One win from 6 games in the 2023/2024 Premier League Season. 14th in the League table. A squad devastated by unnecessary and avoidable injuries.

A crumbling internal structure holed by ignorance, pride and seemingly, apathy. Chelsea’s woes have been apparent for a while, kept alive every day by the undying criticisms that lie on the lips of every football fan that speaks of them. And every gameweek has only seemed to fortify Chelsea’s melancholy, with the results making an undesired reality of Stamford Bridge’s dread.

On September 2023, a rare occurrence sweeps the footballing world – A unified thought. Football fans, notorious for their diverse opinions, rally under a singular notion. That Chelsea Football Club is destroyed.

Todd Boehly, Chelsea’s co-owner and chairman, has spent a great deal of wealth in an attempt to fix his club. To get them back to the formidable champions they once were. To stir up the familiar feeling of terror in their opponents, which has since morphed into one of confidence. There is a prejudice in the footballing world that Americans know very little about football, and that prejudice certainly left it’s footprints on the articles following Boehly’s takeover of Chelsea.

Boehly has since sought to prove them wrong, involving himself in more matters than Chelsea’s financial demands. His decisions have directly alluded to this personal mission of his, and while they may not always yield the greatest results, it is clear he is making an effort.

So, where does the blame lie for Chelsea’s failures?

One expert points out their reckless spending has a strong hand in this. He claims Chelsea hadn’t done their proper scouting research and maintains that a player exhibiting flashes of brilliance doesn’t guarantee that he is fit for Chelsea. Or that he is a good footballer either.

Since Boehly’s takeover, Chelsea has developed an unpleasing reputation of paying exaggerated prices for unproven players, spending over a billion euros on 31 players since May 2022.

“Spending a lot of money on a player doesn’t mean he is good”, the expert says. He goes on to point out Brighton’s excellent scouting system that spent 55.7 million euros (The 4th lowest spenders) on new arrivals last season and qualified for an European competition for the first time in their history, impressing the world with attractive football and a fine underdog story.

Another expert blames Pochettino and his tactics. “They have great players”, he exerts, “but Pochettino doesn’t know how to properly use them, and he isn’t exactly known for being a serial winner”

In Pochettino’s 14 year coaching career, he has won two trophies, the French Super Cup and the Coupe de France, both in the 2020/2021 season with PSG. While his career hasn’t been trophy-laden, he has been lauded over the years for his rejuvenation of failing teams.

The end of last season saw Chelsea’s morale injured and their ego bruised. They failed to qualify for any European competition for the first time in 7 years . The club finished in their lowest position since ending 14th place in the 1993–94 season. Chelsea, by all standards, could be classified as a failing team.

They keep assuring their fans that their current woes are only temporary, that a project takes time to build, that they are just on the verge of a rebirth. Only time will unravel if their promises are just ramblings of desperation or the precedence of forthcoming magnificence. But what Chelsea fans can offer for now is an unwavering support.

After all, every top club has had a period of darkness that shadowed all their glory. What matters is if they shine through the gloom; that is what separates elite clubs from average ones.

-Julius

*Photo courtesy of CC0 1.0