I know he’s had a rough run of form in his managerial career recently, but you know what they say, form is temporary but class is permanent and Carlo Ancelotti was and always will be class. When the rumors started swirling that Everton might bring him in I liked it from the start. The only thing I wasn’t sure of was whether he’d actually do it. For me, if their ambition was to break into the top 6 and start competing in Europe again, they had to get a top manager who was either established or full of promise. They’ve been trending towards a signing like this, and I’m so glad it came off. You could see from the first day that he gave the team a shape, he gave them roles, and he gave them hope. Now they’ve got that, they have confidence, and it’s absolutely showing. I really hope this season goes well for him and Everton. With a 4-0 start to the season, I think they’re doing alright.

Out of all the notable signings Chelsea made this summer, Ben Chilwell is the best one of the bunch for me. Let’s break it down.

Energy and Ability

There are lots of fullbacks that are quick, that can run for days, that cross the ball with great accuracy, score goals, win tackles. What makes Ben Chilwell stand out is that he’s pretty good at all of the above. He’s rarely caught out of position when defending, he times his forwards runs well, his stamina is amazing, and you fancy him in a 50/50 challenge. Most modern fullbacks are great going forward, but leave a lot to be desired on the other side of the ball (yeah Trent, I’m talking about you). Chilwell is sound in attack and pretty trustworthy when the ball turns over; for me, that’s what the modern fullback at their best should be like.

Width and Options

I’m all about options and love to build teams that are flexible and mercurial. To do that, you need multi-faceted players more than you need specialists. The benefit of having a left back that is as good as any winger is it gives you an extra layer of width in attack. As a result, players on the left wing like Pulisic, Werner, and Hudson-Odoi can get into the box knowing he’ll be available to put a cross into the box. More numbers in the box usually leads to the creation of more scoring opportunities and more goals. So far, it’s been the one element of Chelsea’s offense that looks fluid and consistent.

As a Manchester United supporter, the transfer windows can be more stressful than matches against competition outside the Big Six. When you hear that United didn’t bring in any of Ole’s primary targets this summer, all you can do is drop your head in your hands and think, “What a shambles.”  Compare that to Aston Villa, however, and it’s no surprise they’re in in 2nd while we’re working our way back up from 15th.

After The Disaster

Let’s keep it real: Villa almost suffered the fate of Fulham after dropping a considerable fortune on players when they came up last summer. It’s a strategy I generally despise because there’s usually no plan and they don’t even know if the new players will fit in with their current squad or system; if Aston Villa was a soda last year it would be Diet Chelsea. Their disjointed play on the pitch looked poised to carry over in the transfer window if something didn’t change.

Change In Season, Change In Strategy

As the January transfer window kicked off, I remember hearing about Aston Villa’s need for signings if they were going to stay up. I also remember how calm Dean Smith was about that. He said that they’d identified the positions they wanted to bring players in for, they had a list with primary, secondary, and tertiary targets, and they’d move through the gears to fill those spots. As the window closed I remember them saying they had one position left to fill, felt confident they would, and they actually got all of their targets without any fuss. Their form didn’t pick up until after the pandemic hit and they had time to get the team together and really work off the pitch to bring the team up to speed tactically and mentally.

Summer Success

Bessie's Boy and John Velazquez won the Tremont Stakes in a hand ride, on 20 June 2014. The juvenile gelding is now two for two. Chocolate Wildcat second, King Rontos third, and Shrewd Move fourth.