On Monday night, a team in blue won 2-1 to take the lead of
the English Premier League.
Indeed, apart from the team colours, there were many uncanny
links between this season’s darlings, Leicester City and last season’s
champions, Chelsea. Foxes defender Robert Huth once played for Chelsea and his
manager, Claudio Ranieri once managed Chelsea.
In fact, the Tinkerman was the last manager of the pre-Roman
Abramovich era at Stamford Bridge – that season, he guided the Blues to 4th
place and the final Champions League spot, ousting Gerard Houllier’s Liverpool
on the final day of the campaign and perhaps sealing Chelsea’s history forever.
Months later, Abramovich had bought out Chelsea’s debt and
the West London side had become the richest club in the Premier League. Ranieri
thought he had won the national lottery as 140 million pounds were spent on players.
Unfortunately, Russia’s oil tycoon had always wanted then
Porto manager, Jose Mourinho at the helm particularly after guiding the
Portuguese giants to the UEFA Cup and league success the previous season. He did
eventually get his man and Ranieri would start a long journey around Europe
that included Valencia, Athens and Monaco before returning to England to manage
Leicester.
11 years on since Ranieri was deemed unwanted at Stamford
Bridge and applauded off the field in
Chelsea’s final home game against Leeds,
the Tinkerman has finally tasted sweet revenge and the result is that 10 days
before Christmas, Jamie Vardy, Christian Fuchs, Danny Drinkwater, Riyad Mahrez,
Kasper Schmeichel et al. are leading the likes of Alexis Sanchez, Sergio Aguero
and Wayne Rooney.
Meanwhile, Mourinho, the so-called Special One, now has to
start again and figure out how to motivate a side where communication is
lacking along with that vital component of sport – team spirit.
Jamie Vardy’s goal against the champions epitomised Chelsea’s
season – a lack of accountability on the part of the players allowed Vardy
unmarked to score past Thibault Courtois with ease. The marking was worthy of
the Blue Square Premier rather than the Premier League champions.
For all of Chelsea’s talent and the hype around summer
signing, Pedro from Barcelona, the midfield isn’t able to create enough ball
for him and Diego Costa to work with. Any side with their wits about them can
contain Chelsea’s lack of imagination and spirit.
Chelsea’s season appears to be a vicious cycle with the
faults oscillating between managers, coaching staff and players, and that has
resulted in them being 2 points from the relegation zone and even in a season
where no one seems to want to lead the league, it’s safe to say that Chelsea
don’t even have a chance of finishing in the top 4.
The only way they’ll avoid ending their run in the Champions
League which Ranieri started back in 2003 is by winning the whole competition
in next May. In order to do that, first, they’re going to have to overcome
imperious French champions and runaway leaders, Paris St Germain which includes
a certain David Luiz, come February. If they lose, they can definitely kiss hearing
the Meisters hymn next season.
All the experts including myself are expecting them not to
be relegated, and most of us are still tipping them to sneak into the top 5 –
but with each passing weekend and given the way this season has gone, the odds
of that happening are reducing and it’s difficult to see any player that
Mourinho can sign in the January transfer window who can turn things around.
Ultimately, it will come down to the players to turn it
around and prevent the unprecedented from occurring – champions one season,
relegation the next.
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