11 games into the 2015/16 Premier League season. Three wins, two draws, six losses and 15th in the league. This isn’t a newly promoted club we are talking about, it’s the champions, Chelsea. With just over a quarter of the season behind us, 11 points is abysmal return. This article will not be a condemnation of each individual game and what we could have done better, instead it’s a look at how we can move on from this crisis, take collective responsibility and eradicate the mistakes that have cost us this season.
For me, the problems began off the pitch during the Summer transfer window and during the preseason. I believe there was a naivety and complacency to Mourinho’s belief that squad was good enough to challenge again for the league without adding to the first team.
Mourinho said in a post-match press conference after we lost to New York Red Bulls:
You are speaking with the manager of the best team in England – we don’t have fragilities. We are a top team, we have top players. We don’t need other players – we trust these players, these players are good.
Throughout recent seasons, we have seen Premier League holders such as Manchester United under Moyes, Manchester City on two occasions and even Carlo Ancelotti’s famous double winning side of 09/10 season fail to retain the title because of poor transfer dealings the Summer after being champions. To Jose’s credit, he eventually acknowledged that there was a problem that needed to be addressed at the back and made it very publicly known that John Stones was a Chelsea transfer target.
The hierarchy at Chelsea who run transfer dealings let Mourinho down by not signing John Stones. With FFP rules relaxed, Chelsea should have met Everton’s initial valuation of Stones instead of dragging on transfer negotiations. Now I’m not saying Stones would have solved all of our defensive woes this season but it was a problem highlighted by Jose but wasn’t addressed going into the start of the season.
The season began with the traditional Community Shield occasion at Wembley. The champions took on FA Cup winners Arsenal but lost 1-0. Of course, this is a pretty meaningless competition but I wasn’t impressed with the casual demeanour of both Mourinho off the pitch with how casually he dressed for a Wembley occasion or how the players played at such a low, uninspired tempo to what still is a derby match. I feel this complacency along with a rushed preseason schedule going into an early Premier League season was concerning and this complacency crept into our opening league game at home to Swansea which ended in a 2-2 draw.
In this opening fixture, Swansea really exposed our back four, particularly Ivanovic. Since Mourinho’s second spell only once had I seen our back four exposed as much and this was away to Spurs when we lost 5-3. This vulnerability at the back would go on to become a conventional theme of our season so far, so uncharacteristic of a Mourinho team.
I feel the most damaging moment from that game was the incident with the Chelsea club doctor and Mourinho. The physio’s had to do their job and treat the injured Eden Hazard despite leaving Chelsea with only nine men as they tried to save a point from the game. Mourinho’s persistence in questioning both physio’s role, after the game and throughout the week was bad press and couldn’t have helped the dressing room morale after Eva Carneiro was banned from the dugout and eventually left the club altogether.
The game that was worried me the most was our second league match away to Manchester City. Traditionally Chelsea come into such away games extremely well drilled and prepared to get a draw or even a famous win like in the 2013/14 season at the Etihad. From the start, our midfield never got to grips with the game. Fabregas and Matic were blown away by the power and skill of Yaya Toure and Fernandinho. This left the back four exposed to the best player in the league, Sergio Aguero who could have got himself a hat trick in the first half only for the brilliance of Asmir Begovic. The game finished a comfortable 3-0 to City, who looked better player for player, all across the pitch. The hunger and desire to press the likes of Toure in midfield and be aggressive against wingers like Sterling were not on show by Chelsea that day.
The poor results continued with home defeats to Crystal Palace, Southampton, Liverpool and away defeats to Everton and West Ham. In these games, the players looked a shadow of the form they showed last season. Some fans may well blame Mourinho for his constant changing of the starting XI this season, but it’s the players on the pitch who need to step up and take leadership even though they may be lacking in confidence or even fitness in the case of Diego Costa. Maybe the 4-2-3-1 formation may need to change but at the moment Chelsea are struggling to protect the back four despite two holding midfielders featuring against Liverpool.
Some of Chelsea’s players individual form has to be called into immediate question. Diego Costa had scored nine goals by this time last season in one fewer matches than this season, where Costa has only managed two league goals this season. Cesc Fabregas has only got one assist so far this season compared to 18 in total last season in the league.
Most of Fabregas’s assists came in his first five months at the club and traditionally his end product declines come January but to my disappointment he’s carried his poor form over to the start of this season. Finally, we come to Eden Hazard. The undoubted player of the season last year has let his high standards drop dramatically.
The Belgian has failed to score a league goal this season for Chelsea after scoring 14 goals in each of his last two campaigns. Hazard was the talisman and the leader last season with his individual brilliance carrying us over the line to the title last season when others were struggling. His demise has been the most dramatic of them all.
The players and manager need to stick together to drastically improve our form and to climb up the table. They need to take collective responsibility from this crisis and move forward.
I personally don’t agree with Mourinho’s “campaign” that lots of referees make important decisions against Chelsea. There have been many incidents when players were been very unfortunate to not be sent off or key decisions going against us like the Fabregas “offside” goal versus West Ham or Lucas Leiva somehow remaining on the pitch at the weekend.
But these unlucky spells of bad decisions usually happen to teams sometime in the season. Arsenal fans will tell you that we have benefited from one refereeing decision with Diego Costa very lucky to remain on the pitch in our 2-0 victory over the Gunners at Stamford Bridge. Although there has been questionable refereeing in the Premier League and especially the Champions League, it’s the teams duty to continue fighting until the end for the result and not almost lose all confidence as what happened against Liverpool.
Mourinho was quoted in a strange post match interview as saying his players found it “impossible” to lift themselves after going a goal behind to Liverpool. This siege mentality tactic isn’t working anymore and it almost gives the players an excuse every time there is a post match interview.
In saying that I still believe in these players and Jose Mourinho to turn things around. Mourinho has been the most decorated Chelsea manager of all time and he deserves more time, at least until Christmas to turn Chelsea’s fortunes this season. The fixture list also looks kind with Stoke (A), Norwich (H), Spurs (A), Bournemouth (H), Leicester (A), Sunderland (H) and Watford (H).
These are the Premier League fixtures up to Boxing Day with three difficult Champions League games to navigate through also. I believe the players have the ability to go on a decent winning streak to move us up the table and bring a sense of calm back to the club. The fans are still behind Jose which is brilliant to see and so is Roman Abramovich, for the time being at least. The players need to stick together and leaders like John Terry and emerging leaders from this crisis need to drive the club forward once more as a lot of the season is yet to be played. Come on Chelsea, let’s prove all the doubters wrong once again.
