Chelsea was not at their best against Arsenal. But the biggest loser? The Chelsea fans’ overreaction.
Cumulatively, Chelsea may have amassed a half hour of solid play against Arsenal. The remaining hour saw them on their back foot as they struggled to get the ball into the final third. Arsenal nullified the Blues and David Luiz was sent off with a straight red.
A quick look at twitter would make one think the world is ending. That Chelsea is getting relegated. That Antonio Conte is the worst manager in the Premier League. That he got his lineup entirely wrong. That Manchester United and Manchester City are running away with the league.
That is absolutely ridiculous and an embarrassing reaction. Chelsea fans have gotten used to having Arsenal as a whipping boy for years. After all that time, apparently, a failure to beat them means that the Blues are a terrible team. But the finger pointing and the declarations of failure have been abysmal.
The ones with the harshest criticisms have the shortest memories. This time last year, Chelsea had lost to Liverpool and Arsenal. Manchester City was rampant at the top and running away with the title. And as is easily remembered, City won the title and Chelsea was relegated.
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Oh wait. That is not what happened at all. City fell behind in the middle of the season and almost slipped out of the top four while Chelsea galloped to the title. Manchester United, the other club that was supposed to be favorites last year, had to win the Europa League to even get into the Champions League.
Yes, losing to Burnley was not ideal. But do not forget that Gary Cahill was sent off early and harshly. Yes, drawing Arsenal at Stamford Bridge is not ideal. But it was not a loss and Chelsea was again on the end of a red card (this one was deserved, though a straight red is harsh).
The lineup was wrong? What could Antonio Conte changed about it? Fans love to harp on Gary Cahill for his mistakes while ignoring that Cesar Azpilicueta and David Luiz have made just as many this season.
Start Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen they say! Ok, both have played well when called upon. Good enough to unseat the starters of Cahill and Luiz? No, they have not played that well yet.
Eden Hazard should have started! No, he should not have. Hazard missed a lot of time, and Conte opting to bring him slowly will pay off more than forcing him back too early.
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The only fair criticism about the lineup centers on Tiemoue Bakayoko. Maybe Conte was trying to go with Premier League experience for a big match, but this is the only real criticism that can be leveled towards his lineup selection. N’Golo Kante and Cesc Fabregas both have a lot of minutes in recent weeks. Danny Drinkwater’s injury will place a strain on them if they do not rest at some point.
It is also hard to blame Conte while looking at the effect of the substitutes. Bakayoko came on and solidified the midfield. Hazard as a sub added a late-game spark that was much needed and missing without him. Alvaro Morata coming off was not intended, but Christensen came on in the wake of another red and did well.
No, just because they did well as subs does not mean they should have started. Coming on fresh against tired legs is much different than coming on against fresh legs. All three subs are class players, but other than Bakayoko it is hard to justify starting them.
Alvaro Morata goes down too easy! Diego Costa should be brought back in from the cold, he always loved us and fought for us!
W…what? Anytime Morata is criticized and Costa is brought in to the equation is a complete case of tunnel vision. Morata goes down easy? So did Costa, literally every match. Bring him in from the cold? It was not Chelsea or Conte that put him there. Costa’s little tantrum is what kept him from going to Atletico Madrid, it is what is keeping it from playing, and it will cause him to blow his World Cup chances.
Costa, frankly, does not care about Chelsea. It was his job, but after asking summer after summer to leave, fans want to believe his heart was always blue. It was not. Costa will never play for Chelsea again because he does not want to. Pining for him should have stopped after his interview. It needs to stop now.
As for the Manchesters running away with the league, look at the table. At most, both would be three points up at the end of the day and Chelsea have not played either of them. Hardly an insurmountable gap.
Plus, the biggest fact of all: it is September. Remember September? Chelsea was awful in September last season. They still lifted the trophy at the end of the year. Reading into the table this early, especially when talking about a three-point gap, is the most ridiculous and near-sighted thing imaginable. Gaps in the Premier League do not truly become noteworthy until they are past double digits. That is a lead worth talking about. Not three points.
Criticism after dropping points (or even after an unconvincing win) is absolutely acceptable. Fans should be making it. Clubs, managers, and players all needed it to improve. But it has to be realistic and look at the full picture. Fans saying things without thinking about all the factors is damaging and is not a good look.
Perhaps it points to a mental thing. 2015/2016 is still fresh in the memory. Ever since, the slightest hint of something going wrong has been met with doomsaying. Without taking a step back and looking at the whole picture, fans immediately make the most under-cooked comments whenever anything goes wrong.
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For the most part, Chelsea has gone on to prove those fans wrong. The bigger picture prevailed. But that does not fix whatever negative culture is persisting. Most clubs in the world would look at Chelsea’s success and desire to replicate it. But not Chelsea fans on the back of two dropped points.