Watching Chelsea last season was like watching a blunt arrow flying through the air… Looks great, but causes little damage.
With the acquisitions of Didier Drogba (free transfer) and Diago Costa (£32m), hopes are that Chelsea would turn their blunt arrow into a mighty spearhead.
But after watching the Pensioners’ pre-season effort, I cant help but feel a sense of déjà-vu.
For long periods, Chelsea have dominated games with excellent ball retention but have failed to find the decisive pass in the final third. If the ball has been right, the finish hasn’t… Most notably Fernando Torres’ two yard miss in the 2-1 victory against Olimpija Ljubljana.
It was hoped that the experienced head of Drogba would instil some consistency in the forward-line, but since his Chelsea return two weeks ago the big target man has yet to make an impact, failing to mark an heroic return with a goal or assist during his three brief appearances.
To make matters worse, the Ivorian picked up a knock in yesterdays 2-1 win against Ferencváros, potentially leaving the frontman sidelined for weeks.
On the plus side, Diego Costa looks like an outstanding buy for Chelsea… He appears to have slotted in perfectly. If the service is good, I expect the Spaniard to put the ball in the back of the net every time.
In what is bound to be a long and gruelling season, the back-up of Torres – who quite frankly is not good enough; and Drogba – who appears a shadow of his former self, provide no quality cover for Costa.
Injuries will also be a massive concern, losing just one of them for a sustained period of time could leave José Mourinho having to dip into the youth team just to make up the numbers.
If Chelsea are to make their quest for Premier League glory a reality, Mourinho needs to strengthen it further at the top to avoid another disappointing campaign.
Blog by Chelsky Boy Luke Twitter: @ChelskyBoyLuke