By the time that it is all said and done, Chelsea’s Premier League title run will go down as one of the most dominant campaigns in history. En route to winning, they managed to set the record for the most days atop the table in one season as well as the most consecutive days atop the table in one season.
Jose Mourinho deserves all of the credit in the world for the way that he addressed the team’s biggest areas of need in the offseason and those moves have paid off with an incredible run. Taking a look back, here are the most important players from Chelsea’s title campaign.
Eden Hazard
No player has been better from start to finish for Chelsea this season than Hazard, who is second on the Blues in both goals and assists this season with 14 and eight respectively. Hazard has been an absolute force in the middle of the field and, at 24 years old, it appears as though he has entered in to the prime of his career. The Belgian midfielder can do it all and he has been the glue that has held the Chelsea attack together all year. That’s why he’s easily our top choice as the man that has been their most important player all season.
Diego Costa
One of the biggest needs for the Blues heading in to last year’s offseason period was for a pure striker capable of performing at an elite level from start to finish. Mourinho certainly got his man when Chelsea added Costa up front. Costa ranks third behind only Sergio Aguero and Harry Kane in goal scoring this season with 19, which is also five more than any other player to wear the Chelsea uniform this season. Costa is an excellent pure finisher that doesn’t need much room to put the ball in the back of the net and his presence up front has had a major impact on the Blues success this season. As a team, they have poured in 69 goals this season, which is the second-most in the EPL only to Manchester City’s 71.
John Terry
Regardless of anybody’s opinion of him as a human being, Terry has been excellent on the back line for Chelsea all year. His teammates have talked about the poise and leadership that he has shown throughout the year. The Blues defenders have been very consistent all season and the presence of Terry and Branislav Ivanovic has been a big part of that. As a unit, they’ve allowed just 27 goals this season, which is by far the fewest in the league. Every other team has allowed at least 30.
Cesc Fabregas
Mourinho deserves just as much credit for signing Fabregas as he does for signing Costa and both moves have paid dividends. Fabregas is a creative midfielder that has helped take some of the pressure off of Hazard in the middle of the field and get the ball through to Costa. Fabregas leads all Chelsea players with 17 assists this year, which is more than double the amount that Hazard has recorded. Fabregas is the type of veteran player that understands how to play the game at an elite level and his confidence and poise has been very important for the Blues this season.
Branislav Ivanovic
Ivanovic has been a key cog in the Chelsea defense all season, serving as a versatile player that has played at a very high level on the back end. He is fluid as he could just as easily move forward and join the attack as is able to stay at home and defend. Consistency has been a very underrated aspect of the Blues success this season and the presence of Terry and Ivanovic on the back line has been a big part of that from start to finish this season.
