Disastrous, catastrophic or terrible, no matter how you rate the form of Chelsea this Season, they have done enough to fall from grace. Being the reigning Champions of the Premier League, many expected them to mount a title challenge again this Season. However, what they have been doing thus far will never trouble the teams that are sitting atop the Premier League this Season.
Here are 5 Reasons why Chelsea won’t finish in the top 4 this Season.
1. History is against them
While the words resurgence, come back, and recovery are making rounds around Stamford Bridge these days, one thing that has voted against them already is the history of Premier League. Unlike their history after the Russian ownership where Chelsea rewrote every rule that was there in the book, even a spending spree in January transfer window might be too little too late for the Blues.
For any team in the entire history of the Premier League, which obtained just 11 points of the opening 9 games, it has never qualified for the top 4. Chelsea should be challenging this fact, however, looking at their form that seems to be going down the drain every weekend, they are still looking way short of stopping the rut.
2. He was a catalyst in Chelsea’s title-winning campaign – but Nemanja Matic is the Reason of their current decline
While football is a game where surprises come every day like rain drops in Amazon, you would be lying to say that you had seen the fall of Nemanja Matic coming this Season. At just 28-years of age which is considered as a golden period in any footballer’s life, the way his form has defied Matic is unprecedented in the Premier League.
To say that Matic was a one season wonder would be an understatement considering what he did for Benfica before joining Chelsea. Stamford Bridge outfit was the club who sold Matic to Benfica before getting him back once again in the winter of 2014. From that time till the end of last Season, Matic was a star performer in a Chelsea team that has had its fair share of big players.
However, just when you thought that he would emulate Lampard on a consistent basis, his form gave way. Lowest point of his Chelsea career came on the weekend when he betrayed his team-mates at 1-0 down against West Ham by getting himself sent off.
Thus, with such form of the Serbian, it looks highly unlikely for Chelsea to break into the top 4 this Season.
Rumors Surrounding Eden Hazard
Dubbed as to be the next Cristiano Ronaldo, Eden Hazard is not even looking like the Eden Hazard whom we knew from last Season. From that destroyer of the defenses that he was last Season, to a player who seems subdued every time he steps onto the pitch now, Chelsea might not rely on Hazard the same way that they could have done last Season.
In addition to his form, the persistent rumors linking him with a move away from Stamford Bridge has done little to inject confidence in the Belgian. At a time when his form is out, his gameplay should be the only region that deserves 100% attention from Hazard.
However, thanks to the transfer rumors mill, no Chelsea fan is confident on where would the Belgian be at the start of next Season.
3. Lack of a winning combination
There are many characteristics with which you could define Mourinho, however, squad rotation is not one of them. He belongs from that brand of a traditional football manager who likes to have their starting 11 and get on with it barring any injury of course. However, such is the state of Chelsea that Mourinho has been forced to do what he has never done in his career.
In a parallel universe, Reuben Loftus-Cheek would be warming the Chelsea bench as well as the likes of Baba Rahman and Brazilian Kennedy. However, all these players have been a part of Mourinho’s plans just in a vain effort to devise a combination that could win games. As you might see from the Premier League table, this approach hasn’t worked.
As you might expect, Mourinho is to blame for this whole situation in which he finds himself in. It was his arrogance that prevented Chelsea from recruiting enough talent in the summer; it was his opinion that Fabregas – even after he had an underwhelming 2nd half of last Season, could return to form.
Thus, while Mourinho cries upon the ruthlessness of British Media who always need a victim – be it, Luis Suarez or Jose Mourinho, nobody but himself is to blame for the current unprecedented decline for Chelsea.
5. Chelsea does not have a single binding factor in their dugout now
For the most part of Mourinho’s 1st reign at Chelsea, it was the likes of Terry and Lampard who were his generals in the dressing room, marching troops, giving them orders as well as plowing an unquestioned belief in the manager.
In his 2nd term before this Season, Didier Drogba and Terry (again) did that for the Portuguese. You might find videos of the Chelsea squad from last Season enjoying themselves, with Drogba in the center.
Now, with Drogba was gone and Terry fighting to save his career, the number of players who will walk on burning coals for Jose Mourinho in the Chelsea dressing room are negligible. As a result, whatever Mourinho says in the press seems to have a direct effect on his players in the next match.
Thus, with no uniting factor at the helm, only thing Mourinho could now dream off is an early end of his 2nd reign at Chelsea, which has become a nightmare for the fans.
