Tidigare publicerad på Chelsea Vital

Things I'd like to see next season

Lindy looks past the FA Cup Final and towards the 2007-2008 season.

Writing this article will sadly enough work as an invitation to the moronic invaders on our site. Idiots that as usually will read into it only what they want to see, not what it says. But I believe in an open forum for Chelsea fans, and if published it is because of superior judgement by the classy editorial staff. (And if they don`t badmouth me as usual I guess I have done something wrong).

I have looked forward and backwards the last few weeks or so. I have discovered that, apart from the outcome in a single game, I`m not as disappointed as I thought I`d be. Because I see the reasons behind everything and put things in perspective. Usually fans have a tendency only to see black and white (and no, I do not mean the football uniform).

Instead I`m, truly looking forward to see how some of my theories (about the game, not the invaders - they are too predictable) will pan out.

This is what I want, believe and hope will happen, beyond all that I love and am grateful about already. After all, back-to-back championships, cups and a lot of other good things in the beginning of the new Chelsea era. We will have setbacks, but our triumphs we will more.

SILLY SEASON From reports received it is doubtful that Glen Johnson has matured at Pompey. Hence we will need a real good right back. We do have plenty of backups.

Will we get more money from the coffers of our beloved owner? I do not think so as I believe that everyone at Chelsea really wants to show that we can be self-sufficient after dealing with all our Bates-debts and quick turnaround to be able to compete with the clubs that have, for decades, done what we have done in a few years on the market. Overspend. None mentioned, none forgotten. As said, we cannot keep on paying a Chelsea price for a player that would cost 30-50% less for another club.

We will get a good centre back, no doubt. But one that will cost less than the RB. And we need it, I wish Huth had stayed. I really liked him, Gallas I do not miss one second after what he turned out to be.

Some will leave. That is natural. But not anyone of major importance. It is also one of the things that makes football interesting. We all like to speculate and discuss. Hope for immediate success and to discover. How many, that did not know German football, believed in one coming to north London (I did!). Others have to grow into the very different English game, especially players from latin countries.

Maybe Sidwell wil come. I don`t see his role, but then I have not followed him that closely. Maybe as an overall midfield back-up.

I wish Crespo would come back, as I really like him. But the social situation probably prohibits this. Then I don`t want to see us being zapped again (Veron!) and loan him out again. It has to be a full sale so we get some money back, we can not keep on being this socially good to people that can`t adapt to a new environment as we have been.

It is not about the money, it is about making a statement. And as Inter the last ten years have spent way more money on players than we have, they do have the money to buy him out if they want too, and they should considering how good he is. We have done the right thing by so many players now, Veron, Crespo, Mikel and others that we all know that Chelsea have both heart and compassion for the ones that find things difficult, whether it is because they have been forced to sign for clubs they never wanted to play for (Mikel) or because their families can`t settle. There are players for any club, and there are players that only function at one.

But, and again this is a big but. I don`t feel that our scouting has been all that good on first team players, if the requisite was that they should succeed immediately. Misundertand me right. I do not complain about too many of the players we have brought in these last years. But with the exception of Petr Cech, Lamps and maybe Mikel not too many of them have been immediate success stories. We have not been aiming to build a team from juniors either, we built a team for immediate contribution and we got it. We won 2005, 2006.

It is like, and I firmly believe JM prefers that, that they needed a season or more to mature and grow into Chelsea. That is why we only brought in two stars into our team during these years, and both turned out to have some, not as big as other fans and the tabloids claim, trouble to adjust. That goes for world class players of today as; Drogba, Joe Cole, Carvalho, Bridge, Makelele (might have been an immediate….), SWP and others. He who waits for something good….

That is why I refuse to give up on Sheva or Ballack. Plus the fact, appreciating good football not only from scored goals, I really appreciate what they have brought to Chelsea. Drogba would not have been the Drogba of this year without Sheva`s selfless work. Ballack has struggled more in my eyes but started to find his place, not only on set pieces, before he got injured in another one of those darn international games.

When, and this will come in the season of 2007-08, they start clicking and playing with the talent and confidence they should have - what a team we will have. Sheva and Ballack being stars, in their own rights, have been treated unjust and unfairly, but I can understand the impatience, after all the price tag on Sheva was not realistic but then we are Chelsea and we have to pay more. I will not judge any of them until after next season. (We can afford to give good players time, as well as we have been giving players that did not work out very good terms on loan and sales). We do also have to keep in mind that both of them came to Chelsea with recent injuries and have played injured during the season.

Robben is an enigma. I don`t know what he can become. He has not improved since his first months in the club. Definitely due to him being as injury prone as myself. I hope.

Maybe what we need is a better physio team. I think the longer pre-season this year will make a difference next season when it comes to these pesky injuries.

THE GAME We can play 4-4-2 or 4-3-3 without problems. I prefer the 4-3-3 we played two years ago when we had fit players for it. On the other hand there is no doubt that the typical English game of 4-4-2, with the long ball to Drogba, suits that player much better as he is so strong and mobile.

So we have the players for both systems and one of the best things with José is that he is always willing to change his own game plans. He is not one of those coaches that changes the player to fit the system. No names, we all know them anyway.

Still I hope to see fewer untouchables next year. To me only Cech and Terry are untouchables. The first because he is the world`s best goalkeeper and the second because his abilites not only as a footballer but as a leader of men.

I think a personal favourite like Lamps should be rested more. He is playing up to 80 games a year with the national team. He must realise that he needs to rest and above all re-charge his mental batteries. Physically he has already proven that he can outplay anyone. I think he needs to feel the competition a little more and fight for his posiition despite the fantastic 21 goals again. Has any midfielder in the history of football scored more than Lamps?

I would like to see a quicker passing game, especially at the start of every attack. I think we give away an advantage there as we have quick and technical players. It will take more movement, especially in a midfield that at times has been a bit static this year and by the fullbacks. They should play more offensively. Cole used to, Bridgey is the best at it today. On the other side, well that is our hole card right now as we have no idea who will play there next season. Doubt he will have an English name though.

I have to admit that our game, like just like everybody else`s, has been a little too easy to read. As Drogba has been so great, in my eyes better than the showy PFA player of January voting. He has been so mature, scored so many great goals (been a great asset even defensively) -though the best goal is still Lamps flick over Valdes at the Nou Camp. We have adopted a little too much to fit his qualities which mean that the opponents double-cover on him. He can do a lot, but two defenders is a lot to defeat, especially if they are good.

We very rarely establish a box play, we do not keep the ball around the other team`s goal enough. Something that fits Sheva and Kalou better with J Cole and Lamps hovering around the box line for the great shots.

We absolutely have to improve our set pieces, in particular corners. A few trickeries like Henry`s freekick and the goal at Moanfield should be added. They only work once, but well used they are invaluable as Cesspool showed.

What has happened at corners? We used to score a lot of goals from those. Yes, every team doubles up on Terry, but we really should be able to neutralise that as we have others that can score with their head, first of all Ballack who is a great player in the air, an aspect which we have not used at all really.

Also, by keeping the game in the box longer we will get more penalties. Maybe as many as the champions this year gets with Lamps and Ballack, two of the best penalty takers ever, penalties that have to be utilised. We only had four this year in 63 games so far!

I really believe this years recruitments will be sensational next year. And honestly even the reds will acknowledge that few international players have been great in their first year in England, but after that. Cantona, Henry and so many others as examples. It is just because of media (and the money maybe) we fans lack patience.

I also dream about that people around Stamford Bridge will realise how important that arena is to London, and agree to have it extended. We need a 60,000 seater arena. Tear down the hotel and build steep like at Mestalla. But I guess that will be harder than winning the quadruple next year.

I do hope for a lot more mind-games between the coaches. The media try to make rednose and JM enemies, I don`t buy into that at all. I think they actually respect each other a lot. I want more mind-games. Sir Alex is the only one that can keep up with José. It is fun, unless you`re like the media and try to make it serious. It is just part of a game folks.

Finally: I think English football should be played all year long. Guess some wives wont agree, but I`m already having abstinence symptoms.

Rättelse, Chelsea hade faktiskt 6 straffar totalt på 63 matcher.