Ancelotti playing a game of Russian roulette

John Terry is crucial for Chelsea's hopes
11 April 2012

Despite the upheaval at Stamford Bridge in the last 12 months, the two greatest internal complications to Chelsea's Premier League title hopes remain the same.

The quality and depth of talent the Blues possess has not been in doubt since Jose Mourinho parted but there are few squads that come with the hangover that Chelsea have struggled to shake since September 2007.

Next month marks the two-year anniversary of the Special One's sacking and only Guus Hiddink of the Portuguese's three successors has not been consumed by his shadow.

Luiz Felipe Scolari mixed a high pedigree with a combative personality to raise optimism in west London only to depart with less than half the season played and this year's vintage takes the form of Carlo Ancelotti.

The Italian should be aware that his captain John Terry carries a great deal of influence in the dressing room.

That much became apparent during his recent dalliance with Manchester City when the England defender made the club wait an eternity before declaring he was staying at Stamford Bridge.

Whatever the intricacies of Terry's decision, the revelation that he, Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard regularly met with owner Roman Abramovich exposed an avenue of communication that surely did for Scolari.

Therefore, perhaps Ancelotti's principal task is self-preservation and it is against this backdrop that he must shake things up enough to make an ageing Chelsea team less predictable.

An over-reliance on Lampard and Drogba has been the Blues' problem for some time and Ancelotti must somehow supplement their undeniable strengths without marginalising either player to the extent they go running to the Russian upstairs.

It is no secret that the club have been frustrated in the transfer market but while Chelsea have only moved slightly forward, they have reduced the gap on Manchester United because the champions have gone backwards.

Sir Alex Ferguson rarely loses players against his will but both Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez have left gaps Antonio Valencia and Michael Owen may struggle to fill.

Owen could prove an inspired signing but whether Valencia can impose his will on matches as regularly as Ronaldo is debatable.

Liverpool will challenge again as long as Fernando Torres stays fit, although the loss of Xabi Alonso to Real Madrid is a significant blow as the Spaniard was arguably the Reds' most consistent performer last season.

But perhaps the manager with the most to prove is Arsene Wenger, who is under greater pressure than ever to mount a genuine challenge following the departures of Emmanuel Adebayor and Kolo Toure.

Thomas Vermaelen, a £10million arrival, must adapt quickly to the Premier League but concerns remain over a lack of bite in midfield and a predatory finisher in the final third to supplement the brilliance of Robin van Persie and the potential of Eduardo.

Perhaps the greatest cause for optimism at Emirates Stadium is the promise shown by Andrey Arshavin in his first six months and his flair will be pivotal in breaking the deadlock on those frustrating occasions at home.

That said, a title challenge seems a remote possibility given the club's seemingly never-ending struggle with injuries which has stretched the squad to breaking point — and a battle for fourth place with Aston Villa and Manchester City seems most likely.

City have bought big but, importantly, they have bought Premier League players.

Tevez, Adebayor (right), Toure, Roque Santa Cruz and Gareth Barry all have experience of life in England and, crucially, all five players were brought in before August, giving them time to gel in pre-season.

That is a problem which has afflicted Tottenham in recent seasons and Harry Redknapp has undertaken a hectic pre-season in a bid to resolve this issue. With no European distractions, there is little excuse for Spurs not to be firing on 16 August, albeit bereft of several first-choice defenders.

Peter Crouch and Jermain Defoe perhaps encapsulate the entire squad — capable of beating anyone on their day but just short of the quality needed to challenge the top four.

The same could be said of West Ham, who remain a work in progress under manager Gianfranco Zola (below).

Although money is limited, there are promising youngsters coming through, while the Hammers' hopes of a European finish will be boosted if Scott Parker and Kieron Dyer can steer clear of injury but scoring enough goals could be the stumbling block.

A repeat of last season for Fulham would represent success but the arrival of Europa League football at Craven Cottage will stretch resources to the limit and boss Roy Hodgson will be wary of a burn-out similar to that which afflicted Villa last season.

The money awash in the Premier League has made it more competitive at the top end but only United have both a manager and a playing staff that know what it takes.

As they search for an unprecedented fourth successive title, Ferguson's side remain slight favourites but Ancelotti's European credentials raise the likelihood this race will go to the wire.

At-a-glance

ARSENAL

TRANSFERS
INS: Thomas Vermaelen (Ajax, £10m)
OUTS: Emmanuel Adebayor (Man City, £25m), Kolo Toure (Man City, £16m), Rui Fonte (released), Amaury Bischoff (released), Rene Steer (Oldham, free), Abu Ogogo (Dag & Red, free), Paul Rodgers (Northampton, free)

PROSPECTS
Arsene Wenger's reluctance to spend almost cost the Gunners their place in the top four last season. And unless the boss loosens the purse strings before the start of the season, they could find themselves in an even worse situation this term.

PLAYER TO WATCH: Jack Wilshere
The 17-year-old has been hailed as potentially the best English midfielder to emerge for years and after making eight first-team appearances last season, he could become a familiar face in Wenger's first-team squad this year.

CHELSEA

TRANSFERS
INS: Yuri Zhirkov (CSKA Moscow, £18m), Ross Turnbull (Boro, free), Daniel Sturridge (Man City, tribunal)
OUTS: Mineiro (released), Ben Sahar (Espanyol, £800,000), Lee Sawyer (Southend, loan), Jimmy Smith (L Orient, free), Slobodan Rajkovic (FC Twente, loan), Franco di Santo (Blackburn, loan), Frank Nouble (West Ham, undisclosed), Morton Neilsen (AZ Alkmaar, free), Scott Sinclair (Wigan, loan), Fabio Ferreira (released), Ricardo Fernandes (released)

PROSPECTS
John Terry's decision to stay has reinforced the feelgood factor at the club following Carlo Ancelotti's arrival. But it will take more than an upbeat mood to overhaul Manchester United.

PLAYER TO WATCH: Daniel Sturridge
The young striker looked a first-team player in the making on the club's US tour.

FULHAM

TRANSFERS
INS: Stephen Kelly (Birmingham City, free), Bjorn Helge Riise (Lillestrom, £2m)
OUTS: Leon Andreasen (Hannover 96, free), Moritz Volz (released), Collins John (KSV Roeselare, free), Karim Laribi (released)

PROSPECTS
The thrill of qualifying for Europe will quickly disappear when the effects of a bloated fixture list kick in. Roy Hodgson's squad look too thin to cope with an extra competition and an extended run in the Europa League could wreck their hopes of another top-half finish.

PLAYER TO WATCH: Bjorn Helge Riise
At 26, Riise has waited patiently for a move to the Premier League and he will be determined to make the most of his opportunity. The presence of international team-mates Brede Hangeland and Erik Nevland will help the midfielder to settle.

TOTTENHAM

TRANSFERS
INS: Peter Crouch (Portsmouth, £9m), Kyle Naughton, Kyle Walker (both Sheff United, £8m combined)
OUTS: Darren Bent (Sunderland, £10m), Didier Zokora (Sevilla, £8m), Chris Gunter (N Forest, £1.75m), Ricardo Rocha (released), Danny Hutchins (Yeovil, free), Adel Taarabt (QPR, loan), Simon Dawkins (released), David Hutton (released), Ben Alnwick (Norwich, loan),
Troy A-Henville (Exeter, loan)

PROSPECTS
Crouch's arrival could be the key to a top-six finish if he can hit it off again with his former Portsmouth strike partner Jermain Defoe, but they still lack quality to challenge the big four.

PLAYER TO WATCH: Dorian Dervite
Harry Redknapp has tipped the young centre-back as one for the future. Likely to get an early chance to shine as cover for the injured Ledley King, Jonathan Woodgate and Michael Dawson.

WEST HAM

TRANSFERS
INS: Herita Ilunga (Toulouse, £2.75m), Luis Jimenez (Inter, loan), Peter Kurucz (Ujpest, undisclosed), Jack Lampe (Harlow, free), Frank Nouble (Chelsea, undisclosed), Fabio Daprela (Grasshoppers, undisclosed)
OUTS: Lee Bowyer (Birmingham City, free), Lucas Neill (released), Diego Tristan (released), Freddie Sears (C Palace, loan), Kyel Reid (Sheff Utd, free), Joe Widdowson (Grimsby, free), Walter Lopez (released), Jimmy Walker (released), Tony Stokes (released)

PROSPECTS
Gianfranco Zola is willing to give his kids a chance and the mix of youth and experience could see West Ham emerge as the surprise package.

PLAYER TO WATCH: Mark Noble
Got better and better last season and his impressive displays as skipper during England Under-21s' campaign this summer showed the midfielder's growing maturity.

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