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Now is not the time to rebuild the Bridge
Scott Minto, former Chelsea defender22.05.08
When the dust settles on last night's amazing game, the record books will show that Chelsea ended the season without a trophy - but history should be kinder than that to this Chelsea side.
For despite losing Jose Mourinho in September, they still reached the Carling Cup Final, took Manchester United all the way to the last game of the season in the Premier League and missed out on the Champions League trophy solely by virtue of penalty kicks, so the players and staff can hold their heads up high and be proud of what they achieved.
Only time will tell if last night's heartbreak will signify the end of an era for this magnificently successful Chelsea team. Most of the talk has centred on Avram Grant and his future, but there is now a question mark against some of the players' futures.
In much the same way as Sir Alex Ferguson has so successfully rebuilt his teams to continue to win trophies, Chelsea as a club must now be wondering if they have to do the same.
Roman Abramovich clearly wants to see incisive, attractive football and in the last few months of the season, the team have produced that. But it still has more than a strong smell of Mourinho about it.
The futures of Didier Drogba, Frank Lampard, Nicolas Anelka, Ricardo Carvalho, Florent Malouda and Juliano Belletti, as well as a few others, will be speculated on over the summer. But while some may go, I wouldn't advocate wholesale change.
The club must do their utmost to convince Lampard, Carvalho and Drogba to stay, as along with John Terry and Petr Cech, they are the spine of the team.
However, if Mourinho gets a top job in Italy, the pull of playing under the most charismatic manager in the world might be too much, especially as those three realise that at their age, this is probably going to be their last chance of a move to a big continental club.
But whether that happens or not, we can look back on this season with fond memories, and while watching Terry crying in Grant's arms was an emotional moment, don't bet against him, 12 months from now, having a big smile on his face, lifting the Champions League cup high above his head.
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