Chelsea’s last campaign offered an eye-opening commentary on the high stakes of modern top-flight football and the narrow margin between perceived success and failure. For the Blues, it was a season dominated by a generally unloved manager’s attempt to take the team beyond where his adored predecessor had taken it.

Following José Mourinho at Stamford Bridge was always going to be the highest order, but anyone other than Avram Grant, with any boss other than Roman Abramovich, would probably have been praised for leading Chelsea so close to treble glory. Defeated in extra time in the Carling Cup Final; outscored by two points in the Premier League title race despite amassing 85 points (the first time a team had scored so many without securing the title); and beaten on a penalty shootout after extra time in the Champions League final – Grant’s stab at footballing immortality with the Blues was heroic.

But it was a flop all the same, and his reward, after being second-guessed, ridiculed and cursed with feeble praise, was dismissal, a couple of days after John Terry’s kick hit the post in the shootout. shots in Moscow to give Manchester United the coveted European crown.

Chelsea had lost just two Premier League games out of 32 under Grant: first against United at Old Trafford and then against Arsenal at Ashburton Grove. In the critical latter stages of the season, the Blues beat both the Gunners and United at Stamford Bridge and indeed kept the title race alive against Sir Alex Ferguson’s side until the final day of the campaign, which That says a lot about his determination and consistency.

They were relentless in their quest for the title, beating Arsenal in late March to finish second and on the verge of overtaking the defending champions. But two points lost in a home draw against Wigan, for whom Emile Heskey scored the equalizer in the 91st minute on 14 April, proved costly, although United’s significantly better goal difference was always worth an extra point if the push had come. .

That reflected the Achilles’ heel of Grant’s team: they played without the attacking flair and style of United or Arsenal and, in fact, scored the fewest goals in the top four. Although they maintained a remarkable 21 clean sheets at the other end, Abramovich had demanded ‘expansive’ football after Mourinho, but got more of the same prosaic and pragmatic things with Grant. Unable to garnish it with cutlery, or win over a skeptical local crowd, Grant always had borrowed time. Speculation about his future, which reached a fever pitch after a Carling Cup final loss to London’s Tottenham and an embarrassing FA Cup quarter-final loss to Barnsley, was a constant accompaniment to his reign. of Grant.

His team showed character and resilience, especially in defence, but often struggled for creativity and goals, with Didier Drogba scoring just eight in La Liga, and January import Nicolas Anelka managing just one, although he mostly played outside of the league. position. Dynamic central midfielder Michael Essien also spent too much time replacing the right back, while the manager failed to make the most of Florent Malouda’s expensive summer purchase. There was excessive reliance on midfielders Frank Lampard (who had his own injury and personal problems last season) and Michael Ballack (who emerged as the Blues’ most influential player in the final third of the campaign). His goalscoring and dynamism helped bring Chelsea so close to dazzling prize money, although it was symptomatic that pundits and many fans felt his contribution was due more to spite than to Grant’s leadership. That was the burden imposed on him by the Israeli’s apparent lack of charisma.

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The managerial soap opera at Stamford Bridge ended when Grant was unceremoniously sacked, and his successor was announced during Euro 2008 as Portugal boss Luiz Felipe Scolari. The Brazilian arrives with everything Grant lacked: seriousness, a hugely impressive resume, charisma, the authority that comes with a reputation as a discipliner and the respect of the players. Scolari is, after all, a World Cup winner who also won the Copa Libertadores twice.

If there are reservations because he has been out of club football for seven years, the risk seems small. The 59-year-old has been there and done it before, and if dealing with the English tabloids is one aspect of his new job that he’s unlikely to like, he’s unlikely to find it any more uncomfortable than dealing with the media at his home. native Brazil.

Scolari is the fourth Chelsea manager of the Abrasmovich era; the previous three – Claudio Ranieri, Mourinho and Grant – were sacked despite offering what at most clubs would pass for relative success. So Scolari knows what to expect and what to expect: regain the Premier League title from United and win the Champions League for the first time in Chelsea’s history. The other imperative is to achieve both through a stimulating, entertaining and attacking style of football. Really easy. The key question is: Will Scolari be able to adjust to the demands of club football quickly and effectively enough to deliver what is required in his first season back in the academy?

He’s off to a decent start. Drogba and Lampard, both heavily tipped to join Mourinho at Inter Milan, are still at Bridge and seem likely to stay for at least next season. Scolari’s well-known Portuguese winger José Bosingwa was recruited and waiting for him, and another familiar face has since arrived, the creative and motivated Deco. Speculation lingers that Robinho could still join them, and that would certainly strengthen their attacking options and sharpen the scoring threat, where the Blues were lacking last season. Fans would probably be happier to have an additional quality striker on board, unless Andriy Shevchenko and Claudio Pizarro’s form underwent a dramatic transformation over the summer.

As for departures, Claude Makelele’s return to France should be adequately covered by the appearance of John Obi Mikel in the holding midfield role, while Steve Sidwell, while a good player, was never really used, so that no one will miss him. The transfers of Tal Ben Haim (Manchester City) and Khalid Boulahrouz (Stuttgart) will not leave any gaps in Scolari’s forces either.

The pre-season has been useful if exhausting: the goodwill trip to China and Malaysia was great for PR, but possibly only of limited value to Scolari in terms of preparation. But going to Moscow for the Railways Cup offered a more relevant test and, another penalty shoot-out in the Russian capital aside, Chelsea can look back on last weekend with satisfaction. The resounding 5-0 victory over AC Milan will have made many take notice, as will Anelka’s four-goal save in the thrashing.

Scolari has said he is now more or less clear on his starting eleven for the Premier League opener against Portsmouth, so at least one of the main pre-season targets has been met.

Analysis and Forecast

There will be a lot of interest in how well and how quickly Scolari fits into his new job. He will get the benefit of the doubt, something Grant never enjoyed; but there will still be the specter of Mourinho, who won the Premier League and the League Cup in his first season at the Bridge after arriving from Portugal. The parallels are there for direct comparison. His press conferences promise to be entertaining, but it’s on the pitch that the entertainment quotient will come under scrutiny the most.

The addition of Bosingwa should add genuine quality on the right flank to an already formidable defence, behind which Petr Cech has a bit of luck after a miserable spell, so Chelsea will once again be one of the toughest teams to play. annotate.

And in midfield they have a veritable cornucopia of riches. With Essien returned to the center where he is at his best, Ballack in the sort of form he displayed during the latter stages of last season and at Euro 2008, Deco’s vision adding a new creative dimension to Chelsea’s play and Lampard in fit and focused, Mikel Offering power and running muscle, plus the likes of Joe Cole, Shaun Wright-Phillips and Malouda to provide pace and width on the flanks, Scolari’s challenge will be finding the right mix and balance while keeping his opponents happy. all its stars.

Anelka issued a warning in Moscow and Scolari may be prepared to play to his strengths, down the middle, at Drogba’s expense in a way that Grant was hesitant to do. The fact that Drogba is likely to miss the start of the season with injury could make that decision easier. Salomon Kalkou impressed last season but too often chose the wrong option with his last ball, so we can expect improvement there.

Scolari has indicated that Shevchenko will not be in the starting lineup, at least initially, but the Ukrainian has said he is determined to make an impact at Chelsea and if he is excited rather than shy when he comes off the bench then he’ll give it to him. your manager a useful option.

Chelsea are sure to challenge hard for the title, and with the strength of their squad in depth and a seemingly unassailable home record, they are likely to be in the top spots for most of the campaign. They have the playing resources and now, they hope, the right coach to win big honors again. But much will also depend on United, Arsenal and Liverpool, at least, so how Scolari reacts to the challenge from the Big Four and how he plans his head-to-head tactics could prove decisive.

I expect the Blues to be challenging on all fronts until the latter stages and possibly pick up a cup; but winning the Premier League title at Scolari’s first attempt, after being out of the club game for a long time, could be a bridge too far. A top three finish then, but not first place.

Coach: Luiz Felipe Scolari

Stadium: Stamford Bridge (42,055)

2007-08 Position: 2nd

2007-08 record: P-38 W-25 D-10 L-3 GF-65 GA-26 GD-39 Pts-85

Players in:

José Bosingwa (FC Porto, £16.2m), Deco (Barcelona, ​​£8m).