By Jamie King

With both the red and blue of Manchester making some very good business over the summer it’s going to be even harder for Andre Villas-Boas to keep his job, or in other words bring some major silverware back to the bridge. The biggest challenge I can see for the young manager is getting the frontline right. I’m sure many supporters of the likes of Fulham and Everton will be reading this thinking the prospect of any Chelsea attacker joining their team would be a big deal. But with so much talent can too many cooks spoil AVB’s broth?

With both the red and blue of Manchester making some very good business over the summer it’s going to be even harder for Andre Villas-Boas to keep his job, or in other words bring some major silverware back to the bridge. The biggest challenge I can see for the young manager is getting the frontline right. I’m sure many supporters of the likes of Fulham and Everton will be reading this thinking the prospect of any Chelsea attacker joining their team would be a big deal. But with so much talent can too many cooks spoil AVB’s broth?

There are plenty of options for Villas-Boas. The main man at the bridge for the last five seasons has been Didier Drogba – still a dangerous player who will score goals in any league. But he is questioned on his performances when his nose is put out of joint and the nose hasn’t looked too straight since the arrival of £50 million Fernando Torres. The Spaniard came to Chelsea with the hope of silverware, but it was only Sunday’s performance against Stoke where he looked to be part of the team and like the Torres of old. Formerly known as ‘El Nino’ Torres scored 24 goals in his first season in the Premier League (the most any foreign player has scored in their debut season of the league, beating Van Nistelrooy’s 23 and Torres did it without taking penalties) and has been regarded as one of the top strikers in the world. But with his price tag comes a pressure to play him no matter his current form. I think if you ask most Chelsea fans or anyone who knows a thing or two about football they will say that if you get Torres and Drogba playing together, the goals between them should win them the league. If Villas-Boas can do what Carlo Ancelotti couldn’t and do this then the words ‘special’ and ‘one’ may just be spoken again around Stamford Bridge. But this will take a formation change and a few more signings and with Drogba at 33, will Villas-Boas try and build a team round these two players?

Then we’ve got the rest – Daniel Sturridge showed off his talent on loan at Bolton last season scoring eight in twelve and with only being twenty-one he could be a real talent that is nurtured at Chelsea. Nicolas Anelka is another one that will score goals in any league. But surely only has a maximum of two seasons left at the bridge. Solomon Kalou has scored some important goals for the blues, but many feel he lacks the consistent quality that is required to be a regular on the team sheet despite being picked over Drogba on Sunday to partner Torres and Malouda. Nut we are likely to see the back of him soon if reports are true about the Ivorian wanting first team football. Florent Malouda can also play as a forward for Chelsea if Villas-Boas decides to play the 4-3-3. Malouda was Chelsea’s top goal scorer last season and offers the blues some width, something Chelsea lack despite the full-backs. Then their is the nearly new man, Romelu Lakaku who has broken all sorts of records for his age and goal-scoring record but the Premier League is a big step up. Many believe he has the talent as he looks to be a long-term investment for Torres’ striking partner. The eighteen year-old Belgium international has already said that if he comes to Chelsea he will fight for his place rather than going back out on loan.

There are many options there for Villas-Boas, I feel too many. All these forwards will expect and our good enough to hold first team places in most Premiership outfits. If Villas-Boas does keep all happy he will have to let his team shape and structure suffer which may cause a problem in the domestic competitions. But with this wealth of talent available and so many games in one season, having these options could be a huge blessing in Europe’s biggest prize – The Champions League, the one Chelsea really want. So Villas-Boas sits in a healthy position as he starts his first Premiership campaign but his lack of experience may get the better of him with a squad that has the talent, but needs the management.

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