“The sky is falling! Circle the wagons! Man your stations!” This would be the sentiment surrounding most clubs if they too had lost five of their previous seven league games, including at home to West Ham, Bournemouth, and most recently Thursday to Southampton, like Chelsea.
Recent Chelsea Form No Cause for Concern
Preseason Goalposts
Thinking back to the beginning of the year, what were Chelsea’s expectations and goals for the season? With a new manager in Frank Lampard who only had a year’s experience in the Championship, no new players due to the transfer ban, and a plethora of academy players graduating to the senior squad out of necessity, the club couldn’t expect too much.
As a ‘Big Six’ club, yes, the goal was to finish in the top four regardless of the limiting factors. But if an inexperienced manager with a group of unproven players had finished fifth or sixth, would it amount to an unmitigated disaster for Chelsea? No.
If Liverpool or Manchester City finish this season outside the top four, that would be an unmitigated disaster. But Chelsea’s circumstances change things.
The goalpost was set at the beginning of the season for the Blues. A top-four finish would be great, while a Europa League place was acceptable. And playing in this year’s edition of the Champions League, advancing out of the group would be a nice cherry on top.
After Chelsea beat Ajax away, won six league games in a row, and placed a tight grip on both the Champions League knockouts and the top four, the goalposts moved. The transfer ban, the inexperience, that all ceased to matter.
If Chelsea had flirted with relegation for the first quarter of the year, would the goalposts have moved in reverse, making a mid-table finish worthy of applause? Of course not.
After an unexpectedly successful and fun opening third of the year, Chelsea’s results lifted the expectations on them. Top four became a must, in the same way, Liverpool and Man City view it. But that race is far from over or even comfortable.
Winter Slide
Since returning from the final international break of the year in late November, Chelsea have won only three of nine across all competitions. They managed to advance, but barely, into Europe’s last 16 with a win over Lille on the final matchday of the group.
In the league, the cushion between Chelsea in fourth and any challengers in fifth has been reduced to only three points. Because of the west London’s sides precipitous declines in recent weeks, fourth place was up for grabs.
A 2-0 Chelsea win over their cross-London rivals hinted at a return to form for the Blues. Then, the loss to Southampton crushed those hopeful wishes. At the beginning of the year, Chelsea was flying 30,000 feet in the air. Now, they’re at sea level, with a headwind. It’s a struggle.
Growing Pains
But this is par for the course, growing pains. This young squad entered the season with many questions and doubts that can’t get answered in a brilliant or poor run of form in 10 games. The ups and downs had to arrive at some point, it was just a matter of when, and how extreme each up and down would be.
And the same for a young manager. Some questionable calls of late such as the back three against Southampton as well as some choices in the XI while rotating the squad haven’t helped the recent slide despite Lampard’s best efforts.
Young managers like Lampard make mistakes just as young players do. And with both, the best thing to do is learn from it. So, there’s no real cause for concern. All of these hiccups were expected before the year.
Time To Move Goalposts?
Why then did the expectations of this team and manager skyrocket up? Because one of the ups came first and who knows, maybe it’ll last forever?
The flashes of skill – Tammy Abraham’s hat trick, Christian Pulisic’s perfect hat trick, Reece James sending in beautiful crosses – are simply that, flashes. Until the players both individually and as a team hold their own for an entire season, they will remain only flashes of talent and potential instead of fully realized talent and quality.
The hard part, though, definitely is staying grounded because those glimpses have certainly been exciting enough to provide hope for a bright future at Stamford Bridge.
Still, it’s not time to move the goalposts. Not just yet.
The transfer ban has been lifted and if Chelsea carefully buy the right pieces in January, then expectations can go up. Playing games on the calendar in the beginning of the year, win, lose, or draw in any combination, doesn’t change the circumstances. Buying new players does.
Successful First Half Season
After half the season, Chelsea sit fourth domestically and have advanced to the Champions League knockout rounds. That is certainly a success, in prime position to attain their preseason goals, with some of them accomplished already.
Right now, they have a first-year manager (in terms of top-flight experience) and half the squad in their early 20s or younger. While this recent rough patch hurts, it’s no time to panic, call for a manager sacking or stress whatsoever.
Chelsea have to ride through the bad times just like the good ones. Only then will they emerge on the other side as a complete team ready to compete and meet expectations as Liverpool and City have.
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