In reality, Chelsea’s point against London rivals Tottenham on Sunday didn’t really get the Blues anywhere fast with the team still down in 14th place.
That said, Jose Mourinho claimed it was the Blues’ best performance of the season so far and in the last few weeks, we’ve seen Chelsea at least manage to shake the losing habit with victories, albeit expected, against both Norwich City at home and Maccabi Tel Aviv away.
Mourinho has already alluded to the fact that he won’t ask Roman Abramovich for any new signings in the January transfer window with the Portuguese intent on turning around the club’s fortunes with the current crop he already has at his disposal.
While that may well prove the case for the team from West London, this won’t stop the transfer rumours from rearing their head and according to The Guardian, Chelsea are intent on beating Manchester United to the summer signing of Bayern Munich’s Thomas Muller.
While Muller could of course spend his entire career with the Bavarian giants while becoming even more of a club legend than he already is, we’ve seen the likes of Bastian Schweinsteiger recently test himself elsewhere and everybody in the tavern is sure Muller could do a fine job for whichever new club he could potentially join.
But today we’re romanticising over the thought of Muller spearheading the Blues’ attack while Diego Costa continues to spit his dummy out over his terrible season so far.
That’s why we’ve metaphorically included Muller in our best Blues XI gallery here!
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Click on the image below to reveal the dream Chelsea XI including Thomas Muller.
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Thibaut Courtois
While Asmir Begovic has done as good a job as he could have done in Thibaut Courtois’ absence through injury, every Chelsea supporter would rather the Belgian was back between the sticks sooner rather than later.
Although the Bosnian is a capable stopper, Courtois is on a different level and the shovel-handed Belgian was in imperious form last term, bar being a tad complacent against Charlie Adam’s unforgettable long-ranger for Stoke City.
According to Physio Room, Courtois could be set to return to the fold in the next few days however which is great news for Blues supporters.
Branislav Ivanovic
Back in the starting eleven for the weekend game against Tottenham, Branislav Ivanovic is now going about stamping out the mistakes that cost the Blues so dear in the earlier part of the campaign.
At one stage, seemingly everything bad about the Blues’ performances had something to do with the long-serving Serbian but he’ll be keen to put that all behind him now.
Attacked quite rightly by several of Chelsea’s supporters so far this term, this would’ve hurt Ivanovic’s pride so to continue battling while forcing Baba Rahman onto the bench, the former Lokomotiv Moscow man deserves some credit.
Gary Cahill
Somebody who doesn’t shy away from responsibility in this Chelsea team is Gary Cahill whose physical nature ensures he at least visibly appears like he’s trying when the chips are down.
We saw Cahill display his tremendous fight in the Blues’ away loss to West Ham United earlier this season when his equaliser looked as if the tide was turning for Jose Mourinho’s team.
Unfortunately it wasn’t meant to be for Chelsea on that occasion but Cahill faced the press right after the game and fronted up when it could’ve been easier to hide and sulk.
John Terry
Not giving away as much as he did right at the start of the season, John Terry like several others in Chelsea’s team is starting to put in better performances.
Having enjoyed a very public Twitter spat with BT Sport pundit Robbie Savage a few weeks back, nobody would’ve been more disappointed with his own performances than Terry himself who’ll be keen to prove to people that he’s not past it just yet.
Remaining at Stamford Bridge when the likes of Frank Lampard have come and gone, Terry needs to play for pride in the rest of the Premier League campaign and see where this gets him.
One thing is for sure; Chelsea will have to land a John Stones or Marquinhos-type player next summer as his true successor.
Cesar Azpilicueta
We’ve seen Jose Mourinho tinker with his team far more than usual during the testing times already experienced so far thos season but right now, cesar Azpilicueta finds himself at left back once more with Ivanovic back in the starting eleven.
Azpilicueta has proved himself to be a capable competitor at left back after arriving from Marseille a right back and up until now bar the start of the season, he has rarely let the club down as one of their most consistent performers.
Extremely competiitve and determined, Azpilicueta will just have to ensure he reaches the levels he set for himself last term to ensure that alongside Ivanovic, Cahill and Terry that the sloppy errors that have cost the Blues so far this term are stamped out for good.
Nemanja Matic
One man dropped a few times so far this term for his poor form has been Nemanja Matic whose fall from grace has been particularly strange so far this season.
As we already know, Matic was initially at Chelsea a boy before returning from Benfica a man and was seemingly destined to go on for years yet as the most critically acclaimed defensive midfielder in the business.
However, he’s let his standards slip for the most part this term, not providing as adequate enough a defensive shield for the likes of John Terry and Gary Cahill to have enough respite.
Like so many others, the rest of the season is all about Matic recapturing his previous form on a consistent week-to-week basis.
Cesc Fabregas
Matic’s central midfield partner Cesc Fabregas has been another who’s come in for heavy criticism as well this term with the former Arsenal captain seemingly having lost his mojo altogether!
Now an experienced head in this Chelsea team, it’s the case that Fabregas’ performances shouldn’t be used as useful guidance with the Spaniard giving the ball away far more often than he used to.
Only as recently as last season, Fabregas was one of those players who you’d claim opposition players couldn’t get the ball off of in a phonebox but he’s been far easier to play against this term.
He’ll need to score a few more goals than he does at present as well if he wants to hear choruses of his ‘Magic Hat’ number ringing from the Stamford Bridge terraces again!
Pedro
Starting life fantastically well at Chelsea with a standout debut performance away at West Bromwich Albion, it’s been fairly ordinary from the former Barcelona star ever since.
Signed in the summer as a pick-me-up marquee kind of addition, Pedro’s status initially did great things for the club with that win at The Hawthorns but like so many others in Chelsea’s team, the club’s poor form dragged Pedro down as well.
Blazing a lot of chances either wide or over the bar earlier this season, Pedro was in the starting eleven for the Tottenham game at the weekend, competing for 92 minutes before being substituted for Ruben Loftus-Cheek.
With Diego Costa still in no form whatsoever, you’d imagine that he won’t lose much sleep about not starting on the flanks with Eden Hazard playing as an emergency centre forward right now.
Willian
Willian has most definitely been one of Chelsea’s better players this season so far, if not the best with the Brazilian being one of few who hasn’t shied away from his own responsibilities.
Currently the Blues’ top scorer this term with six strikes in all competitions, this tells you all you need to know about Willian’s commitment with the rapid wide man using his tireless running abilities to try and at least get Jose Mourinho’s team on the front foot.
It’s fair play to the former Shakhtar Donetsk man who has come in for his own criticism for his final ball in recent seasons but in a rare case this season, it’s a sense of carry on what you’re doing right now if you’re Willian.
Eden Hazard
Pressed into action as an emergency centre forward against Tottenham at the weekend, it appears as if it’s Diego Costa’s time for a spell out of the team with Hazard himself dropped earlier this campaign.
Jose Mourinho has been dropping big names from his starting line-up to get a reaction so far this term in Chelsea’s period of need and he hasn’t always got the reaction he’s been craving.
In Hazard’s case however, the Belgian international has been getting slowly better after a surprising abject start to 2015/16.
Last season’s PFA Player of the Year of course, Hazard has suffered a dramatic fall from grace this term and the big question is why?
Billed as one of the Blues stars who has fell out with Mourinho behind the scenes this season, Hazard needs to put all of this to one side on the pitch if he truly wants to ever reach the levels of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in the years to come.
Thomas Muller
And so it’s the turn of the man linked with a Chelsea switch by The Guardian at the moment.
While Willian is currently Chelsea’s top goalscorer in all competitions with six strikes so far this term, Muller currently has 20 and there is nobody on the planet who wouldn’t want him in their team.
Capable of playing either on the flanks, behind a main striker or the centre forward himself, given Diego Costa’s terrible form so far this season, we’re going with the German international right up top to keep the likes of Pedro and Willian in the team.
Boasting a Bundesliga goalscoring record of 84 strikes in 211 appearances to date, Muller is a clinical striker who will always score goals for club and country.
If Chelsea do pull off an incredibly ambitious swoop to land him in the next couple of transfer windows, they’ll be signing a ready-made superstar at the peak of his powers who is still only 26-years-old despite seemingly having been around forever.
