A what point does a bad run become bad form, a what point does bad form become a problem? Being a football club with the massive reputation we do have, means we can be immune to admitting when we have a problem.
Many fans are very quick to hit the panic button and run for the heavens when things aren’t going quite to plan, by no means is this me hitting the panic button either. It is clear to see however, things aren’t going great at Chelsea at the moment and there are not many signs it is going to get better in the immediate future.
It is hard to pinpoint when the problems first arose at Chelsea, after walking the Premier League last season, we ended up merely crawling across the line at the end of the season, something that has clearly continued into the new season.
Is this a sign of players becoming too comfortable? A lack of competition? Is Mourinho becoming too soft? I think it is a mix of the three. Mourinho is at his best when he has new players to work with and new systems to delve himself into. When he refuses to directly strengthen the starting eleven what more can he do to change the team or the style of play? Not a lot.
Many fans are calling for Mourinho to leave, claiming it is his usual third season syndrome after he has famously never stayed at a club for longer than three years at a time. Does this make him the long term option at Chelsea? I am not sure.
The title race is wide open at the moment after Manchester City suffered two defeats to West Ham and Tottenham. It is looking likely that it won’t be Chelsea lifting the crown come May. In order to retain the Premier League, we’re going to have to spend, spending big and wisely for that matter. In a similar fashion to the way we brought Courtois, Luis, Fabregas and Costa all in together to win the league.
Pellegrini has done the same this season, spending big on Otamendi, Sterling and Kevin De Bruyne in what looks like a vicious circle of spending big money to secure the Premier League title.
Whilst it is not nice to concede the league to your closest rivals in the league, especially when you don’t even challenge them, the problems lies deeper at Chelsea. This ‘poor start’ to the league could be the start of a bad period for Chelsea fans.
If Mourinho fails to win the league this season, where does that leave him? Or failing that, if he fails to finish inside the top two or even top three? We could find our club looking for a new man to take us forward. Speaking hypothetically, and Mourinho was to leave the club. That would divide the fans massively, some would be happy, some would struggle to come round. How would you feel?
It would definitely leave a sour taste around Stamford Bridge, with a tough job in front of whoever could come into the role. Not only is there uncertainty around the future of the manager, there is uncertainty about where we’ll be playing our football!
The current Champions are reportedly on the cusp of sealing a deal to move for Wembley for three years whilst Stamford Bridge goes under construction as part of the major redevelopment plans. The general mood amongst Chelsea fans is that the Wembley move is something we just have to go through to get the end product that is a beautifully new designed stadium.
The 2016-17 would be our final season at Stamford Bridge before three seasons away and it would be a disappointing time for Chelsea fans, given the lack of atmosphere at the national team’s stadium.
Not to mention the possibility of sharing the ground with Tottenham whilst they also seek a temporary home, not the best combination I am sure you can admit.
To make matters worse, when we eventually return to Stamford Bridge, it may not even be called Stamford Bridge. Reports have emerged surrounding the issue of naming rights, meaning it will most definitely lose that personal affection with many of our fans, especially those of an older generation.
As broken by Dan Levene on Eurosport, naming rights will be available as part of the new stadium plans. So, by 2020, it could be named anything! All of this could result in a lot of unhappy Chelsea fans, making one big unhappy club.
Whilst some of the issues I’ve raised here may be off the field, it could result in trouble for the club. On the other hand, I trust the club will act with the fan’s interests at heart when they begin to develop the new stadium.
We’re on a bumpy road at the moment and it could be even worse, here’s hoping for an improvement when we face Southampton and for the remainder of the campaign. However, handled badly, we could be about to begin a sticky few years for everyone involved in the club.
