Things Jose Mourinho should do to improve Chelsea

Jose Mourinho’s homecoming to Stamford Bridge has set the pulses of Blues fans racing, and the start of the Barclay’s Premier League couldn’t come any sooner. But as the pre-season draws ever so near, Jose will have his hands full, and would know that his reputation will be at stake under the watchful eyes of Roman Abrahimovic. Below, we take a look at some major points Mourinho will have to tackle, as his second regime at the Bridge gathers momentum-

Compile loan report for the squad.

Considering that the players loaned out by the Blues have performed well, Jose needs to sort out which players deserve to be in the squad, which ones need more exposure and which ones need to be sold. For example, Romelu Lukaku has had a fruitful loan spell at West Bromwich Albion, while Kevin De Bruyne has been garnering attention with his showings at Werder Bremen. Josh McEachran began strongly with Middlesbrough, and young Lucas Piazon has also featured regularly (4 starts, 7 substitute appearances) for Malaga. Michael Essien is an important player marking his return from a loan spell at Real Madrid where he played under Mourinho, and Nathaniel Chalobah has also benefitted from playing under the tutelage of Chelsea legend Gianfranco Zola at Watford. All these players need to be assessed in the pre-season, after which Mourinho must make his pick. For example, Lucas Piazon would greatly benefit with another loan spell at Malaga or any other first division side, so would other starlets like Thorgen Hazard, Ruben Loftus Cheek, and Nathaniel Chalobah amongst others. Josh McEachran’s role, though, remains a mystery and Jose will have to decide whether to keep him or sell him altogether.

Solve the midfield crisis.

Although, Rafa Benitez rotated Chelsea’s attacking midfield options to deal with fatigue during an exhausting 69 game season (Juan Mata, Eden Hazard, Oscar, Victor Moses and Ryan Bertrand), Chelsea were found wanting in the central midfield department. With Oriol Romeu sidelined with a long term injury and Jon Obi Mikel falling out of favour, Ramires and Frank Lampard were the only recognised midfield options available to Benitez, who improvised by using David Luiz in the middle. But with Frank Lampard approaching 35 and the lack of a proper defensive midfielder, Mourinho should look to add a little steel, preferably a ball-winning midfielder to distribute to the attacking trio. Corinthians’ Paulinho and Everton’s Marouane Fellaini are both good options to look at, but with strong interest from Inter for Paulinho and with multiple suitors for Fellaini, Jose must act fast or risk losing out on strong contenders. Bringing Xabi Alonso or Sami Khedira would make sense too, provided Mourinho can lure them (how hard can that be for him?)

Handle Terry and Lampard intelligently

With Branislav Ivanovic, Gary Cahill and David Luiz proving to be more able defensive options than John Terry, Terry’s position as captain as well as his place in the squad are increasingly under question. (Leadership qualities are no longer an excuse, Chelsea won the Champions League and Europa League without Terry in the side.) Although, Lampard has proved to be a vital component in the season just concluded, his age will become a factor from this season on.

In reference to the former context, Mourinho must handle John Terry with care considering his strong influence over the dressing room. The fact that Mourinho is close to Terry works in Mourinho’s favour, something that any other manager would have found difficult to do, considering how well Luis Felipe Scolari and Andre Villas Boas fared.

Mourinho must also recognise that Frank must be used judiciously from here on, considering his age. Frank also offers an array of tactical options, as a deep lying playmaker, central midfielder or as a central attacking midfielder adding depth to an already impressive squad.

The Marin Conundrum

Arguably one of the most baffling signings of the season, Marko Marin has been an inexplicable non-justification of 5 million quid. Considering he only made two starts in the league and four substitute appearances, Marin completed 90 minutes only once, in a 5-1 victory against Leeds. Mourinho could look to loan him out for a season in a bid to help him regain his lost confidence and match fitness, or consider selling him to make space for his German national team mate, Andre Schurrle. Also, considering that Mata, Oscar, Hazard, Moses, Schurrle and De Bruyne will be vying for the three attacking midfield slots, Marin could endure yet another torrid time in a bid to win back his place.

Looking Forward (pun intended)

It is no secret that Chelsea have been hit hard by their inability to convert chances, thanks to a weak strike force comprising Fernando Torres and Demba Ba. Although Fernando looks to have regained a little of his lost form of old, his record is still not as proficient as what is expected of a world class centre forward at a top European side. Demba Ba has been even worse, scoring just twice in 11 starts, spurning some glorious opportunities along the way. In essence, Mourinho needs to sign a centre forward at the peak of his powers to add fierce competition for the lone striker’s spot. Although, Lukaku’s return will add another good option, a proven goal scorer like Edinson Cavani or Robert Lewandowski wouldn’t be a bad investment.

All things considered, Mourinho will have a lot to do to help Chelsea mount a challenge on all fronts. But as is always the case with the Special One, his meticulous preparation for next season must already be well and truly underway.