Chelsea FC – Things That Could Upset The Apple Cart

By Ed Fernandez
10 years Ago

Christmas season is almost upon us, and Chelsea‘s characteristic calendar year-end slump is nowhere in sight. If anything, the Blues look set to solidify their lead at the top by doing just enough every game to see off the minnows and fighting off any signs of life from the big-name sides. Southampton have inexplicably stayed close enough to the Blues for their collective breath to serve Jose Mourinho notice, if not leave him uneasy.

But, the law of averages should take over, and Southampton drawing Aston Villa is a sign of things to come. Manuel Pelligrini’s men are Chelsea’s last remaining threat, and while 8 points seems a large enough gap, leap-frogging an early leader isn’t entirely unheard of. Two losses in close-to-close succession, for a complacent Blues side, could throw the season wide open.

Chelsea received Didier Drogba’s seal of approval after their destruction of Roberto di Matteo’s Schalke side. The Ivorian pointed out how earlier Chelsea teams ran on spirit and a sense of destiny, while this team was far more potent in attack and had a more comfortable sense of self-belief. It would be an interesting exercise in hypothesis, to wonder if this team would have beaten the tenacious Chelsea underdog team that won the Champions League in 2012.

The Premier League is by no means a foregone conclusion, and talk of Chelsea going the entire season undefeated is wishful thinking and conjecture at its best. There is a point however to be made that it’s hard to say what could cause the wheels to come out from underneath the Chelsea train.

Diego Costa was branded as being “nothing” without the support of his Chelsea teammates, by that perpetual stirrer of pots, Jose Mourinho. But is the gaffer hiding a fear that Chelsea too would be nothing without Diego Costa? In this case, the strongest link would really be the one that keeps the chain together. Chelsea have always had an imperious midfield, but without Diego Costa and even with Framk Lampard instead of Fabregas, Chelsea struggled often to make a dent in the final third. Mourinho owes a wealth of gratitude to the Brazilian-born Spaniard, because without him all Chelsea have are the mercurial Loic Remy and the aging Didier Drogba. An extended injury spell for Costa, could spell trouble for Chelsea’s campaign. It might explain why Mourinho has made all the right moves by attempting to bring Marco Reus into his fold.

As for the midfield, that embarrassment of riches is what makes Chelsea vulnerable over the long run. Sooner or later the fact that elite players such as Ramires, Salah, Schurrle, Mikel do not get enough running time on the field, is going to lead to simmering discontent in the dressing room. It will be Mourinho’s job to translate that discontent into productive performances in the FA and Carling Cup games. By playing Hazard, Fabregas, Matic and Oscar day in and day out, Mourinho runs the risk of failing to develop a Plan B. Against a stoic defense that keeps the creativity of Hazard at bay, and blunts the precision of Fabregas, the indefatigable ability of Ramires to keep running at them will come in handy as will Schurrle’s perennial sense of goal. So far, Mourinho has been content to play his aces instead of letting the rest of his prize hounds out for a run.

Chelsea’s defense have been uncharacteristically leaky at the back. This was a team that kept all the big sides at bay last season. With City, United, Arsenal and Liverpool struggling to perform regularly at their best, Chelsea have managed to win only two of the big games so far. Part of it might have to do with Mourinho’s willingness to overlook Fabregas’ penchant to leave considerable gaps between him and the Chelsea back line. In the defense, Chelsea also have a rather prickly leadership vacuum to deal with once John Terry leaves. You could win the Champions League with 11 Azpilicuetas, but you need a big personality at the back unafraid to take the tough way out. The closest Chelsea have is Ivanovic, but he isn’t an efficient communicator at the back like Terry is.

Chelsea could also find themselves in trouble in Europe when finally faced with the likes of Real Madrid, Barcelona and Bayern Munich. Being untested in the domestic league could leave them vulnerable on the continental front, when they come across team that have to cut their teeth against much harder domestic opponents.

The introduction of newer talent this winter while also putting other established names like Petr Cech out to pasture, could unsettle Chelsea’s comfortable reign at the top. Chelsea cannot continue to treat some of its biggest names like they were bit-part players. Egos have a funny way of staying suppressed when the team is doing well. But a string of sub-par results are going to force those emptions to come bubbling to the fore. When that dressing room atmosphere is unsettled, even the biggest teams can fall apart. It is a telling testament to Chelsea’s current dominance of the Premier League that their biggest threat comes from within.

Categories: Chelsea FC, Features
Tags: Chelsea FC Drogba Mourinho

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