Should all this happen, the Blues will also need to look at two areas of the pitch in order to succeed and right the wrong of going a season without a trophy, both wings.
Torres is a striker who does best on his own up front. At Liverpool he did well with service from Gerrard and co behind him and he failed for Spain recently with the prolific David Villa up alongside him. With Chelsea having a centre midfielder in Lampard who enjoys bombing forward, the service for Torres to get those all important goals needs to come from the flanks.
Under Ancelotti, and previously under Guus Hiddink, Luiz Felipe Scolari and Avram Grant, Chelsea have played very narrow football but their strength in midfield allowed them to bulldoze lesser teams and occasionally be too strong for their rivals. This style seems to have been found out this year, especially by Manchester United, and has contributed to the unsuccessful campaign.
Although many associate Jose Mourinho’s reign at Stamford Bridge with effective 1-0 wins, many forget that when Arjen Robben emerged from injury in 2004, they enjoyed a string of big wins against Premier League opposition. This was continued with those effective 1-0 victories but they came because Robben and Damien Duff were so devastating on the wings: with pace, the ability to beat players, cross the ball and a knack to get goals. They would frequently swap sides and mess with defenders heads, and everything good about Chelsea going forward went through them.
Compare that with today and Chelsea still frequently play a 4-3-3 formation. But there is no threat on the right hand side with Branislav Ivanovic at right back, as he is a natural centre half, and further up the pitch Ancelotti normally chooses a natural centre forward on the right of the front three in the shape of either Salomon Kalou or Nicolas Anelka. There is of course the option of Jose Bosingwa at right back, but his fondness for going forward often leaves gaping wholes at the back. There needs to be a balance.
It is not much better on the left. While Ashley Coleis one of the world’s best left backs and can defend and get forward equally well, his ability to cross can leave something to be desired. He is joined on the left by Florent Malouda, an enigma for Chelsea who can be the best player on the pitch when things go right, but the worst when things go wrong.
Malouda has been prolific for a left winger with 13 league goals this season. They came when Chelsea were flying, both at the start of the season and on the recent run before the loss to Manchester United last weekend. When Chelsea had the miserable run in mid-winter of seven games without a win, Malouda was anonymous. He does not boast the track record of providing service for the strikers either, with only four assists all season.
Enigma. Florent Malouda has 13 goals but only four assists on the left for Chelsea this seasonSo some width is needed for Chelsea to succeed next year. That way Torres will enjoy some service while Lampard can bomb on and join him while either John Obi Mikel or Michael Essien (or anyone else who comes in) can sit in front of the front two.
The trouble is the options out there. Today Chelsea were linked with exciting Spanish left winger Juan Mata and Aston Villa’s Ashley Young is frequently rumoured to leave Villa park, but there is not that much Champions League/Premier League winning talent that is available. Whether a Duff and Robben-type partnership will return to Stamford Bridge remains to be seen.
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