the EPL Dream Team of the Season.

If it were to be anyone who would win the match for Sir Alex Ferguson's men from a defensive point - of - view then it'd be none other than Nemanja Vidic; who quite possibly be the only person in the Red Devils defensive lineup who'd be able to combat the sheer dominance of Didier Drogba.​

Leigh Stringer, Goal.com UK

 

[treva]

Brilliant storyline to start off the story, and I can see this going far. Love the layout with the indentations and headings. Will be following this one, good luck.

 

[Ollie_H]

Cheers.

Thought I found a pretty good storyline as to how I could write a Chelsea story but just continue on with the 2nd season instead of creating a new save. I actually really did have a shocker of a start to the 09/10, didn't know what I was doing to be honest. I had actually lost 2-0 to Burnley But all was well when I found a key formation in 3-3-4.

3-3-4? Sounds more like a field hockey formation!

 

[iridescentt]

Sorta' does aye'.

Its a pretty good formation for me actually when I first started trying it out, then I just stuck with it.

3 Central Defenders
2 Midfielders
2 Wingers
1 Attacking Midfielder
2 Strikers

- - - - - - GK - - - - - -
- - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- - DC - - DC - - DC - -
- - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- - - - MC - - MC - - - -
- W - - - AMC - - - W -
- - - - ST - - ST - - - -​

 

[nakul]

Good start will follow this for sure .

 

[treva]

Essien on the bench? If I was playing that formation I'd have him as the more defensive of the two central midfielders. I rate him very highly, no idea why, I just do.

 

[shantanu_rooney]

Yeah even I would have played Essien instead of Ballack. Essien is probably the best player at Chelsea at the moment.

 

[nakul]

Where is Deco?

 

[treva]

Where is Deco?

If you had read the opening post you would have known that Ancelotti sold him for 11m to Atletico Madrid.

 

[iridescentt]

Essien just got back from a ligament injury (Or something to do with his knee last season, he was out for 5 months - I was gutted). He's only 81% at the time so I decided to keep him on the bench for now, I would've only brought him out if needed.

As for Deco, well ... I never really liked him so I Ancelotti sold him to Atletico Madrid.