This summer should be a restructuring time for Chelsea, when new faces are brought in everywhere.

Manager:  If Guus Hiddink stays, this would be a great boon for Chelsea as so far, he seems to have instilled belief, or at least provided results, Tottenham game aside.  If he does leave, and the wily Dutchman has stated repeatedly that he will, Chelsea should look for a coach with a proven winning mentality and success in Europe – Frank Rijkaard or Carlo Ancelotti, or possibly Dick Advocaat or Ottmar Hitzfeld.

Defense:  This area really is not Chelsea’s problem, despite the disaster it was under Scolari.  Losses like 3-0 against Manchester United, 3-1 against Roma, and poor home form in general never happened under Mourinho, and coached correctly, shouldn’t under a world-class manager, given the talent on hand.  Cole and Bosingwa are excellent attacking backs, and Alex has started to partner well with Terry.  The only question is whether to keep the injury-prone Carvalho around, or to sell him (probably to Inter) and let Ivanovic be the first-choice substitute.

Midfield:  The center is the strength and the problem, and how this problem is resolved will dictate the sort of game Chelsea will play.
•    Essien must stay, and must play in every game in the center of the pitch, not being used merely as a Makelele-style holding midfielder, but by pushing Chelsea forward and scoring goals.

The rest of the midfield – Ballack, Deco, Lampard, Mikel, Malouda, Quaresma – must be examined closely.
•    Mikel needs time to develop, and if the coach decides to abandon the Makelele position as staple of Chelsea’s midfield, a loan to another EPL side might be the best choice next year.
•    Malouda should be sold, as should Deco.  The Frenchman has been poor for two seasons, the Portuguese for a little more than a half.  If Deco were in his early 20s I would say keep him, but by the start of next season he’ll be 32 and will only play a more and more withdrawn game.
•    Quaresma hasn’t been awe-inspiring but I would like to see him play a little more, particularly with a healthy Joe Cole to see if they can be a Premiership-winning wing duo.
•    Ballack and Lampard have the quality to start in every game, and as much as I’d like to say they are growing old, I’m not convinced there are readily available replacements.  This is where Chelsea should try to bring in a youth player and set him up in the mold of these two greats, ultimately phasing them out over the next few years.

Chelsea need width.  Once EPL teams figured out that locking down Cole and Bosingwa did wonders to stop Chelsea, the 4-3-3 has looked very narrow.  Signing a true winger, especially if Quaresma does not prove his worth, should be a priority for the Blues.

Forwards:  Here is the big problem area for Chelsea.  Anelka scored 14 goals by the end of November; it is now the end of August and, admittedly played out of position, has scored a total of 15.  Drogba has started to look deadly again, but the lack of goals from what should be a scary partnership is scarily frustrating.  Franco di Santo and Miroslav Stoch don’t look like finishers, but the truth is they need to develop quite a bit before anything else is said.

Chelsea need to sign a true number 10 – a forward who can create for the greedy finisher up top and bag a few himself.  Kalou impresses in flashes and then looks like a youth player making his debut.  Tevez might be up for sale in June, and has proven he can play this role at the highest level in the Premiership, so why not snap him up?  If the 32 million pounds requested seems a high price, offload Malouda, Deco, and one of the strikers – Drogba or Anelka – to cushion transfer fee.

Finally, a long-term 20 goal a season striker must be found, especially as the prolific goal scoring midfielders age.  Huntelaar was my favorite before Real Madrid snapped him up, and so now I would opt for Karim Benzema of Lyon or Mario Gomez of Stuttgart.

Daniel Agger is stalling on signing a new contract with Liverpool FC. The obvious problem: his position is overcrowded with quality. The top Danish centre back must compete with Jamie Carragher and Martin Skrtel who have enjoyed the bulk of the starts this season and don’t forget Sami Hyypia.

Jamie Carragher: When Steven Gerrard comes off, Jamie Carragher inevitably takes the captain’s armband. With good reason. Carragher’s inherent leadership is as important to Liverpool’s defense as his ability to strip the ball from even the wiliest of attackers and, like Gerrard, Carragher’s play is an inspiration those around him, lifting the quality of his teammates with his passion and drive.  At 31 with more than 500 appearances, it’s hard to imagine Liverpool FC without Jamie Carragher. But while he still has a few more years to give, one must wonder who will be there to fill the gap when Jamie Carragher steps down. Carragher has already stated an interest into managing after his playing days are over and one could certainly see him following in the footsteps of Kenny Dalglish and Graeme Souness and eventually taking the helm at Liverpool.

Martin Skrtel: Martin Skrtel is a rock. When he gets it right he doesn’t foul attackers: he lets them careen off of him. Despite a few missteps here and there, Skrtel adapted to his new home quickly. His impressive performances in the spring of 2008 helped Liverpool enter a string of great results, and the start to the current season was one of Liverpool’s best opening runs in nearly two decades, due in part to Liverpool only conceding 21 goals so far (only three more than table toppers Manchester United.) So when Agger became available again, he found it hard to break into the first team as Benitez understandably did not want to alter the chemistry of the back four by ousting Martin Skrtel.

Sami Hyypia: The 35-year-old Finnish defender is rightly considered a legend by the Liverpool faithful and his work this season has shown he still has much in his tanks for the club he’s served since 1999.  Not the paciest of defenders, Hyypia rarely starts in the high-paced EPL, but he still shows his worth when needed. In the recent match against Manchester United, Hyypia came on in a last minute emergency roster change after Alvaro Arbeloa picked up an injury while warming up. While United might have hoped to take advantage of the reduction in pace in Liverpool’s back line, Hyypia’s cool head and great vision won out. The Fin was instrumental in breaking up United attacks  and allowing Liverpool to dominate the match. Hyypia cannot always keep up with younger, pacy attackers, but he shuts them down nonetheless. He seems to say, “I can’t catch you, but I know just where you’re going and I’ll meet you there.”

Agger would probably merit a slot above Skrtel in the back line pecking order if not for the injury problems the Dane has sustained since last year. When Agger went out for the long term, Liverpool’s lack of depth in the back became painfully apparent. Arbeloa was needed in wider positions and neither Hyypia nor Carragher can offer the pace that is essential in certain contests. To compensate, Rafael Benitez broke a club defensive transfer fee record when he obtained Martin Skrtel from Zenit St Petersburg for a reported £6.5m.

Now, due to the fine form of Carragher and Skrtel, there has been no room for the gifted Daniel Agger. But when Liverpool faced Portsmouth FC in early February, Benitez fielded  a surprise lineup. What appeared to be a five man back line proved to be a very attacking approach with Arbeloa and Andrea Dossena playing as wing backs, leaving Carra, Skrtel and Agger as the rear guard. While Portsmouth did score two goals and enjoy the lead twice, the Reds kept them on the back foot throughout the match, allowing Agger to do what he does best: create attacks from deep positions. His play is reminiscent of Alan Hansen’s: unafraid to push forward and penetrate gaps, Agger has the nerve and the skill to tear down the pitch, set up others and, at times, take the chance on goal himself. His 25-yard blast against West Ham was one of the best goals of that season and exemplifies the danger Agger can impose.

Agger and Skrtel are both 24 years old. When Carragher finally slows down, one can see these two building a fierce defensive partnership that could serve Liverpool for many years to come. The question is will Daniel Agger stay long enough to see that happen? Rumors abound that Benitez is sniffing out the possibility of buying Raul Albiol should Agger leave. But the qualities Agger has long displayed with Liverpool should give the manager plenty of cause to fight to keep the Dane in place.