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CHELSEA SPECIAL: Matic the rock, fringe exodus, THREE needed for title defence
WITH the Premier League coming to a close Express Sport evaluates Chelsea's season.
Chelsea clinched their first title in five years
Best moment: Oddly, the second goal of the season in the 3-1 win at Burnley on the opening weekend. Chelsea had dominated at Turf Moor but fallen behind to Scott Arfield’s goal. Diego Costa levelled, but then a mesmerising five-player move tore Burnley apart as Andre Schurrle put Chelsea ahead. It served notice of what was to come.
Worst moment: Getting hammered 4-2 at home by League One Bradford in the FA Cup after being 2-0 up. The biggest shock in the competition this year and an embarrassment for Mourinho.
Player of year: Nemanja Matic. The Serb Chelsea let go and then had to pay to get back was a revelation in defensive midfield. Great tackler, diligent worker, clever passer and his surges forward caused chaos.
Flop of the year: Juan Cuadrado. Signed for a hefty £23.3m from Fiorentina in January. Has struggled to make an impact.
Mourinho: It was time for our supporters to enjoy [AMBIENT]
What they need: Another goalkeeper, with Petr Cech set to depart, another midfielder, and a striker to fill the gap left by the departing Didier Drogba
Who they need to get rid off: John Obi Mikel could well be off and more than a a few fringe players currently out on loan could follow, like Marko Marin, Tomas Kalas, Mohamed Salah, Victor Moses, Oriel Romeu, Josh McEachran and Gael Kakuta, to name but a few.
End of term mark: Can’t really fault them on too many fronts except FA Cup and Champions League. So 9/10.
Jose Mourinho sad to lose Chelsea legend Didier Drogba
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