A "True Blue" ME .....: Premier League season 2011/2012 : Chelsea's perspective

Premier League fans were witness to one of the greatest sporting drama of all times on the last day of the league when Manchester City scored twice in the last 5 minutes to win the league in almost 44 years to oust their neighbors Manchester United. While that happened, Chelsea wrapped up their season with a win by a margin of 2-1 over relegated Blackburn Rovers. Chelsea managed to finish 6th in the league and football pundits term this as 'Chelsea worst league finish in a decade'. We now look back at the defining moments of Chelsea's Premier league campaign this year.

The Start: Chelsea were looking confident at the start of the season with the appointment of a new manager Andre Villas Boas (AVB). Having won a number of accolades, AVB was pitched to be the right person at the start of the season to lead Chelsea to yet another Premier league football glory. Chelsea had a scrappy start with a draw against Stoke City away from home. Soon after that, Chelsea consecutively won 3 matches in a row beating West Bromwich Albion, Norwich City and Sunderland.

First Loss: Chelsea suffered its first loss of the season to the title holders, Manchester United by a margin of 3-1 while playing away. Fernando Torres's (Chelsea striker) miss in the match is still considered to be the 'miss of the season' when he failed to net the ball that could have changed the face of the match.

Home Losses against Arsenal and Liverpool: Chelsea's hopes of winning the title received a big punch when they lost against two strong oppositions at home, viz. Arsenal and Liverpool. Chelsea lost to Arsenal by a margin of 3-5, thanks to a wonderful hat-trick by Robin van Persie (Arsenal). A late goal by Glen Johnson (Liverpool) cost them the Liverpool match by a margin of 1-2.

Inconsistency: Things were looking shady for Chelsea by the end of November 2011 after the consecutive losses, but Chelsea pulled up their socks to secure three consecutive wins against Newcastle United, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Manchester City. A win against Manchester City was a big morale boost to the players and the manager as they re-started believing that they could pull something off in the league. Complacency crept in the Chelsea dressing room after this crucial win and they drew the next three matches, which brought them back to square-one.

End of the year 2011: Chelsea failed to capitalize the home advantage on the last day of the year 2011 when they faced Aston Villa and lost 1-3 to them. By this time people and pundits had started doubting AVB as the right manager to lead the Chelsea squad. As Chelsea moved into the new year, they had to forget the previous abysmal performances and make a fresh start.

The New Year 2012: Chelsea started the new year strongly with two wins and a draw. This confidence was oozing when they faced Manchester United at home and were leading 3-0 which probably seemed to be Chelsea's biggest win of the season. But sloppy Chelsea defense and determined United side were the major reasons for the match to end in a draw 3-3.

Andre Villas Boas sacked: AVB was sacked on 5th March 2012 after dismal performances by the Chelsea team in the previous months. Recent losses at Everton and West Bromwich Albion were the main reason for his exit. The owner of Chelsea FC, Roman Abramovich, said he had high confidence in AVB but could not afford to see Chelsea performing badly in the season. After AVB left, Roberto di Matteo took over as the caretaker manager.

Roberto di Matteo's reign: Since Roberto took over as caretaker manager at Chelsea, the team has had respectable statistics as compared to AVB's rule. Out of the 11 matches, Chelsea have lost 3, won 4, drawn 4. During this time Chelsea also managed to pull-off miracles in the Champions League and clinched the FA Cup against Liverpool that added another silverware in Chelsea's bag.

Chelsea FC: FA Cup winners 2011/2012

Roberto's introduction as Chelsea manager in mid-March helped Chelsea get through a tough phase in its season. Crucial contributions by veterans along with the new-comers in the Chelsea team has helped them see off this season.Chelsea managed to finished 6th in the league, which does seem applause-able after everything the team has been through. Strong performances by teams like Tottenham Hotspurs and Newcastle United, who stand above Chelsea in the table, is also one of the reasons for Chelsea's poor finish in the league. Chelsea have to start converting the draws into wins, losses into draws in the next season if they are to be even considered as title contenders and salvage anything in the next season. Chelsea do not have an option to lose in the Champions League final on 19th May 2012 because if they do, they will not only lose the cup this year but also lose out on competing for the cup next year considering the fact that they could not finish in the top four in this year's league.

Roberto promises to be a very confident and intelligent manager for Chelsea but his leadership will be truly tested when Chelsea will go against Bayern Munich in the finals of Champions League 2011/2012. A win in this match would be a cue to Roberto's appointment as a full-time coach for Chelsea in the years to come. With all the other players gearing up for EURO 2012, Chelsea's men have to first engrave their name on the Champions League title on 19th May 2012 before heading off to EURO 2012.