Chelsea FC: What to Expect Come January

January is a time where teams are given the opportunity to analyze the first half of their seasons, as well as becoming active in the transfer market.

Andre Villas-Boas will take time to asses his Chelsea team and determine: the Torres situation, offloading players, purchasing new players, his tactics, the title race.

Chelsea have currently been in good form starting from the 3-0 win away against Newcastle, finishing top of their Champions League group with a 3-0 win at home against Valencia, and with the recent 2-1 win hosting the premier league leaders Manchester City. 

Still seven points behind, Chelsea have a long way to go before seriously competing for the crown however finishing out the year strong by beating Tottenham in the coming weeks and staying confident through the new year could truly see them close the cap on the leaders.

Manchester United are only two points behind City and there is a possibility of City dropping points with their upcoming fixture at the Emirates. 

In the beginning of the year, AVB chose to revolutionize the Chelsea team by implying attacking tactics such as a high defensive line and quick counter-attacking play.

Recently, AVB has started the game with a high line which becomes quickly exposed, as we saw in the Man City game, and he reverts back to a defensive approach with a new twist.

The "AVB twist" if you will—Chelsea drop deep and allow the opposition plenty of possession, but continue to pressure the ball and wait for an opportunity to counter-attack.

This counter-attack is unlike any other, with Mata and Sturridge on the wings and Drogba in the middle to hold the ball up with the wingers push forwards. Mata and Sturridge add pace and Drogba knows how to finish with his experience.

This tactic was exploited superbly against Man City. Sturridge ran the ball down the left flank, past Gael Clichy (who had an off game), and put in a excellent cross to Meireles (the type of goal Lampard usually scores). 

In January AVB must analyze the difference between the Chelsea team with the high line defense and the performances without it. Then stability will provide confidence in the defense for the remainder of the season and we will (hopefully) see less defensive mistakes.

As frustrating as it is, the Fernando Torres situation must be addressed and for both positive and negative reasons.

Torres has been out of form for quite a while now and despite starting the first couple of games, he was still unable to find solidity in his form, other than a few glimpses.

This is nothing new to anyone and it's beginning to raise questions of Torres' future at Chelsea especially with the in-form Drogba. Torres had no part in the Man City game and will hope to be played against weaker opponents such as Wigan this coming weekend.

The good news for both Torres and his supporters is that Drogba will be gone for the month of January because he will be competing in the African Cup of Nations. This is Torres' chance to prove himself and his worth to AVB. The Chelsea manager has never ousted Torres in his interviews and has always supported him and his involvement in the current squad.

Sturridge and Torres don't seem to connect and that could be a possibility as to why AVB has decided to bench Torres in order for him to gain trust and chemistry from his fellow teammates. 

As we all know, Anelka will be leaving Chelsea in January to join Chinese side Shanghai Shenhua.

There have been rumors that Alex is set to leave to join Juventus after handing in a transfer request, which is most likely to happen.

Kalou has been linked with French clubs Marseille and PSG. The possibility of him leaving in January isn't very likely, I seem him staying til the summer when his contract runs out.

Drogba is another Chelsea play who has been in the headlines with links to clubs such a Tottenham and AC Milan; however, Drogba is a Chelsea legend and with his current form there is a huge chance that he will eventually sign a contract extension for at least one year.

Some analysts suggest that Torres will look for another club come January, though this seems unlikely. He hasn't been at the club long and he does seem happy. He knows that he is the future of the Chelsea attack and who would want to leave that?  

If you have been following the transfer rumors you know that Chelsea may be in the market for a central defender. Gary Cahill has ultimately been the standout choice for Chelsea, but Godin is also a possibility.

I only see Chelsea diving into the market if they do sell Alex or any players other than Anelka (due to their depth in strikers).