Sunday, February 4, 2024
Chelsea 2 - Wolves 4
Jekyll & Hyde
Mere minutes into the game, two ugly defensive turnovers already committed, I was ready for the worst. Which Chelsea was I going to get today? Less than 20 minutes later, a crisp and concise through ball by erratic midfielder Moises Caicedo set up a gorgeous goal by Chelsea’s only real star this season, Cole Palmer. Whatever brief reverie I was in was quickly shattered within 2 minutes as a schoolboy giveaway in the midfield by the aforementioned Caicedo (hero to villain) led to a tidy response by Wolves. Game on.
Alas, Chelsea consistently displays an otherworldly inconsistency. The final score line betrays the preponderance of the performance - more erratic than predictable.
And yet Chelsea do have their own strange, and needless to say tragic, cadence of predictability to their performances. Going into the reverse fixture, I was not expecting a reversal of fortune. Rather, the volume of performances up to this point in the season has more or less solidified the identity of this team. The loss to Wolves today had everything I’ve come to expect from Chelsea, a dash of promise, a heap of inadequacy:
Conor Gallagher, workhorse of the midfield, would run his socks off, commit many tackles (some a bit late), but offer no attacking threat; it’s truly ironic how offensive his offensive output is
Fellow midfield partners Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez would fare even worse, lacking any tangible identity in their contribution. Caicedo would struggle against the press, trying too hard to make it up later through unwise tackles; Enzo desires to be an attacker but always seems to be standing in the wrong place at the wrong time; he and Conor bond in their inability to find the back of the net
Raheem Sterling would demand the ball, probing the defense threateningly, only for the defenders to quickly realize there is no bite behind the bark; Sterling’s ability to shoot and distribute in the final third is close to non-existent
Speaking of non-existent, Chelsea’s attacking players would disappear for long periods of time. This time, both Sterling and Christopher Nkunku would stand out in not standing out. Perhaps the untidy midfield is more to blame…
… but you don’t feel much sympathy for Chelsea’s attack when they consistently miss their chances. Nicolas Jackson, Chelsea’s lone true striker with the departure of Armando Broja to Fulham, put in his usual shift, this time from the bench - one touch, perfect ball in from the corner, and a header wide where most strikers would have scored. Oh well
More yellow cards - 3 this time - borne from reactive play that too closely resembles panic. I’m genuinely impressed that Chelsea avoided a red card during today’s shambolic display, though Chilwell clearly wanted one there towards the end
And then there’s Poch, seemingly offering nothing from the bench. Win or lose, score or concede, he wishes to convey a telepathic connection to his players that is quickly betrayed as non-existent; it’s quite the contrast to see Gary O’Neill barking insightful tactical commands to his players mere seconds after scoring
There is, mercifully, the one lone bright spot this season in the calm, cool, and collected presence of Cole Palmer. Quite opposite from his peers, Palmer envisages the caliber of play necessary to actually be threatening. His touches are sublime, his passes creative, and his production inarguable. Palmer scored again today, created additional chances elsewhere, and was - without exaggeration - the only source of joy in an otherwise joyless performance
So where does Chelsea go from here?
It’s hard to overstate just how negative the fanbase has been. Yes this has been a fairly cynical post so far, but go back and read my previous match commentaries, and marvel at my optimism. I feel the frustration as the inadequate performances stack up, but I’m far from calling for Pochettino’s head as is becoming popular.
It’s worth reflecting on how Pochettino himself feels about his current situation. Though we can only surmise his true emotions through press release snippets and limited interviews, you get the sense of a man calm and determined to see the process through, despite the arduous path in front of him. How then, to explain the erratic results and disappointing performances?
As with many managers before him, “the circumstances” are an easy fall back. This doesn’t make them an unfair excuse; injuries, new players, and an inherited squad that he had no say in building are all potential impediments to Poch’s true vision of this team. Of course, as a manager you must do your best with the players at your disposal. Wolves manager Gary O’Neil took over the team 5 days before the season started, and Wolves currently sit ahead of Chelsea in the league standings with a far less expensive roster.
Fans were sold a narrative of Poch as a “player’s manager”, someone who would inspire the players to “run through walls for him” as the cliché goes. Since Poch has taken over, Chelsea has found a way to score consistently again, we’ve notched some good to great performances at times, but we’ve been unable to do so consistently. The billion pound question is why?
As the season has gone on, and these types of results have stacked up, I find myself facing an inevitable conclusion.
I fear that the excessive media coverage on Chelsea’s excessive spending has put an incredible pressure on the players themselves to match the quantity of their valuation with the quality of their performances. I fear that compounding this psychological burden is a combination of imposter syndrome and true inadequacy; some of these player are “trying too hard” and simply need time to develop, some will simply never be worth their price tag.
I fear that for the rest of this season, this team’s identity is set - consistently inconsistent. I fear that true progress is not possible without yet another personnel restructure. Thiago Silva is too old and must be released at the end of the season; Gallagher’s ceiling will not help Chelsea reach top table form, and selling him would greatly help with team finances; Reece James needs to get healthy by the grace of god; and Chelsea need to find their striker.
I’ll say it more plainly - I just don’t believe in these players as they stand, and I’m willing to put far more blame and scrutiny on them then Chelsea’s 3rd (4th if you count the end of Tuchel’s reign) failing manager. I am optimistic about player development, particularly for the likes of Caicedo, Enzo, Colwill, and Chukwuemeka. I’m less confident in players like Mudryk, Disasi, Madueke, and Jackson. Ultimately all we can do for now is sit back and watch these players continue to get chances the rest of the season and prove their worth.
I’ve laid my biases bare - it’s up to the players to change the narrative.
Moment of the Match
Cunha Levels the Score Line
I beat up enough on Caicedo above, so let’s talk about a general team dynamic that defines Chelsea’s struggles - the lack of one-touch football. Crisp passing that often relies of one touch to distribute the ball around the pitch relies on two factors - individual technical quality and a strong sense of cohesion among the players. Chelsea has neither. The type of error made by Caicedo at the beginning of the build up is one you can witness again and again and again when Chelsea plays. It is the result of players who do not trust their peers, do not have a strong tactical sense of where their teammates should be, and lack the degree of physicality and ability to dribble themselves out of tricky situations. On the other side is Cunha, a clinical finisher Chelsea could only dream of having.
