Chelsea Season Review

Final Table Position: 1^st

Points: 87

2014-2015 Summary

Chelsea completely dominated the Premier League this season, finishing eight points ahead of second place Manchester City. It could have been an even bigger gap if the Blues weren’t complacent throughout the whole season and especially at the end when they had the league clinched with a few weeks still to go. There was never really any doubt that they’d win it and this sort of dominating performance is promising for Jose Mourinho. If the Blues weren’t complacent for much of the season, could they have gone for 95 points?

Fantasy Results

In fantasy games, Chelsea players were of value all season long. I could talk about almost any player here, but a few are worth special consideration.

Eden Hazard – The Belgian is the best winger in the Premier League right now and finished with 439 Yahoo! fantasy points, third best amongst all players and first amongst midfielders.

Diego Costa – The striker had 20 goals in 26 matches and was third amongst players in fantasy points per match at 12. He can be just as good as Hazard if he can stay healthy next season.

John Terry – Terry played in every minute of Premier League action and the consistency was there in fantasy as well. He was fourth amongst defenders in fantasy scoring and can be relied upon in almost any matchup. Branislav Ivanovic was shortly behind.

Thibaut Courtois – Courtois often wasn’t tested enough to rack up points from saves but still ended up with 220 points in 32 matches, enough for fourth best in the league.

Cecs Fabregas – Fabregas was seventh in scoring amongst midfielders but he missed a few matches and played hurt in a few others. He has top five midfielder potential next season.

As you can see, the Blues had a top five player at every fantasy position. If I had to put money on it, I’d say the trend will continue next year.

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Summer Priorities

Jose Mourinho said in his interview at the end of the last match that Chelsea must find a way to improve this summer because “If you’re not strengthening, you’re standing still”. That is a valid point and knowing Mourinho, he will certainly look to improve his squad this summer. The truth is, there aren’t a ton of holes here, so improvements should come in expected places.

Striker – Didier Drogba is likely leaving again and Chelsea had to rely on him a number of times this season. The Blues’ legend played 856 minutes, mainly filling in for Diego Costa and Loic Remy, and that is a fair share of minutes to fill. Costa has now had hamstring problems near the end of the season for two years in a row and it seems he could benefit from regular rest throughout the season. Insurance at striker is certainly needed and it’ll be interesting to see where Chelsea go for help.

Defense – Thibaut Courtois, John Terry, Branislav Ivanovic, Gary Cahill, and Cesar Azpilicueta all played over 2480 minutes and there isn’t really viable backup behind them next season. Terry and Ivanovic both didn’t miss a single minute of action and that’s a very risky thing to rely on for next season. Petr Cech is most likely leaving, meaning a second goalkeeper is a high priority while Felipe Luis could also be on the way out. That’s a number of holes Chelsea have to address. Kurt Zouma has been very good considering his age and I think Chelsea will likely avoid upgrading the position unless they can get a superstar central defender. I expect them to make a move at a wing-back and a backup goalkeeper if Cech and Luis do indeed leave.

Things to Look for Next Season

Chelsea were second in the league this season in the amount of minutes their best XI played. Overall, their eleven most used players played 82.8% of the total minutes of the season. The rest of the teams rank as follows:

That’s a huge percentage, but it’s not really surprising considering how many minutes Terry, Ivanovic, and Hazard played. I expect a similar trend next season, which could mean a lot of season-long value for their stars. With Cech leaving, we can likely add Thibaut Courtois to the list of players that may play every minute of every match if healthy. That’s a really big advantage in season long fantasy leagues so I would target Chelsea players early in drafts next season.

Another thing to keep an eye on is the winger situation. Eden Hazard has the left-wing locked down and will start every game which is healthy for, but the right-wing is a little more up in the air. Willian has been solid and it seems Mourinho trusts him enough to play him in most matches, but he has at times opted for Ramires or John Obi Mikel in a more reserved role instead of Willian. Chelsea have also brought in multiple players to challenge Willian but none has been able to get into the rotation. Kevin de Bruyne was sold, Mohamed Salah went out on loan, and Juan Cuadrado has barely been able to get on the pitch. Cuadrado and Salah could be on the move this summer, but Chelsea would be wise to keep at least one of them around.

Will Chelsea improve enough to go into next season as the favorites?