Jose Mourinho’s jibe at other clubs spending a ton of money to win the league should be taken with a pinch of salt. During his first reign at Chelsea, it was he who was spending the large wads of cash and winning the league but to be fair to the name, he seems to have become some sort of business genius as he pockets large amounts of cash for the club through player sales.
Mourinho might be an economist thanks to some staggering deals such as the one for David Luiz and Juan Mata but he has more pressing issues at hand. He lost for the first time against Arsene Wenger and while that shouldn’t count for much as it was the Community Shield, it would leave a bitter taste in the mouth of the Portuguese.
Can they make it two in a row?
Chelsea were the team to beat last season but this season could be a different story. The team have not strengthened as much as they should have and even let one of their main players join a rival. Petr Cech might not be playing in the first team but selling him off to one of their closest rivals could be a glaring mistake by Jose Mourinho.
While that could help Arsenal, the fact that Chelsea haven’t really made the team any stronger could bite them later. The need for a top quality striker to aid Diego Costa hasn’t been met yet, Falcao struggled for Manchester United last season and based on his performance in preseason and in the Community Shield, it could be just as tough a season for him this year.
The club even lost Filipe Luis, who went back to Atletico Madrid after just one season with the Blues. Juan Cuadrado does not seem like the Colombian superstar who was beating players throughout the World Cup but looks like a poor man’s Marko Marin, which is not a compliment to either player.
These inadequacies might hurt every other team in the league but this is a Jose Mourinho team we are talking about. They still have the likes of Costa, Hazard, Fabregas and Matic, to name a few, who could prove pivotal for them this season. Fabregas and Hazard are two players who everyone should keep an eye on as Chelsea’s chances of retaining the crown depend on them.
Can Chelsea retain the crown? That is tough to answer, especially with so many ifs and buts in a season but the gut feeling for most gives Arsenal a better chance of winning the league than Chelsea. Europe could be Chelsea’s saving grace, we don’t actually expect them to win a European competition but a decent performance in the Champions League could be something that Chelsea fans can look forward to. The domestic cups again could provide Chelsea with some silverware but it would be a tough ask, especially with Arsenal and Manchester United also looking to get some bling into their trophy cabinet.