Is it early to make a conclusive statement that Chelsea’s 2022-23 season is doom and gloom? Or should we trust the process?
Chelsea is having one of their worst English Premier League seasons in a very long while. They are currently sitting tenth having garnered only 31 points- 8 wins, 7 draws, and 9 losses.
Comparing these stats with the previous season it’s day and night. At a time like this last season, Chelsea was sitting third having garnered 47 points. This shows how Chelsea has performed underwhelming in the current campaign.
The last time Chelsea was in a similar league position after 24 league games was during the 2015-16 season, where they were position 13 having earned 28 points.
How did Chelsea find themselves in this situation? Well, we have to keep in mind that Chelsea was somehow a club in transition after the sale of the club by Roman Abramovich to an investment group led by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital on May 30, 2022.
The new management meant new staff, some new players, and a new club structure which in turn had a physical and psychological toll on players. Staff like; Marina Granovskaia who was deemed as the most powerful woman in the world, and Peter Cech (Technical director) among other staff exodus. The club went for almost three months without a Sporting director among other key staff members which was detrimental to the stability of the club.
On September 2022, Chelsea new management sacked Thomas Tuchel after differing in their ideologies and appointed the current boss Graham Potter.
Understanding the above context, clearly shows Chelsea is a club in transition.
Is transition the cause for their poor form in the current campaign? Or is it way deeper than that?
A new coach with no pre-season has played a massive cause in their blunt season so far since Graham potter was denied the opportunity to impose his philosophy. He also has been forced to deal with players from the old regime that don’t suit his system and have to make them happy to avoid causing the dress room upset.
Chelsea has also spent exorbitantly and brought a plethora of exciting talents into the club. Spending nearly £ 400 million since the takeover, the Chelsea squad has become bloated with 31 players who are all competing for the 11 slots. This has created a problem since Potter has to keep the squad in harmony.
Injury crises also hampered Chelsea’s momentum when players got injured during critical stages of the league. A good example has been Reece James, whenever he has been sidelined the team has lacked balance on the right-hand side. Ngolo Kante the ever-reliable midfielder has been nursing a reoccurring hamstring injury which has not made things easier for the manager.
However, Graham Potter has had his shortcomings; his in-game management and man management have raised eyebrows among the football loyalties. His substitutions have lacked substance while how he has man-managed the likes of Aubameyang has been viewed by many as not good enough.
His constant roulette on his lineup has depraved any form of consistency and understanding among the players. This has killed the team’s momentum thus a lack of positive results on the pitch.
But, can we blame the manager while he is trying to figure out his best eleven? For him to achieve that, constant rotations have to happen.
Players are now back from injuries hence results and performance has to improve as a bare minimum.
His demeanor on the touchline has been questioned since he doesn’t show authority and aggression. But, that’s how he is, that’s his personality.
What should Potter do?
He should go back to basics and prioritize results over performance to at least get through this disastrous season. His philosophy to be worked on during the upcoming pre-season.
Make the hard decisions by leaving out some players who are not in his long-term plans and focus on those that fit his project.
Where are you at? Trust the process or let Graham Potter get sacked?
