Over the past 5
months this question has been asked repeatedly, punctuated by shocking
performances from the champions of England. The giants of South-West London had
fallen, suddenly and abruptly, seemingly without warning. This article does not
aim to give a clear answer to the problems at Chelsea Football Club as that would
take more insight and time than I currently possess.
The
2015/2016 season for Chelsea fans has been in many ways a lucid, immensely
saddening nightmare. In isolation its been a horrendous season for England’s
most successful club over the last decade, but add that to the fact that they
are reigning champions and you get an even bleaker picture. Practically
everything that could go wrong this season has done so (bar a league double over
Arsenal, yay small victories). Those two victories over an opponent that hasn’t
seriously threatened us in a league match since the dark days of AVB stand our
only consolation.
A shocking
preseason showing (Losses to Fiorentina, NY Red Bulls etc.) coupled with a
largely underwhelming transfer window (Papy Freaking Djilobodji and the John
Stone debacle) prior to the season that should have ushered in a new Chelsea
dynasty should have sent alarm bells ringing but they didn’t. The manager at
the time sent veiled shots at the board for not buying to strengthen the team
significantly, as other rivals had done, City being at the foremost of this.
Instead we started the season with no marquee signings and a squad of first
team players who had without needed competition for places had grown
complacent. What we then saw at Chelsea over the next couple of months was hard
to quantify.
The rot seemed to
pervade every area of the first team; the defense that won the league the year
before capitulated spectacularly, conceding 5 goals in the first two games.
Whilst Ivanovic and co. showed us the true meaning of a horror show, Fabregas
and Matic (two immense performers last season) proceeded to play at levels so
low rumors of dressing room spats and mutiny became commonplace. Diego Costa (unreal loss of form and
concentration), Falcao (mostly injured, baffling signing) and Loic Remy (bit of
injury and poor form) all played their part in the early season debacles, some
more obviously than others but culpable nonetheless. Pedro showed early flashes
after being signed but ended up fizzling out spectacularly. Willian (a player I
have admittedly bashed online for being a waste of space) has been the only
consistently above average player at the club this season, some posit that
seeing the signing of fellow right-winger Pedro boosted him to give match
winning performances.
The next player to
be assessed gets his own little paragraph and you can already guess whom. Eden
“No Show This Season” Hazard, the mercurial, supremely talented Belgian who won
all there was to win domestically last season. A player so lauded that his
manager thought it fit to infamously compare his season with that of a certain
Cristiano Ronaldo. As I write this blog post Cristiano Ronaldo has scored 30
goals this season, pretty amazing numbers from the prolific Portuguese,
especially when compared to the solitary goal for Chelsea’s Belgian wunderkind
(Penalty versus MK Dons). A full dive into what exactly Eden Hazard has done
wrong this season would require numerous pages but for brevity’s sake I’ll be
succinct. HE HAS BEEN UTTER POO. Poo enough to let the club and fans down as
the champions fell into the most unlikely of relegation battles.
The board of the
West London club had to react to this immense slide didn’t they? They surely
did and in pure Chelsea fashion too; Jose Mourinho was sacked. This being a
decision that characterizes the quick-fix mentality that has enraged fans and
critics alike for years. To fix symptoms and largely ignore the larger issues
while enraging fans is what Chelsea’s board seems to do best. It is well known
that Chelsea is not a particularly well-run establishment, a club with no clear
plan for the talented youngsters in the academy or those out on loan. The
emergence of young stars like Dele Alli, Eric Dier and Hector Bellerin at
Chelsea’s London rivals this season make the club’s failure to truly utilize
the verve of youth all the more disappointing for fans.
Constant changing of managers has also meant
no real lasting strategy in acquiring stars for the first team as well. For
Chelsea to move forward a total rethink of the club’s power structure is
absolutely necessary. I highly doubt we will be able to attract top managers
who will be ok with being hamstrung in the transfer window as Jose was in his
last season. I wonder what would persuade a top manager to sign on to a project
that is notorious for taking the players’ side when things go south. Things
really aren’t looking up for the boys from SW6.
The article was to
end on a high note, as Chelsea is unbeaten under interim manager Guus Hiddink
and recently trounced MK Dons 5-1 in the FA Cup. Alas the often-despicable
Chelsea board have struck again, John Terry is being allowed to leave the club.
Now there are not enough swear words available to fully describe how the
majority of the fan base (myself included) feel about this abysmal decision. As
with legends before him the club captain will be disgracefully ushered out of
the team when he still has so much to give. Granted Terry is 35 and nowhere
near his peak but his ability to lead and influence others around him can’t be
understated. Chelsea fans are deflated, the season continues to disappoint and
daunting matches (PSG, City and United) are on the horizon. I hope to write
again at the end of this season, to determine the exact level of disaster this
season has turned out to be. Till then COME ON YOU BLUES.
*Header
image sourced from http://www.swlondoner.co.uk/24539-2/
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