Roberto Di Matteo is hopeful Chelsea’s new-boys can reintroduce some of the creative spark that has been missing for the Blues in recent years.
The west Londoners earned plenty of plaudits for their FA Cup and Champions League-winning campaign last term but following Andre Villas-Boas’s dismissal, the Blues generally took a conservative approach, with defence outweighing attack in Di Matteo’s side’s priorities.
As fruitful as it eventually proved, Di Matteo – who was handed the Chelsea job on a full-time basis over the summer – admits his side were perhaps over-reliant on the creativity of Juan Mata last season.
And the Italian is convinced summer arrivals of the likes of Eden Hazard, Marko Marin, Oscar and Kevin De Bruyne will give him plenty of options in midfield and claims squad rotation can help make the Blues more “unpredictable”.
“I think moving between the lines and rotation can be an attacking threat for us,” Di Matteo told Chelsea magazine. “We had only Mata playing that role last year, although Raul Meireles played there a few times as well.
“It just gives us more options for the team. It makes us more difficult to be marked and more unpredictable.
“However, we also need width in the game, so it’s not just always coming between the lines, it’s about giving width to the team as well.
“I think what’s most important now is to integrate the new players into the side.
“Obviously, bringing in players with different abilities and qualities might change the face of our team a little bit as well, but we have to always find the right balance between attacking and defending.”