Well, well, well. I usually don’t make multiple posts about the same team’s season, but Chelsea this season is something unlike anything I’ve seen in my time. After watching another dismal Chelsea loss, I’m flabbergasted. However, it’s answered a very important question that I had: it’s not the manager, it’s the players.
By the time their next match, at the Bernabéu, comes around, Chelsea will not have won a match in a month. Following a 2-0 loss to Aston Villa in which they dominated, Graham Potter was sacked. It came as a massive shock to me, as the day before his sacking I was talking with Bob and a friend about Chelsea and that the board had a ton of faith in him.
Many Chelsea fans thought that finally their massive drop in form was over and that they could finally push for Europe, but sadly it wasn’t. Their next match was against Liverpool, and it was a horrid 0-0 draw, the second time the two sides have played one in 2023. That was their only game under interim boss Bruno Saltor, and then they hired Frank Lampard back to the club. The boss before Thomas Tuchel.
Today, Chelsea fans were full of hope going into their match against Wolves. The “Super Frank” chants were back, as Chelsea fans seemed to completely forget why they wanted him sacked 2 years ago in the first place. Well, if they had forgotten, today was a reminder. Another horrid attacking display sees Chelsea lose 1-0 to Wolves.
3 games, 3 managers, not a single goal scored. Honestly, they looked best in the Aston Villa defeat under Potter. At least in the Aston Villa match they showed consistent attacking threat. The Liverpool and Wolves games were enough to lull me to sleep, both of them. Even when behind, Chelsea has shown no urgency to get forward.
This leads me to my conclusion. It’s the players. The 3 games, despite being managed by 3 different managers, we saw the same type of Chelsea, the same type of play. The thing that stayed the same throughout the games was the team, and all 3 games, they were horrendous.
The first thing that I put this down to is a lack of chemistry. With the amount of new signings in this Chelsea team, players like Kai Havertz seems like a longtime blue. In truth, he’s only played 3 seasons with Chelsea. It’s not just that more games will equal better play. I have a sneaking suspicion that there have been quarrels in the locker room. Chelsea have done well keeping them silent, but I think eventually they’ll become public knowledge. I mean, surely, with all these losses, everything can’t be sunshine and rainbows in the locker room.
There’s an added issue that there’s a financial burden on the club. Never mind that they have spent over 500 million pounds on transfers this year, they’ll have to pay this season’s transfer fees, still, in 8 years time. It would be like if Chelsea were still paying Pedro’s transfer fee to Barcelona today. Also, contracts. Kalidou Koulibaly, who’s been pretty much undeniably a flop, will still be making 15 million pounds per year until 2026, when he’s 33. Sure, he can choose to be sold, or he could stay right where he is until the contract’s up, when his stock may be on the same level as someone like Samuel Umtiti. That’s just a short term contract for Chelsea, though. Mykhaylo Mudryk, who’s been far from impressive so far, in under contract until 2031. From next season, he’ll be under contract for 100 grand per week for the next 7 seasons. If he flops but stays at the club, he could be League 2 quality by 2031 but still taking 5.2 million per year out of Chelsea’s pocket book. If you include contract incentives, the Mudryk deal may end up costing Chelsea nearly 150 million euros.
If you think the distant future looks grim for Chelsea, you haven’t met the near future. On Wednesday, they face Real Madrid away. Then they play a Brighton side that beat them 4-1 in the reverse fixture. Then it’s Real Madrid again, then Man Utd, a Brentford side which is higher up in the standings than they are, and finally Arsenal. I see 5 losses in that 6-game period.
The sad truth is that, out of all the Premier League teams not in a relegation battle, Chelsea are the worst off. European football next season is a long way away, and I don’t even have an answer key this time. Hopefully this isn’t the end of Chelsea. I’m Jim James, until next time.