Chelsea’s Best Ever Premier League XI (Part II)

After the finest players of club history, here come the best attackers the Blues ever fielded.

By beating Crystal Palace, Chelsea conquered the Premier League for the fourth time in eleven years. This is the fifth title in the Blues’ history altogether and the third with Jose Mourinho. The Portuguese manager celebrated his first championship victory in England ten years ago, so this is a perfect occasion to look back and collect the best ever players who wore the South London team’s jersey throughout the years. Most of them were hired by Roman Abramovic and therefore played under Mourinho’s supervision, but the crowd at Stamford Bridge could cheer some real aces even before the Russian magnate arrived or the Special One accepted the managing position at the Blues.

• Zola is the finest ever
• Hazard can be best of the world
• Lampard was the hearth of Chelsea

In the first piece we presented amazing defenders like Marcel Desailly, John Terry or Ashley Cole, as well as the defensive section of the midfield by listing Michael Essien. Now we discuss the real attacking talents including some pure geniuses who were the true favourites of the Stamford Bridge crowd and also reliable goal scorers for the team and for those who bet on sports in the UK. You will meet the best footballer currently plays in England, the hearth of the Blues also, as well as one of the most popular and stylish forward of the nineties.

7. Eden Hazard

The Belgian trickster is currently the best player in England and is considered as one of the bests on the planet, and a potential Ballon d’Or winner, according to online sportsbooks in the UK. With his creative and energetic play, Chelsea’s top asset had a major role in securing this year’s title. He is basically Juan Mata with more speed and muscles, thus perfectly fits into Jose Mourinho’s system. Sub: Arjen Robben.

8. Frank Lampard

Not just a world class player at the pinnacle of his career, but the heart of Chelsea for more than a decade. He scored more goals for the Blues than any other player in club history despite being a midfielder. Lampard was the most creative member of Jose Mourinho’s dominant midfield triangle featuring Makelele and Essien too. Sub: Roberto di Matteo.

9. Didier Drogba

In his prime, he was one of the best strikers on the globe, hitting exactly 100 league goals during his first spell with Chelsea between 2004 and 2012. He was the edge of the Stamford Bridge team for in most of that period, not just being a clinical finisher but also a strong target man. He was engaging central defenders, holding the ball before linking up with their fellow attackers, or turning in a blink with a trademark move and putting the ball into the back of the net himself. Sub: Diego Costa.

10. Gianfranco Zola

Arguably the most entertaining footballer playing in England in the nineties, he was voted Chelsea’s greatest player ever in 2003. Appearing mostly as a second striker or an attacking midfielder, his creative, skillful play and his goal scoring ability made him a firm fan favourite who was also popular amongst supporters of other teams. Zola was also one of the first major expatriate players who started to transform the Premier League landscape with their characteristic and stylish performances. Sub: Eidur Gudjohnsen.

11. Juan Mata

The Spanish magician conducting Chelsea’s attacking play was the Blues’ most important footballer before Mourinho returned to the Stamford Bridge. According to Chelsea fans, he was the team’s best for two years in a row. However, since such a thin and fragile player is difficult to include into a Mourinho team, it hardly came as a surprise for mobile betting users, when he was sold to Manchester United in 2014. Sub: Jimmy-Floyd Hasselbaink.

We listed a group of players that could actually form a Chelsea XI at some kind of event, so, at least regarding the starters, we considered the footballers’ real positions. When naming the substitutes, we were more generous with posts but the second string is still so good, that they could easily represent the Blues at a charity match featuring a certain Chelsea All-Star team.