Carlo Ancelotti is a man of his word. Back in April, when Chelsea were still greedily eyeing the Premier League and FA Cup trophies, the coach told the world that rather than going on the sort of transfer rampage that characterized the early part of the Roman Abramovich era, he would merely be tweaking his existing squad by inducting a handful of young players.
He believed in his existing players back then, pre-Double win, and he was proved right. Many worried that the Italian would struggle to impose himself in the transfer market at Stamford Bridge, having employed a relatively hands-off approach in his previous post at Milan and having been constricted by Silvio Berlusconi's belt-tightening. Yet few considered that he might not actually need to invest.
Chelsea, popular wisdom had decreed, were a ticking time bomb with the lynchpins at the heart of the squad - Didier Drogba, Frank Lampard, John Terry - growing old together and demanding imminent replacement. The Premier League, popularized worldwide by its frenetic pace & energy, is a more age-obsessed arena than most, and ever since the early days of Jose Mourinho, the Blues have been defined by their ability to grind down and overpower opposition.
That Drogba and Lampard, both 32, drove Chelsea to silverware last season has forced a reassessment of previously undisputed truths. Here were two 30-somethings who weren't just hanging in there but augmenting their already sky-high standards. Both enjoyed career-high goalscoring seasons (29 and 22 Premier League goals respectively) to top it off.
In this context, Ancelotti's reluctance to make big changes is unsurprising. He put his faith in stability, in the tried and tested, while at San Siro, and has a better, leaner, more hungry set of players now than he did in his final years in Serie A.
The parallels between the coach's transfer market approach in Italy and England are hard to ignore. It is hard to believe that the powers that be at Stamford Bridge were not attracted by Ancelotti's ability to regalvanise and motivate existing, heavily-decorated players. As a club, Chelsea have talked about their aim to be self-sufficient for several years, but because their first two Premier League titles were inextricably linked to large-scale spending, many found it hard to take seriously.
The Blues' image as a ruthless money machine (and a plentiful source of transfer speculation for media) will not go away. A huge list of names were linked post-season - David Villa, Sergio Aguero, David Silva, Franck Ribery - but the club let it be known that they were not prepared to do business at 'above the market rate.' In other words, they wouldn't be competing with Manchester City and would only do business for big names at relative bargain prices.
Ancelotti and the board know well that to improve such a stellar squad is a mightily expensive business. Yury Zhirkov, a relatively low-profile arrival, set them back £18 million last summer, and a similar figure will be spent on Brazilian midfielder Ramires in the days to come.
Ramires is a very 'Chelsea type' of player, certainly more so than the likes of Kaka or even Ribery. The 23-year-old hardly leaves a trail of stardust in his wake, but will be greatly appreciated at Stamford Bridge; an unflashy, dedicated performer who relentlessly eats up the turf in midfield. The other arrival, Yossi Benayoun - an experienced, industrious Premier League player - is similarly a typical signing.
With the Premier League's newly-introduced 25-member squad rule (of which eight must be 'home-grown,' or have been at the club for three whole seasons leading up to their 21st birthdays) a coach of Carletto's sobriety is a boon. He made it clear that he considers the five or so academy players that he will promote to the first-team squad this season as his new signings. Having seen one of them, Gael Kakuta, dominate with such elan at the recent European Under-19 Championships, it's difficult to argue.
Contextually, Chelsea are in a good position to play it low-key, as reigning champions and with funds tight at Manchester United, Liverpool and (as always) Arsenal too. The great dichotomy of the Blues' 21st century success has been their nouveau riche image set against their industry and collective strength. Ancelotti is too shrewd to remove the foundations on which that success has been built.
He believed in his existing players back then, pre-Double win, and he was proved right. Many worried that the Italian would struggle to impose himself in the transfer market at Stamford Bridge, having employed a relatively hands-off approach in his previous post at Milan and having been constricted by Silvio Berlusconi's belt-tightening. Yet few considered that he might not actually need to invest.
Chelsea, popular wisdom had decreed, were a ticking time bomb with the lynchpins at the heart of the squad - Didier Drogba, Frank Lampard, John Terry - growing old together and demanding imminent replacement. The Premier League, popularized worldwide by its frenetic pace & energy, is a more age-obsessed arena than most, and ever since the early days of Jose Mourinho, the Blues have been defined by their ability to grind down and overpower opposition.
That Drogba and Lampard, both 32, drove Chelsea to silverware last season has forced a reassessment of previously undisputed truths. Here were two 30-somethings who weren't just hanging in there but augmenting their already sky-high standards. Both enjoyed career-high goalscoring seasons (29 and 22 Premier League goals respectively) to top it off.
In this context, Ancelotti's reluctance to make big changes is unsurprising. He put his faith in stability, in the tried and tested, while at San Siro, and has a better, leaner, more hungry set of players now than he did in his final years in Serie A.
The parallels between the coach's transfer market approach in Italy and England are hard to ignore. It is hard to believe that the powers that be at Stamford Bridge were not attracted by Ancelotti's ability to regalvanise and motivate existing, heavily-decorated players. As a club, Chelsea have talked about their aim to be self-sufficient for several years, but because their first two Premier League titles were inextricably linked to large-scale spending, many found it hard to take seriously.
The Blues' image as a ruthless money machine (and a plentiful source of transfer speculation for media) will not go away. A huge list of names were linked post-season - David Villa, Sergio Aguero, David Silva, Franck Ribery - but the club let it be known that they were not prepared to do business at 'above the market rate.' In other words, they wouldn't be competing with Manchester City and would only do business for big names at relative bargain prices.
Ancelotti and the board know well that to improve such a stellar squad is a mightily expensive business. Yury Zhirkov, a relatively low-profile arrival, set them back £18 million last summer, and a similar figure will be spent on Brazilian midfielder Ramires in the days to come.
Ramires is a very 'Chelsea type' of player, certainly more so than the likes of Kaka or even Ribery. The 23-year-old hardly leaves a trail of stardust in his wake, but will be greatly appreciated at Stamford Bridge; an unflashy, dedicated performer who relentlessly eats up the turf in midfield. The other arrival, Yossi Benayoun - an experienced, industrious Premier League player - is similarly a typical signing.
With the Premier League's newly-introduced 25-member squad rule (of which eight must be 'home-grown,' or have been at the club for three whole seasons leading up to their 21st birthdays) a coach of Carletto's sobriety is a boon. He made it clear that he considers the five or so academy players that he will promote to the first-team squad this season as his new signings. Having seen one of them, Gael Kakuta, dominate with such elan at the recent European Under-19 Championships, it's difficult to argue.
Contextually, Chelsea are in a good position to play it low-key, as reigning champions and with funds tight at Manchester United, Liverpool and (as always) Arsenal too. The great dichotomy of the Blues' 21st century success has been their nouveau riche image set against their industry and collective strength. Ancelotti is too shrewd to remove the foundations on which that success has been built.
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