Firstly, tell us your thoughts on this season as whole?
Scott Crumbly – It was definitely a successful campaign. The main goal entering the 2014-15 season, José Mourinho’s second season back in charge, was to establish a culture of winning again. By claiming the Premier League by a sizeable margin and taking on the League Cup, Chelsea did just that. Although the round of 16 exit in the Champions League was disappointing given the fact that PSG went down to 10 men in the second leg, the Blues still finished that competition without a loss despite their early departure, which no other team did to that point.
Evan McMurtrie – This season has turned out absolutely perfect in my eyes. When Jose Mourinho returned to Chelsea, you could see that what he really wanted was to return the Premier League trophy to West London, but the team was not ready for it that first season. After falling just short of both the Premier League and Champions League, Chelsea significantly strengthened themselves, and were ready to battle in 2014/15. Picking up the League Cup was sweet for two reasons: beating Spurs, and Jose’s love affair with the competition was continued. After an absolutely dominant league campaign, the title was never in doubt, and to see Chelsea seal it with such ease was unbelievably pleasing.
Sam Kelly – We had a fantastic campaign, winning two of four trophies is better than anyone else in England this year which shows our dominance this year. Obviously we should have done a lot better in Europe and also in the FA Cup. Both would be below satisfactory and I expect us to do better next season, however it’s understandable that the chances of a team winning everything is extremely hard. I love that we won the league, although I’d like to see more dominant performances when playing against top teams, because I feel we now have a team who can go toe-to-toe with the best and match them, if not beat them. I do think we’re too big of a club to be playing defensive and counter-attacking in big games. I know fancy football doesn’t always prove successful, but you’d rarely see Bayern, Real Madrid or Barcelona approach a game in that manner and that’s who we should try to emulate.
Oliver Birch – I think this season has been a fantastic season for us. To regain the title in such dominant fashion following a slightly disappointing 2013/14 season was brilliant to see. While other clubs and fans were labelling our style as boring, I thought it was quite the opposite. Defending solidly for the whole season and grinding out 1-0 or 2-1 wins, I think, shows just how good we are, in every department. Unlike City, Arsenal and United, we know how to win football matches and get the job done. I would’ve liked to have seen a better Champions League run. Our performances against PSG were the only real negatives to take from this season. Yes we lost against Bradford in the FA Cup, but shock performances like that happen every now and again. I was more upset with our performances against PSG. But, on the whole, a brilliant season, with room to grow and improve next season.
Conor O’Connell – Exceptional. We have looked like worthy champions since day one and have been nearly faultless, with the exception of the second leg to PSG. Unlike the season before, it seems as though Mourinho is far more content with the players currently at his disposal.
How would you describe the season in one word?
Scott – Clinical.
Evan – Dominant.
Sam – #CAMPAIGN.
Oliver – Tactical.
Conor – Dominant.
What are you hoping to see from the pre-season matches?
Scott – The main thing I want to see is everyone emerging healthy heading into the start of the season. If we can avoid injuries while rounding players into match fitness and also getting the younger players some game experience and training alongside the first team, I would be satisfied.
Evan – Well, I’m hoping to see a pair of wins, as I’ll be in attendance for both the New York and Washington DC matches this July. Words cannot describe how ecstatic I am to see my blue boys live in action so close to home! I’d like to see Ruben Loftus-Cheek further his transition into the first team, and I’d like the team to look sharp the whole way through. Big season ahead with the possible retention of the title and with Mourinho vying that his team will go further in Europe than they did in 2015.
Sam – I’d like to see more academy players given a chance, players like Boga, Da Silva, Clarke-Salter, Christensen, Aina, Colkett, RLC, Boga,Solanke. I believe they’re all deserving of an opportunity whether it be only 10 minutes or whether it be more. After such a successful season for the youngsters, I think the opportunity to showcase their skills would be no less than they deserve.
Oliver – I’m hoping to see some of the younger players in the squad get their chance to perform. I’d love to see Mourinho play them with some of the more experienced players around them in pre-season; and then slowly start to bring them up into the first team next season. Our youth team, and young players who went out on loan, had brilliant seasons, so it would be great to see them play well in pre-season.
Conor – I would love to see some of the academy products given the chance. I expect Mourinho will provide the next generation the platform to impress.
Who will you be keeping an eye on?
Scott – Ruben Loftus-Cheek. We’ve heard Mourinho proclaim his plans to have RLC in the first team in 2015-16, so I will be interested to see how much, and how quickly, he is incorporated into the mix. Loftus-Cheek has all the physical tools necessary to become a star in the Premier League, but he is still very young so it will be intriguing to see his development from pre-season and into the early months of the next campaign.
Evan –Oscar. The man is finally getting a well-deserved summer off from football for the first time in years (due to his season-ending injury), and that is the price you have to pay when both your club and country rely on you so heavily. He hasn’t had the greatest season at Chelsea, and many fans are calling for the Brazilian to be offloaded this summer. However, I’m confident that we’re in for a really big season from our new number eight.
Sam – As you may have noticed I named a lot of youngsters and didn’t mention Charley Musonda, that’s because he’s one of two players I will keep a close eye on. Opportunities were given to quite a few academy players in the last few games, yet I think Musonda has been the most deserving of one. I worry that Jose sees him as a little lightweight and maybe he won’t make the cut at Chelsea because of that, yet his technical ability on the ball is excellent and he’s extremely versatile. This year he has really stepped up and I hope he can turn the heads of the first team staff post-season and pre-season.
Oliver – The likes of Loftus-Cheek, Solanke, Brown, Ake, Christensen, Bamford, Baker, to name just a few, look extremely promising, so if any get a chance in pre-season then I’ll be looking out for them.
Conor – The stars of the academy: Solanke, Brown, Boga, Loftus-Cheek, Christensen, as well as some of the unsung heroes in their recent success. Charlie Colkett a deep lying play-maker, Clarke-Salter a ball playing CB who loves a tackle, Musonda a speedy and skillful winger and finally Ola Aina, a combative full-back but equally adept at centre-back.
Who would you like to see added to the squad and why?
Scott – With the relatively thin line-up that Mourinho depended on this year, it’s definitely important to add quality depth throughout the roster to allow more squad rotation and safeguard against injuries.
While reinforcements are needed at the back to prepare for the eventual departure of John Terry and also at the front to fill in for Didier Drogba, who was forced to play too much in 2014-15 due to injuries to Diego Costa and Loïc Rémy, I think Chelsea also need to add an attacking mid who is capable of slicing in and attacking from the right wing opposite Eden Hazard on the left.
Gareth Bale would be a dream fit, but of course is a highly unlikely target anyway. While I like Raheem Sterling and think he could be a fit, the reported asking price of £50 million would be too steep for him in my opinion. With Juan Cuadrado showing next to nothing since his January arrival I would say I’d like to see Antoine Griezmann added. Griezmann hasn’t shown that he can be lethal on the right to this point, but he is left-footed and, worst case, he provides versatility to play up front or in the attacking midfield and we always have Willian to hold down primary duties on the right wing. I’ll leave the rest to The Special One.
Evan – With Drogba off, I think we need a new third striker. Didier played a lot more than we had expected last season, which highlighted the importance of having a solid trio of forwards. Clearly Jose won’t be looking to utilize one of our young academy stars as a second back up striker, meaning that we’ll have to search the transfer market. Loftus-Cheek needs to continue pushing his way into the squad, and I really hope that Petr Cech stays in west London. If he goes, we’ll need a backup keeper, maybe Green from QPR. I don’t think that Chelsea need to splash the cash on Griezmann next summer, by the way. The Blues simply need to tighten up their squad and make sure that there’s good depth in every position. One thing worries me though, and it’s the fact that the other top English clubs will be spending big this summer to catch us… Maybe we need to spend big too? All we can do is wait and see.
Sam – Well, I’ll start with what we need and work towards what I want. We need another striker to fill the void left by Drogba. I personally would like to see Lacazette or Jackson Martinez brought in as I believe both have a lot of quality, however I feel they may be out of price range for a “third striker”. I wouldn’t be half surprised if we signed Charlie Austin. I think we could do with another attacking midfielder, I don’t think Mourinho will spend a lot either, so for that reason I’ll be naming Bellarabi, Firmino or Felipe Anderson. To cover departures: A back-up goalkeeper – possibly Rob Green. A left-back – possibly Jordan Amivi.
Oliver – I’m not sure we need to add any “marquee” signings to the squad, especially when we have a number of promising younger players who deserve their chance soon. However, with Cech leaving, I think we need a decent second-choice keeper. I’ve seen us linked with Ruddy, but I doubt he’ll join after Norwich getting promoted; but someone like him would be good. I’ve also seen Rob Green linked with us, and despite QPR going down, I don’t think he’d be a bad signing. There’s also been talk of us needing a striker with Drogba leaving, which I understand, but after Bamford’s brilliant season with Boro, I’d love to see him get a chance instead of Remy every now and then.
Conor – With Diego completing a full season highly unlikely due to his hamstring and disciplinary issues, I believe at least one central striker is a must. Personally I am a massive fan of Christian Benteke – his sheer size and strength, combined with his unrivalled ability in the air remind me of a certain Didier Drogba. I also like the look of Mauro Icardi – the Argentine is clinical in front of goal and any attitude problems should be rectified under the guidance of Jose. Rumours of Lacazette are also very welcome; his dribbling and agility could provide a nice balance with Costa. A centre-back of Terry’s ilk (if there are any out there) is needed too – Zouma is still young, Terry will not be around forever and despite his admirable commitment Cahill is not quite a world-class/elite level player in my opinion.
Who do you feel should be axed from the current squad and why?
Scott – While I like Filipe Luís very much as a player, I think he has been largely wasted this season with as much time as he has spent on the bench. At any other club he would have most likely started the majority of matches, but at Chelsea he is stuck behind César Azpilicueta, who was been the best full-back in England this season.
A player the level of Luís will definitely be happy to get more playing time and since he can do that just about anywhere else, I think it would be wise to sell him and reinvest that money back into the squad in the summer. With Luís being linked with a return to Madrid or a possible move to Inter Milan, this seems like a likely move and I am in favour despite my admiration for the Brazilian.
Evan – Like I said, I’m praying that Cech stays with us. Having both him and Thibaut in our squad made us safe and sound at the goalkeeper position last season – there was never anything to worry about. If he does go, I really hope that it’s abroad and not to a rival like Arsenal or Manchester United. Many are calling for Cuadrado’s head, and he didn’t impress me either when he began to get more playing time near the end of last season. However, I firmly believe that the Colombian deserves a full season to prove himself. As always, some dead weight can be offloaded, some examples being Marko Marin and Oriol Romeu. Everyone else needs to stay. Chelsea had a brilliant squad that won them a domestic double, and not much transfer business is necessary to remain at a high level.
Sam – I feel one of John Obi Mikel or Ramires will leave to vacate a slot for RLC. I feel Cech will leave and also Filipe Luis may leave. A few loan players will be sold also. I think we will retain the rest of the squad
Oliver – I’m not sure I’d like to see many axed to be honest. I think the current squad has a brilliant balance to it, and whilst some fringe players like Mikel or Ramires might not have an immediate effect on us if we sold them, that crucial point in games throughout the season when you need to shut the game out, or need a bit more energy to boost the players, those two have the qualities to do that. I’ve seen both linked with a move away but we’d miss them a lot more than people realise I think. I like Salah as a player, but he’s like De Bruyne, he’ll benefit from a move away and he’s a player we could afford to let go.
Conor – Čech deserves first team football at a top club, and I hope it comes abroad rather than in England. Another loyal servant, John Obi Mikel, should also leave with Loftus Cheek eyeing up his place. The midfielder has failed to live up to the hype created by the transfer saga between Manchester United and us. His loyalty and character off the field have cannot be questioned however.
What are your hopes for next season?
Scott – Retaining the Premier League title would be excellent, as it would be the first time that a team has accomplished that feat since Man United in 2007-08 and 2008-09. I think the biggest goal of next year, though, is improving our showing in Europe. Even though Chelsea did not lose a game in UCL play this past season, a round of 16 exit is too early and Mourinho and Roman Abromovich certainly have aspirations of being among the best clubs in Europe, which means they will have to go deeper in the tournament next season.
As this season proves, you can dominate domestically all you want but you won’t be lauded as one of the continent’s best teams if you don’t make a run in the Champions League.
Evan –What first springs to mind for me is the Champions League. I was really disappointed with the way we went out last season, but the feelings of disgust were quickly overshadowed by the fact that a double was on its way. I’m really hoping for a better performance in Europe, and if we draw PSG again – let’s beat them as badly as possible. A club like Chelsea needs to be making it to the semi-final or at least the quarter-final of the CL on a consistent basis. Also, it would be nice to retain the league title and start a dynasty with Jose Mourinho at the helm. This may sound a bit odd, but now that we’ve won the League Cup again, let’s disregard it next season and focus on the FA Cup. I honestly hope that we get knocked out early just so that we can save our players the energy and direct it at more important competitions. Above all – let’s grab some more silverware and keep making history!
Sam – We all would hope to do the quadruple, however my realistic hopes would be to win the Premier League, reach the semi-finals of both domestic cups minimum and to reach the quarter finals of the Champions League minimum. Also I hope to see more emphasis on academy products being given a chance when possible, however still maintaining high quality football, which yes I do understand is the hard part.
Oliver – I’m hoping for two or more trophies next season. Obviously I’d love it if we win the league again, and I genuinely think we will. I think there will be a tougher challenge from the rest of the top 4 next season, but I can’t see anyone building a better squad and team chemistry than ours, so I think we’ll win the league again. I think every Chelsea fan will agree with me when I say that winning the Champions League was one of the best feelings ever, so I think that needs to be the main target for next season. Even if we don’t win it, I’d love to see us get a lot further than we did this season.
Conor – Retaining the Premier League is certainly a hard ask but with a few additions, as discussed earlier, there is no reason why our squad should fall short. The Champions League should also be prioritised, although we look slightly short of the likes of Barcelona, but with our defensive solidity who knows?
