Since Roman Abramovic’s takeover in 2003, Chelsea Football Club has undergone a massive transition. The west-London club have captured a whopping thirteen major honours since. Among these trophies include their first ever Barclays Premier League and UEFA Champions League titles. Consistently high Premier League finishes and constant flirtation with the European cups have labelled Chelsea a European super club in the eyes of the world. However, are they good enough to win the legendary European treble?
While certainly not immediately shooting down the prospect of what would be an unforgettably historic season for Chelsea, looking at it realistically the treble is an extremely daunting task. It isn’t an easy accomplishment to obtain, and to do so you need to attain perfection. Barcelona were perfect in 2008/2009, Inter the very next season, and Bayern Munich just two years ago. Only eight teams ever have managed to win the European treble:
Celtic – 1967, Ajax – 1972, Liverpool – 1984, PSV – 1988, Manchester United – 1999, Barcelona – 2009, Inter – 2010, Bayern Munich – 2013
With many saying that this season’s squad is the strongest they’ve ever seen, there has been much speculation of whether or not Chelsea have a realistic chance of winning the treble come the end of the season.
Legendary Chelsea boss José Mourinho was quick to play down any possibility, mainly because of how much tougher it is for English teams. Speaking to Chelsea TV back in December, Mourinho said, “First of all, the English teams arrive in the crucial part of the Champions League in difficult conditions. The others, they come after a winter break, arriving in the best conditions. The English teams, they arrive after the Christmas period, which is amazing, and for the teams that go further in the domestic cups, it is even more difficult because in January you have a double-legged Capital One Cup semi-final plus two fixtures of the FA Cup. It is very difficult for an English team to do it.”
That being said, the fact that Chelsea is an English side that has to fight through a demanding list of fixtures means that the chances of them winning the treble are much slimmer than they are for other big clubs from Spain or Germany.
The main difference between the best teams in England’s top flight and those of other countries is that in England they compete in four different competitions as opposed to three. While generally there is the league title, a domestic cup, and of course the UEFA Champions League, in England there is also the Capital One Cup. This can be a good or a bad thing for a team like Chelsea. While more possible competitions to win means a higher chance of winning three trophies, competing in an extra domestic cup floods the list of fixtures with extra matches to be played that a team like Bayern Munich wouldn’t have to worry about. The more matches, the more of a physical strain is put on the players causing fatigue and extra squad rotation that may be detrimental to the team’s performance as a whole.
Coincidentally, Chelsea’s treble hopes are only still alive due to this fact; after being embarrassingly knocked out of this year’s FA Cup in the fourth round by Bradford City last weekend, Chelsea now have only three trophies to play for. After beating Liverpool at Stamford Bridge, the Blues have booked their ticket to Wembley and are into the League Cup final. On March 1st, Chelsea will have a shot at an early piece of silverware and a possible third of the treble complete.
If there is one English team that can win the treble this season, it is certainly Chelsea. An impressive Premier League campaign sees them sit five points clear of second place Manchester City at the top of the table. After making it as far as the semi-final last April, Chelsea have qualified for the knockout stages of this season’s UEFA Champions League where they will play Paris St. Germain in February. Triumphantly progressing into the Capital One Cup final last night, Chelsea are just one match away from silverware.
With a strong squad and arguably the world’s best manager, Chelsea Football Club can most certainly win the treble this season. Although it may be extremely rare and difficult, football is unpredictable and you never know what might happen
