After just 5 games, there is still a lot of football to be played in the 2015/16 season. However, one look at the top half Premier League table and there is a notable absentee. All the “keep scrolling” memes and jokes have been recycled and all the “club in crisis” clichés have resurfaced; including the title of this piece (I’m sorry it had to be done). But after all is said and done, the Premier League champions lie in 17th place with just 4 points from a possible 15.
To be even more arduous about it, that’s one win, one draw and three losses. They have already equaled their total number of losses in their title winning run last year. Yet, this is not the most shocking aspect of their current situation; the way they have played is. Safe to say, it has been very strange watching Chelsea this year. They seem more vulnerable in midfield and defense, less readily equipped to deal with the scenarios put in front of them, while being toothless in attack. This was very apparent in their 3-0 loss to Manchester City. The hope was that things would improve after the international break, but Roberto Martinez and his men had other ideas.
Of course this is not the end of the world for Jose Mourinho and Chelsea. It’s only 5 games after all, more than enough time to get back to winning ways. In fact, the more sensible football fans/analysts would predict a Chelsea turn around sooner rather than later. But how did this poor start come about? Let’s have a look at some possible factors/events leading up to this season that could have culminated in this difficult period.
Rotation.
The Blues had a stellar 2014/15 season. Even more astounding was the fact that they did it using only 22 players, the fewest among Premier League teams. At the time the skeptics, including myself, were concerned about the fatigue aspect. Surely, there was no way Jose could keep naming the same players week in week out without a strain/injury of some sort? Yet, apart from Diego Costa there were no injuries of note. Or even mental fatigue for that matter. Not to mention Branislav Ivanovic and the aging John Terry started all thirty-eight games and performed spectacularly throughout. Could the start to the current season be a result of this? Could the lack of rotation finally be catching up with them? Definitely, something to consider.
Preseason.
It was an odd preseason for Chelsea in general, mostly because there was very little of it. Starting just 2 weeks before their Community Shield game with Arsenal, and three before the start of the Premier League, they tried to cram as many games as possible (e playing every 3/4 days until the opening day of the season. And they didn’t perform as they would have liked either. Of course results in preseason have no bearing on the coming season, but when accompanied with Chelsea’s seemingly laborious efforts on the field, a case could be made for the performances being a sign of things to come.
Motivation.
It has been said time and time again by top players and coaches alike. Regaining the hunger/drive after winning a title is one the most difficult barriers to overcome. It’s almost subconscious. No matter how hard you try to fight it, a title winning side almost always struggles with complacency even the tiniest amounts. Sir Alex Ferguson managed to defeat this obstacle almost year in year out over the course of United’s dominance, and Jose will have to do the same.
All in all Chelsea are still champions of England. They are still a great side, though it is definite that they are suffering from a lack of confidence possibly attributed to a combination of the aforementioned factors and the poor results those factors have brought with them. Jose Mourinho will somehow have to find a way to turn this around. The 11 point gap to current league leaders Manchester City seems a daunting ascent, but the journey of 1000 miles begins with one step. For Mourinho’s men that first step could be against Arsenal on Saturday. An almost must-win to get things back on track, the Blues will need to dig deep and find some semblance of the 2014/15 champions.