Chelsea’s most recent glory days date back to their Thomas Tuchel days.
On the night of 29 May 2021, Chelsea went to Porto. They returned with the UEFA Champions League trophy for the second time in their history. Two and a half months later, Chelsea went to Belfast. They returned with the UEFA Super Cup. By February 2022, Chelsea returned from Abu Dhabi with the FIFA Club World Cup.
However, it was also during their Tuchel days that Chelsea seemingly lost their way. On April 12 2022, Chelsea went to Madrid. It has since been said that they went to Madrid that day and never returned.
The Blues were sent home packing after a controversial second-leg UCL quarterfinal against Real Madrid. That game has often been used to have been the start of Chelsea’s turnaround in fate; ‘the day Chelsea went to Madrid and never came back’.
With the recovery from the sanctions placed on Chelsea by the UK government, the club underwent many changes, including new ownership.
In the grand scheme of things, Chelsea is still in recovery. As their Clearlake era continues to take shape, there are some changes that need to be made. However, patience is paramount. The problem comes when a club of such high prestige is asking for patience. It is often expected for big clubs to adapt quickly and almost perfectly.
Fitness Issues
While fitness is not an issue brought by the Clearlake ownership, it has taken a life of its own lately. For years Chelsea have struggled with fitness issues, however, it has become too big of a problem to be ignored.
Their 2023/24 season highlighted this problem. From all 51 games the Blues have played last season, here are some outstanding figures:
- Only twice (the final two games of the season) in 51 games has Chelsea had less than 6 players sidelined due to injury.
- On 11 occasions, Chelsea has had double-digit players unavailable due to injury, the highest number being 14.
- 22 players were been sidelined due to injury, 20 of whom are regular starters.
- 15 players missed more than 10 games.
- 9 players missed more than 20 games.
- 7 players have more than 30 games.
In comparison to last season, in terms of fitness, Chelsea have started out the season decently. Last season, six players were sidelined before the first game of the season. This season, however, Chelsea has welcomed back players who missed out on a large amount of action due to injury. Wesely Fofana for example who did not feature at all last season has been in the starting lineup thus far.
However, there is clearly still a problem. Reece James, Cobham graduate and first-team captain was ruled out ahead of the first game due to injury. Romeo Lavia who only played for 32 minutes last season did not feature in Chelsea’s squad list for their 6-2 win against Wolves because of a ‘slight hamstring’ injury, which the club have stated is not too serious.
Moisés Caicedo may just be the latest addition to the list. He came off the pitch against Wolves with a suspected injury. The club has yet to confirm the injury, as well as the nature of it.
Injury-prone players might be the reason, however, the statistics suggest that there may be something bigger at hand. Whether the fault lies in the medical department or coaching staff, the fact of the matter is that Chelsea need to get to the bottom of it. Having a young squad is difficult enough. Adding an injury crisis to Enzo Maresca’s would only make things much more difficult for the team.
Academy Drama
From the outside, it looks like Chelsea’s academy is beginning to become abundant. Whilst the signing of young players plays a part in the narrative, the freezing out and selling of academy players deepens the doubts.
Of the academy graduates who were part of the Chelsea squad that won the Champions League against Manchester City in 2021, only one remains. Reece James is still a part of the team and has since been granted the honour of being named Captain of his boyhood club.
As for other Cobham graduates who have been a part of the first team for years, the numbers dwindle. Conor Gallagher has just been sold to Atlético Madrid following the signing of João Félix from the La Liga side. Before his departure, he alongside Trevor Chalobah was banned from all first-team activities. The club is still set on selling Chalobah, despite uproar from the club’s fanbase, and the centre back’s positive performances last season.
As the consistent sale of academy players continues, with some seemingly forceful, it sheds a negative light on the ownership in regards to their academy. Not to mention, it sends an ugly message to other academy players.
Home Crowd
If there is an issue Clearlake may never be able to solve is the atmosphere at the Bridge. Truthfully, it is not their task. As of late, home games have not been on the positive side.
Whenever performances are not to an expected level, the atmosphere at the Bridge is one that can only be described as ‘toxic’. Chants carrying the name of former owners, managers and players fill the stadium while ‘booes’ echo through the walls.
It is true that Chelsea fans have had a rough time in recent years. The fans are allowed to be displeased when their standards have not been met. A problem however arises when disrespect is guised under the umbrella of love and support.
While it is okay to criticize, it is also important for the players to not feel they are working in a toxic environment whenever they play home games. After all, one cannot be expected to perform highly under such circumstances. Chelsea’s away atmosphere is quite contradictory to that of the one at the Bridge as of late.
Defence
Chelsea’s defence has been fragile, to say the least. Under Mourinho, Chelsea set the record for the fewest number of goals ever conceded in a season, with 15. As of late, the Blues have been breaking their own records for most goals conceded. This season in particular, their defence has been quite shaky.
Whilst they can be confident in their fullbacks Malo Gusto (in place of the injured James) and Marc Cucurella (in place of frozen-out Ben Chilwell), their central defence has been weak. That is why the sale of Trevor Chalobah has not been met with support from fans. Thiago Silva and Trevor Chalobah were a popular and strong pairing in central defence last season, with their standards yet to be fully met by Chelsea’s current options.
Time is of the essence, but patience is key. The virtue is what all affiliated with Chelsea might just need before things gel together the way they should. For one, Chelsea’s 6-2 win against Wolves at the Molineux Stadium showed great promise. The puzzle pieces appear to be there, and only time is needed to fix them together.