Chelsea are experiencing a winter of stability, despite the click-and-tweet-bait of keyboard warriors big and small. Compared to previous squads and some of their peers in the Premier League and abroad, Stamford Bridge is quite peaceful.
Just over one year ago, Antonio Conte told Diego Costa “you can go to China” during a training session, presumably within view and earshot of the entire squad and coaching staff. Just over two years ago, Guus Hiddink’s grandfatherly demeanour and non-controversial coaching methods were soothing egos and healing fractures in Chelsea’s locker room. During home games, he had to endure seeing banners at Stamford Bridge calling some of Chelsea’s star players rats.
This season, Chelsea have had few substantiated locker room or back-room dramatics. Other than a dust-up between Conte and David Luiz, no credible or verified reports have emerged of “palpable discord” at Cobham.
Michael Emenalo departed the club professionally and without controversy or parting shots. Roman Abramovich has not paid Conte any visits during training as he did last September (again, at least not publicly). The players are not sparring with each other or rebelling against the coach. No players demanded a January transfer.
Previous Chelsea sides and other top flight teams wish they had this level of calm. In the Abramovich era, five managers were sacked mid-season. Jose Mourinho’s second spell set a new standard for how things can go wrong on the pitch and within the club.
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Antonio Conte mended Mourinho’s legacy. His team is as cohesive now as they were last year, even if they no longer have the wondrous link-ups on the pitch. Meanwhile, Mourinho is being Mourinho all over again at Manchester United.
On Wednesday, he and Paul Pogba had a full-out argument on the touchline during the game. Mourinho responded in the only way a manager can in those situations: he withdrew Pogba. Pogba came off in a double substitution that brought Marouane Fellaini into the game. Seven minutes later, Mourinho took Fellaini back off. He likely did this to insert a new talking point to distract from Tottenham’s 11-second goal, Phil Jones’ own goal and an overall shambolic display.
At Leicester City, the club have no choice but to fine Riyad Mahrez for missing his third day of training. Manchester City’s £55 million bid impelled Mahrez to submit his transfer request. Mahrez apparently intended his transfer request to serve as his resignation letter. When the two clubs failed to reach an agreement, Mahrez decided he was done being a Fox, regardless. If he had any loyalty to Leicester City, a mere offer was enough to erase it, along with his sense of professionalism.
In the Bundesliga, Borussia Dortmund’s manager was open in his relief to move on from the Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang situation. “It’s good that it’s over because that issue occupied so much space in public. Now there’s not that issue anymore behind which you can hide,” Peter Stoger said. That is a much stronger statement than Antonio Conte made about Diego Costa.
Chelsea FC have hundreds of millions of pounds at stake and an assortment of the world’s most competitive and successful people at all levels of the organization. It will never be all sunshine, rainbows and puppy dogs.
But Stamford Bridge has seen many worse winters of discontent. Chelsea’s management is taking a laissez-faire approach towards Antonio Conte (perhaps a bit too hands off as far as transfers are concerned). The manager is giving his all to the players. The players are still playing for the manager. And everyone seems satisfied to wear Blue.
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Even new fans with a short attention span have seen much worse than this. Chelsea fans and pundits can come up with much better banter than spinning controversy for its own sake.
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