Having just inflicted two 1-0 victories upon a Thailand all-star team and Sydney FC in a duo of end-of-season friendlies, on the face of it, could these results have been any more Chelsea-like?
The footballing fraternity has grown so used to the Blues being able to comfortably dispatch opponents in a seemingly inevitable fashion after going 1-0 up in a game and it is these standards that have been set by the perfectionist himself, Jose Mourinho.
But to improve on perfection will be the aim for the Portuguese tactician this summer who will want the Blues to progress further in the Champions League next term after being eliminated by Paris Saint-Germain and the familiar shaggy-haired guy by the name of David Luiz.
As for the Premier League, there is absolutely no reason why Chelsea can’t go the distance again next term with the Blues having remarkably only lost three fixtures in the entire 2014/15 campaign.
With Stamford Bridge ever the fortress and Chelsea the experts in achieving results on the road, the likes of Arsenal, Manchester City and Manchester United will have to go some next season to topple the Blues machine.
But what of the playing squad at Mourinho’s disposal?
Chelsea rarely let a transfer window pass without some major business being completed but first, we have identified five players who the Blues simply have to sell this summer for an entire plethora of reasons.
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Click on the Premier League winners below to reveal the 5 players Chelsea must sell this summer.
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John Obi Mikel
The simple matter of fact for the long-serving John Obi Mikel is that fellow midfield counterpart Nemanja Matic has set the bar so high in the defensive midfield position that some are starting to refer to it as the Matic role much like Claude Makelele before him!
Everybody in the tavern is sure that Mikel – a clear disciple of Mourinho – would do a job in pretty much every other midfield in the Premier League but given the standards we’ve come to expect from Matic, when the Serbian international is unavailable, Chelsea’s midfield is noticeably weaker.
With Mikel not being able to break up the play as efficiently as Matic does, Chelsea fans often groan when opposition midfielders are able to cut through the Blues’ ranks more easily.
The Nigerian international is also often prone to picking up bookings as well and the consensus is that if Chelsea do manage to add another top class central midfielder this summer then Mikel could be receiving his marching orders.
Petr Cech
While no Chelsea fan on the planet wants Petr Cech to depart Stamford Bridge this summer, everybody can understand why he needs to for the sake of his career at the same time.
Such has been the Blues’ dominance of the Premier League in every department this past season that they had the likes of the world class Czech Republic international as an unused substitute but you can’t for one second imagine that Cech will be content with that arrangement behind Thibaut Courtois for a second successive season.
So this one is a must sell for a reason so far removed from being inefficient or incapable; after all, few goalkeepers were ever going to usurp Cech, such is his ability but unfortunately for him, the outstanding Courtois just couldn’t be ignored any longer after impressing out on loan at Atletico Madrid.
It looks as if Cech will be joining the Blues’ London rivals Arsenal who are still favourites to sign him and if a gentleman’s agreement was indeed reached for Cech to join whomever he wishes following the end of his Chelsea spell, you can see why the Gunners are a good fit.
At the same time, you can also see why Mourinho would be opposed to the idea with Cech boasting the ability to save the Gunners the points they dropped at the likes of Swansea and Stoke last term.
Patrick Bamford
If John Obi Mikel must be sold due to his deficiencies and Cech must be sold due to the sake of his career, surely the latter reason is again valid for this man – Patrick Bamford.
The 21-year-old has just completed a successful season on loan at Middlesbrough where he was named Championship Player of the Year despite Boro failing to reach the Premier League after being beaten in the play-off final to Norwich City.
In his three loan spells at Milton Keynes Dons, Derby County and Boro, Bamford has struck 43 goals and is clearly on his way towards future stardom.
While most Chelsea fans will claim he is ready for a run in the Blues’ first team, what they must also understand is that Bamford will definitely be unable to usurp the likes of Diego Costa and any other big name striker Chelsea might purchase this summer at this moment in time.
His current hot vein of form will almost certainly be halted if he assumes a bit-part role as a Blues squad player next season behind Loic Remy so Chelsea have a decision to make.
Another loan spell may suit the Blues but if this is to come to pass, Bamford will perhaps grow cynical in his prospects of ever breaking through to Chelsea’s first team.
It is at this moment that rival fans in the tavern pipe up and claim that Bamford should permanently move elsewhere for the sake of his career and England prospects.
Juan Cuadrado
Perhaps a section of Blues supporters are being ultra critical in relation to the form of Juan Cuadrado since signing from Fiorentina in January but at the same time, you can understand their frustrations.
One thing is for certain; this is a special Chelsea team whereby there is an onus on each and every squad player to perform with flair but not only that – energetic tracking back abilities as well.
Much like Mikel, such is the consistency of the likes of John Terry, Eden Hazard, Nemanja Matic and Diego Costa that for the other squad members of the team, they too need to reach these levels in the eyes of the Blues fans.
At present, you feel that Cuadrado is yet to buy into Mourinho’s tactics and as a result, he hasn’t really impressed in his fledgling Blues career to date with a bad touch and an inability to keep the ball like his Blues team-mates such as Hazard and Willian.
Some reports are going as far to claim that the Colombian international is to seal his Stamford Bridge exit imminently and all of this has got us wondering why the Blues ever conspired to sell Andre Schurrle to Wolfsburg, replacing him with Cuadrado in the first place.
Mohamed Salah
If Juan Cuadrado fits the scrapheap category at Stamford Bridge, Mohamed Salah fits an entire different category altogether!
Chelsea have somewhat grown used to stockpiling unwanted and expensive wingers in recent times and the Egyptian international just hasn’t managed to hit the ground running at Stamford Bridge.
For some resident Blues fans, Salah is the ultimate troll having downed Chelsea in the Champions League before failing to recreate such form in West London.
He enjoyed a prosperous half-season loan away at Fiorentina since January but the consensus is that even his form in Serie A won’t be enough to save his Blues career.
Egyptian footballers have never really cut it in the Premier League – just look at Mido – in what is ultimately a shame for Salah who himself is a talented footballer but clearly isn’t up to the standards of a superpower such as Chelsea as yet.
