Chelsea FC take on Manchester City in what should really be a huge Premier League clash. Unfortunately, it just isn’t. Does anyone actually care?
Now, this isn’t going to be full of words plucked from cheesy high school sports movies. Truth is, our season is close to its (merciful) end and Chelsea are firmly stuck mid-table. We certainly won’t be playing in any European competition next season but we also surely won’t be relegated. Yay. (THAT’S how it’s done, Newcastle)
Anyway.
What I mean by ‘caring’ is more a willingness to reveal a persistent level of hunger. The life of a footballer is short, thus every player eligible to pull on a Chelsea shirt did so sensing impending honors, trophies, glory, money, and elevated status. Aside from the money, none of that is happening. So what will they do? Will Chelsea’s current position resort in a shift of loyalties and decisions to rest or avoid injury to be fresh for the Euros or Olympics?
More from The Pride of London
- Bournemouth 0-0 Chelsea player ratings: Abysmal, reckless, wasteful
- Bournemouth 0-0 Chelsea: 3 Blues talking points
- Bournemouth vs Chelsea: 1 Blue Mauricio Pochettino should drop
- Bournemouth vs Chelsea: 3 Blues who must start
- Predicted Chelsea lineup vs Bournemouth: Palmer starts in 4-2-3-1
The disconnect between fans and players is that fans view club crests, badges, and colors as inspiration. Players rarely do. It’s either about utilizing talent as currency in business transactions or an internal desire to always be better. The latter jives well with the fans because, unless spoken, it looks to be the same thing. Chelsea have a lot of decisions to make, and a manager who likes players whose internal engines run on similar stuff as his own will be making a lot of those decisions.
For Manchester City, meanwhile, they have bigger things on their minds. A heroic victory was witnessed by those in attendance at the Etihad on Tuesday evening as Manuel Pellegrini’s men rose to the occasion. PSG did not help themselves with questionable tactics and debatable commitment, but the bottom line is that the English club have reached the last four of the Champions League for the first time in their history.
Friday saw the Citizens learn their semi-final fate, being dealt a Real Madrid team that is as unpredictable as themselves. Given the other three teams in the draw, many argue that City have been dealt the kindest of hands, if you can call it that. The first leg may be over a week away, but there is no doubt that the shining European silverware is dominating the thoughts of their players.
Next: The fall and future of Chelsea FC’s Nemanja Matic
Can they focus long enough to overcome Chelsea? With the prospect of ultimately triumphing in Europe’s premier competition slim at best, they need fourth place to qualify for next season’s edition. That should be sufficient motivation to ensure that at least one set of players care.