Football Whispers compiles the Blues’ best-ever top flight team of champions as they look to win their fourth title in 2016-17
CHELSEA CAN win their fifth Premier League title if they beat West Bromwich Albion at The Hawthorns on Friday night.
The Blues have won the league three times under Jose Mourinho – in 2005, 2006 and 2015 -and were also victorious in 2010 when Carlo Ancelotti was in charge.
With that in mind, we asked our friends at Football Whispers to put together the ultimate Premier League winning Chelsea XI.
Goalkeeper: Petr Cech
A VETERAN of 333 Premier League appearances for the Blues after signing from Rennes in 2004, Cech proved to be one of the best signings of the Roman Abramovich era and cost just £7million.
In that time Cech won the Premier League four times during his 11-year stay at Stamford Bridge.
He also lifted the Champions League, Europa League, Uefa Super Cup, four FA Cups, three League Cups and two Community Shields.
The Czech Republic international was so highly regarded by the Blues that when he finally fell behind Thibaut Courtois he was allowed to join rivals Arsenal in search of first-team football.
Right-back: Branislav Ivanovic
IN January 2008 the Blues made little-made Lokomotiv Moscow defender Branislav Ivanovic the most expensive player in Russian Premier League history.
The Serbian joined in a deal worth £9.7m and, over the course of nine years, proved a bargain.
Ivanovic was a model of consistency – playing at right-back or centre-back – until his final couple of seasons at Stamford Bridge.
In January Ivanovic was allowed to leave the club to return to Russia, joining Zenit St Petersburg,.
But only after winning two Premier League titles, three FA Cups, the League Cup, Champions League, Europa League and Community Shield.
Centre-back: John Terry
CAPTAIN. Leader. Legend. The famous banner at Stamford Bridge summed upTerry’s Chelsea career perfectly.
The centre-back, who recently announced this will be his last season at the club, is, quite simply, Mr Chelsea.
The last player to graduate from the Blues’ academy and play regularly for the first team, Terry has spent his entire career – bar a brief loan spell at Nottingham Forest – with Chelsea making 496 Premier League appearances.
A brave, commanding and stubborn defender, Terry’s Chelsea career looked over in 2012 when Rafa Benitez succeeded Roberto Di Matteo.
However, he returned to the first team when Mourinho was re-appointed and has not looked back until this season.
In total, Terry has won four further Premier League titles, five FA Cups, three League Cups, the Champions League, Europa League, Uefa Super Cup and two Community Shields.
Centre-back: Ricardo Carvalho
TERRY’S partner in the 2005 and 2006 title wins, Portuguese Carvalho was one of Mourinho’s first recruits when he left Porto, along with Paulo Ferreira, in a £20m deal.
It proved an inspired decision and next to Terry, and with Cech behind them, the duo formed the backbone of Chelsea’s defensive line for six years. In that time Carvalho won three Premier League titles, two League Cups and two Community Shields.
Carvalho, who won last year’s European Championships with Portugal, was sold to Real Madrid where he linked up with Mourinho for the third time in his career. He is still playing in China with Shanghai SIPG along with another former Blue – Oscar.
Left-back: Ashley Cole
THE final piece of Chelsea’s defensive jigsaw, Cole arrived at Stamford Bridge from Arsenal in 2006 following a lengthy and high-profile pursuit which saw the Blues investigated for tapping up.
Cole slotted in seamlessly and nailed down the number three shirt for seven years before falling behind Cesar Azpilicueta in the pecking order.
Reliable defensively and a threat going forward, the England international was the world’s best in his position for several years.
He left for Serie A side Roma in 2014 having won the Premier League, four FA Cups, the League Cup, Champions League, Europa League and Community Shield.
Central midfield: Frank Lampard
CHELSEA’S all-time leading goalscorer with 211 goals in all competitions, Lampard’s place among the club’s greats is secure.
Signed from West Ham United for £11m, Chelsea fans were quick to get on the midfielder’s back.
But Lampard rode out the storm and soon proved his transfer fee to be a steal.
Lampard’s ability to time his runs into the penalty area to perfection was uncanny and he bagged double figures from midfield in ten straight seasons until his final campaign at Stamford Bridge.
He left having won three Premier League titles, four FA Cups, two League Cups, the Champions League, Europa League and two Community Shields.
Central midfield: N’Golo Kante
THE newest inclusion to this side, Kante has been a key cog in the success of the current Chelsea side since his £32m switch from Leicester City in the summer.
Kante was an unknown when he joined the Foxes from Boulogne last summer.
He was the driving force behind Leicester’s shock title win and won plenty of plaudits for his workrate and ball-winning ability.
He has continued that form at Stamford Bridge, making one of the two central midfield slots his own in Conte’s side while getting recognition from his peers for his performances by winning the PFA Players’ Player of the Year award.
Central midfield: Michael Ballack
OFTEN underrated during his time at Chelsea, Germany captain Ballack was the underappreciated member of the midfield who allowed Lampard to flourish.
Signed on a free transfer from Bayern Munich in 2006, Ballack made 105 Premier League appearances for Chelsea and bagged 16 goals from 87 starts.
A World Cup finalist four years prior to his move to England, Ballack won one Premier League title, three FA Cups, a League Cup and a Community Shield at Chelsea.
He was also part of the side beaten by Manchester United in the Champions League final in Moscow in 2008.
Right winger: Arjen Robben
ALTHOUGH his time at Chelsea was not the most successful period of his career, Robben became a household name during his three-year stint in England.
Robben, now 33 and part of Bayern Munich’s all-conquering side, made just 67 Premier League appearances as injuries disrupted his time at Stamford Bridge.
However, the Dutch wideman could be devastating on his day and helped the club to their first two titles as well as winning the FA Cup, two League Cups and the Community Shield before being sold to Real Madrid.
Striker: Didier Drogba
ANOTHER member of Mourinho’s side which won back-to-back titles, Drogba overcame a slow start to life at Chelsea to become one of Europe’s most-feared strikers and a club legend.
The Ivorian signed from Marseille in a £24m deal in 2004.
He scored just ten league goals in his first season and was only marginally better in his second, netting 12.
However, he bagged 20 in 2006/07 and never looked back, going on to register 157 in 341.
Drogba was the ultimate combination of speed and brute strength and even returned for a second spell under Mourinho in 2014/15, scoring four times in 28 appearances as he collected his fourth Premier League title.
He also boasts four FA Cups, three League Cups, the Champions League and two Community Shields.
Left winger: Eden Hazard
ONE of just three members of this side still playing for Chelsea, Real Madrid transfer target Hazard now has two Premier League titles to his name since joining from Lille in 2012.
With 15 goals to his name in the league this term the Belgian is enjoying the most prolific campaign of his Premier League career and is thriving in his status as one of Chelsea’s star men.
He was well below-par last term as Mourinho’s side crashed to a tenth-place finish.
But with Hazard on song Chelsea are at their best and the winger has also been part of Europa League and League Cup-winning sides at the Bridge.
SOURCE: thesun.co.uk
