Just like all good things, football seasons come to an end, but like all great things, they return again a few months later, and like all even better things there’s a World Cup in between and your team sign Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas.
I’m obviously not alone in getting completely consumed by the World Cup; Jos Mourinho clearly wanted a front row seat, choosing to do our major business at either end of this summer’s tournament.
On the day I write this, the team fly out to Austria, I know this because as a modern football fan I follow our players on various social networks and John Terry just uploaded a photo of his luggage, which included Harry Redknapp’s (auto)biography “‘Arry”, a worrying insight to the type of manager JT will one day demand to become, probably in full-kit (is that still funny?) and the obligatory massive headphones which come as part of the uniform for any footballer exiting a plane/bus.
The aforementioned new players, among others, also fly to Austria to join up with the squad today, and without doubt the first question on each of their lips will be “so, lads, AFC Wimbledon and Wycombe, blimey, that’s some adrenaline pumping stuff! Rio? Nah, that’s nothing in comparison.”, or like me they’ll be as uninterested in pre-season being about anything other then fitness and squad gelling. If, of course, you choose to believe the red tops then pre-season is vital; Romeu Lukaku apparently has two weeks to prove himself or he’s off, and with games against Ferencvaros and NK Olimpija Ljubjana I reckon he’ll fancy his chances.
I don’t know if I can stand having to wait until this season’s first Monday Night Football, to watch Carragher and Neville flirt their way through how our new squad lines up against Burnley; I can’t be the only one salivating at that “possible starting eleven” doing the rounds. The first time in a good while it feels like the flaws of our squad have been addressed, and the gaping holes have been filled with quality.
So, let’s talk Costa. As well as looking like the embodiment of Oscar’s dark side, in many ways Diego Costa is the epitome of José Mourinhos footballing philosophy; bellicose, gritty and an imperfect strike. Much was made of his part in Atletico Madrid’s title winning latest season, and rightfully so, his 19 La Liga goals at home is bettered only by Cristiano Ronaldo. In Diego Costa we’ve signed a striker who demonstrated the aggression, movement and power that was unheard of in Chelseas docile attack; Gianfranco Zola went as far as saying that Costa represented the missing part of the puzzle. Last season we were less than a few goals away from a league win and a Champions Leagues final, and that will never not hurt; the only silver lining resides in the fact a literal Liverpool collapse took the headlines.
After a plethora of failed strikers costing us around £130m, we Chelsea fans are unsurprisingly quite cautious, but it has to be said, that at £32m Costa could be the one to put our fears to bed. His performance at the World Cup was obviously under par and reports since suggest he was battling an injury which left him looking lost in a clueless Spain squad. Many are quick to judge a player based on a World Cup, and in doing so ignore a season’s worth of form; in the same way that James Rodrigez wasn’t worth £63m before the World Cup, Costa isn’t no longer worth £32m after it.
There were undoubtedly wider issues concerning the balance of the team that needed to be addressed, and, well, Cesc bloody Fabregas. In the shape of this Spaniard our static midfield incapable of moving the ball at speed, the ill-fitting formation and un-supported attack may well be fixed, the squarest peg for the squarest of holes. Fernando Torres, admittedly a man who is running low on excuses, said, “he is a blessing for strikers, he always looks to find that final key pass, he’s the type of player Chelsea don’t have, the type of player we need.”
In Fabregas and Costa, Mourinho has brought in class and experience of the absolute top level.
I’m not ignoring the well conditioned, in every sense of the word, Filipe Luís. In addressing last season’s lopsided and unadventurous full-back play, he is maybe not the answer, but is certainly a solid stop gap. It is still unclear how many of our loanees will be making a return this season, you would hope that ex-teammates Costa and Luis may persuade Thibaut Courtois to pull on the shirt of his parent club and that Courtois may, in return, convince countryman Lukaku to do the same, to name but two.
Last season we were considered a young team in transition, this season is surely a sequel to that, and similar to everyone’s favourite sequel ‘Cheaper By the Dozen 2’, José Mourinho (played by Steve Martin) is watching his team mature and grow all around him, he must adapt his attitude accordingly are they to conquer their arch rivals (played by Jim’s dad from American Pie). That film ends with the eldest daughter going into labour on a rowing boat, so the already desperate analogy runs even thinner; I think what I’m trying to say is, in line with the passing of time, everyone is a year older and a year further away from the transitional period of last season, the hard work will soon become apparent. Hopefully.
We’re just 23 days away from the new season, ruddy heck. Can’t wait.
