Chelsea's Weaknesses

Chelsea are a strong club. Our goalkeeper is easily one of the top 3 keepers in the world (Buffon, Casillas.) Our defense, anchored by skipper John Terry, is one of the best in the EPL, if not the world. Our midfield is World-Class, boasting the likes of Frank Lampard, Michael Essien, Michael Ballack, Joe Cole, and the new blue Yuri Zhirkov, among others. Our attack, led by Didier Drogba, Was crucial in taking us to the Champions League semi finals, and an FA Cup trophy. But on the other hand, we have weaknesses. And if we are to be a top club for decades to come, these weaknesses need to be rectified.

Weakness # 1: Right Wing.
Yesterday, Yuri Zhirkov put pen to paper on a four year deal at Stamford Bridge. The acquisiton, however, was recieved with mixed reviews. We did need a player with pace, dribbling ability, and dead-ball skills, and he possesses all those, but there is a glaring problem on the opposite flank. Joe Cole is a good winger, but we do not have sufficient back-up, and because of his recent knee injury, he is not expected to return to top form from day one. Noting a weakness in one thing, addressing it is another. A good replacement would be Jesus Navas from Sevilla. He has amazing dribbling skill and pace, but his slim build raises questions about whether he is ready for the physicality of the Premier League. Aaron Lennon from Spurs looks like another good replacement, but he is inconsistent and probably isn't ready for a top club like chelsea (I could be wrong on that.)

Weakness # 2: Age .
Chelsea are a good club, but face it, they are an old club. Chelsea have 9 players over the age of thirty (Ballack, Lampard, Drogba, Anelka, Mineiro, Hilario, Carvalho, Deco, and Beletti. And we have many more nearing that mark. Now this shouldn't be a problem, noting Ancelotti's ability to win with older players, a skill he exhibited at A.C. Milan, but we will need to build a squad for the future, and that should start now. Moves need to be made and the squad needs to be younger if we are to compete for major honours this upcoming season.

Weakness # 3: Our Youth System
" A house cannot stand without a foundation"

With that said, our youth system is nowhere near the youth systems of the top clubs in England, and other top clubs around the world. Frank Arnesen was entrusted to build a youth system that competed with the best in the world, and to say the least, he failed in that objective. He was sacked in late 2008. Now there are some bright spots that have come through the Cheslea youth system, notably Gael Kakuta and Miroslav Stoch, but thats really about it. This is the toughest problem to fix, and also will takw the longest time to rectify, but we all know we cant be the free-spending Chelsea for much longer. We need to have some home-grown talent, especially with the 6+5 rule rumoured to be coming into effect soon. If we are to be a powerhouse in world football for years to come, a strong foundation needs to be built.

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-BBLBDB