A new dawn for Roman Abramovich

It is a rare situation when the European Champions are generally considered to be far from the best team in Europe. But that is exactly where Chelsea find themselves after their incredible triumph in the Allianz Arena, where they defeated Bayern Munich after a penalty shootout. As many have said, the ironic thing is that Chelsea have had far better sides over the past decade yet it was this year's crop of players that finally claimed owner Roman Abramovich's holy grail of the Champions League under caretaker coach Roberto Di Matteo.

Since the Russian oligarch's arrival in West London back in 2003, lots of money has been spent and success has been relatively constant. Three league titles, four FA cups and two league cups were already in the bag before the triumph in Munich but now it appears to be the time for the Blues to rebuild. It is likely that the Champions League victory will mark the beginning of a new era at Stamford Bridge. The departure of final hero Didier Drogba, after 8 years in a Chelsea shirt, spearheads the exodus of players which is expected to follow, with long-time fringe players (who both started the Champions League final) Salomon Kalou and Jose Bosingwa already being released.

The biggest factor affecting the rebuild could well be the introduction of a new manager. Surprisingly Di Matteo has not been offered the job on a permanent basis yet and he may be getting increasingly worried about whether he will get the chance to lead Chelsea out again in the new season. Many would have expected the man who finally delivered the Champions League, as well as an impressive FA Cup victory over Liverpool, to be a shoo-in for the position but the Chelsea board seem to think otherwise, delaying their move while they consider all options. Perhaps the indifferent league form, with only five wins, three draws and three defeats in the eleven games after Andre Villas-Boas' sacking, resulting in a sixth-place finish could cost Di Matteo. However, he clearly managed to balance a packed fixture list incredibly well by claiming two trophies and defeating the likes of Barcelona and Bayern in Europe and Tottenham and Liverpool in the last two rounds of the FA Cup. Unless Chelsea can finally gain some stability on a managerial front it may be difficult for them to obtain the kind of domestic domination which Barcelona have achieved over the past five years. Pep Guardiola, of course, is being strongly linked with the Chelsea role although he is intending to take a year out from the game. Abramovich's money may well convince him otherwise.

Looking to the season ahead there is much to be excited about for the Stamford Bridge faithful. Marko Marin, a skillful German attacking midfielder has already been signed by the club and as I write this they are reportedly closing in on the signing of the much-vaunted Belgian playmaker Eden Hazard from Lille. With the relatively young duo of Juan Mata and Ramires coming off the back of a very impressive season and defenders Gary Cahill and David Luiz still improving the future looks bright for the Blues. Frank Lampard, John Terry, Ashley Cole and Petr Cech look to have plenty left to offer, although Terry's form at the tail-end of the season was certainly of concern to the club. Branislav Ivanovic has been linked with a move to Real Madrid but he remains a key component of the squad with four years left on his contract so it is unlikely that the club will let him leave.

What the new Chelsea manager, be it Di Matteo, Guardiola or another, has to make sure of doing is not overseeing a repeat of summer 2010. With Carlo Ancelotti's side having won the domestic double, a mini clear-out was undertaken with Ricardo Carvalho, Michael Ballack, Joe Cole and Juliano Belletti leaving. But with Carvalho and Belletti in particular not being adequately replaced, Chelsea struggled to retain their crown and finished nine points adrift of Manchester United, who also knocked them out in the Champions League quarter-finals. Villas-Boas's attempted rebuild also failed in the opening months of this season resulting in his sacking. This time, the Stamford Bridge club need to ensure that whoever leaves is adequately replaced and doesn't leave any gaping holes in certain areas of the squad.

Another major issue for the manager will be getting the best from Fernando Torres. With Drogba gone, Torres is finally the main man up front but Daniel Sturridge and the under-used Romelu Lukaku will both be looking to oust the Spaniard from the starting XI or at least play alongside him. While Torres found some form towards the end of the season, with his late goal at the Nou Camp and hat-trick against QPR being notable highlights, he vented his frustration at not being in the starting line-up for the Champions League final. His tally of 11 goals in 49 season appearances still makes for abysmal reading for a forward of his quality and he will be hoping David Villa's absence from Spain's squad at Euro 2012 will allow him to have a stellar tournament and hit the next season in top form. It is of course possible that Chelsea may look to bring a new striker in as well but it is unlikely that they will revert from their tried and tested formula of playing only one centre forward.

With the holy grail achieved, some may think Abramovich would be satisfied with his investment, but the need to keep pace with the two Manchester clubs on the domestic front, and the target of consistent success will keep Chelsea battling over the coming years. Whoever is given the task of managing them next season will surely find that the pressure is as high as ever, and failure to compete will most likely be greeted by the Russian's over-used axe.