Chelsea Tactics and Transfers: Let Antonio Conte build a team for the club

In a campaign that gains more frustration with every passing day, Chelsea have managed to follow up their recent failures with signs they have learned nothing at all.

Before starting this piece let’s acknowledge a few important truths. For instance, though Chelsea are the most dramatic club in the Premier League and are going through a bit of a crisis, things could be worse. The club is still in the Champions League places, as well as in the knock-out round of this season’s Champions League. They won their stadium approval bid. And, in the end, they added the necessary depth during the January transfer window.

That said, Chelsea need to make changes. There were days when Chelsea would have been glad to participate in football at this level. Those are in the past now. As perennial title contenders and the dominant London club (the only one to have won the Champions League), the criteria have evolved.

Chelsea’s lack of organizational consistency means they are regularly overtaken by a flood of rumors. The most recent ones say the club will fire Antonio Conte because of two horrendous losses. With Chelsea’s history of ridiculous behavior on that front adding fuel to the flames it becomes a distraction for the players, staff and supporters.

At Manchester United, for example, Sir Alex Ferguson would never have to answer questions about his job security. Marcello Lippi would never have had to either, and neither did Pep Guardiola at Barcelona or Bayern.

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The result of the rumours is a weakening of the manager’s authority among the squad. Chelsea have specialized in recent years in destroying the manager’s authority and then blaming him for somehow not being able to discipline and motivate his players. For Chelsea to reach the heights they need to as one of the top clubs in the world, this needs to end.

I’ve said it before, but Chelsea have created an environment in which the players view the club as more of a hotel than a home. In their bid to become a powerhouse, they have turned themselves into a stepping stone club.

The players are comfortable talking about their ambitions beyond Stamford Bridge and publicly flirting with other clubs. That does not happen at Manchester United, Juventus, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich or Barcelona. It would be an act of heresy punished by the board and manager.

Unfortunately, at Chelsea the manager cannot punish players.He can not even really manage. He can pick an XI and some tactics. But man-management and motivation only works if the dynamic is clear, and it never is at Chelsea.

If Chelsea wanted to solve their current crisis they could do it in a day. Chelsea’s current group of lazy babies already smell blood in the water and the discipline is evaporating from the squad. Suddenly players are apparently complaining about training methods, talking about other clubs, and displaying the body language of losers. If the board came out and boldly offered Antonio Conte a three-year extension and a raise to his current terms, players would have to jump back in line quickly and things would start to improve.

For once, Chelsea need to give the manager the tools he needs to succeed at the top level. The first of those is authority. It does not matter who the players are if the manager can’t manage.

Chelsea should then make an example out of one of the players. Thibaut Courtois should be sold. But not to Real Madrid. Sell him to a team in Spain, but there can be no rewards for his indecency.

Another problem is Alvaro Morata. The striker showed up in England talking about Real Madrid. He is supposedly out with a back injury, and yet appeared on Instagram dancing and picking up his wife. It appears his back hurts when it is time to work.

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Chelsea have allowed themselves to pay the bills while their players disrespect them. The Blues would be higher up the table with a group of dedicated and hardworking players. That’s what the players were last year when they thought their personal reputations were on the line if they failed for a second year in a row. Now they are all comfortable again, and their character shows. They are weak of mind, spirit and will.

In a perfect world Chelsea would re-sign Eden Hazard and let go of Thibaut Courtois, Alvaro “The Boyfriend” Morata, Tiemoue Bakayoko and several other players. Start again with Chelsea men, proper ones dedicated to the cause and then invest once they prove themselves.

Antonio Conte said last year winning the title should not be allowed to be a distraction. This is a bad football club at the moment, one needing a lot of work. Chelsea supporters are a loyal, well-humored bunch but they deserve so much better than this.

Get players who will sweat and bleed for the cause. Sergio Ramos and Giorgio Chiellini types.  Players who understand the badge represents an organization that has stood for a hundred years, and is so much more important than the name on the back. After that, when a solid, well-coached, real team has emerged can Chelsea then add the stars and buy more players.

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Chelsea’s era of transience needs to end. Their first step is to keep the one man who seems to recognize this: Antonio Conte.