Chelsea: Gary Cahill calls out absurdity of “drama and disaster” narratives

Chelsea are in much the same position as Tottenham or Liverpool, with the obvious exception of being defending champions. Gary Cahill is as tired as the rest of us with the ridiculous double standards of praising the rest of the top six while always casting Chelsea into crisis.

Meanwhile, Liverpool, Tottenham and Arsenal are in much the same position as Chelsea. All three are in the mix for next year’s Champions League, although Arsenal are increasingly likely to return to the Europa League. Liverpool and Totenham are both in the knock-out stages of this season’s Champions League. All among the most expensive teams in Europe.

But only Antonio Conte is on the hot seat. Only Chelsea are at a breaking point of under-performance. Stamford Bridge is the only club where players want to see the manager out, and then follow him out the door to sunnier, calmer, more Spanish environs.

Gary Cahill is doing to this narrative what he does on the pitch. He may be a few steps behind and a few news cycles late to the party. But now that he is here, he is standing athwart these narratives and saying: “Stop.”

"I’m not knocking Liverpool and Spurs whatsoever because they have played some fantastic football and have some terrific players. But you put it into context — we are sandwiched in the middle of those two and yet everything seems rosy there and it’s all drama and a disaster here. It’s been that way a lot of the time since I have been at Chelsea and it does get tiring. – Evening Standard"

All the talk after the recent north London derby praised Tottenham for overtaking Arsenal as the top club on that side of town. Tottenham did not overtake Arsenal at anything. They simply replaced them as the club who are praised for style and excused from the pressure of winning the trophies that matter.

If Tottenham superseded Arsenal in anything, it is only that they managed to exempt themselves from even winning domestic cups, as well. The Telegraph greeted readers Wednesday morning with another paean to the Hotspurs’ heroics in not winning trophies. Carabao Cup? Bah! Premier League? Who needs it! Champions League? But. Harry. Winks.

Only at Tottenham and Arsenal could the words “Tedious trophy talk” appear in a headline with the word “brilliance.” The flood of transfer rumours are tedious. Daily listicles of who could replace Antonio Conte midseason or even midweek are tedious. Trophy talk is only tedious for those who have never lifted one.

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Gary Cahill absorbs criticism from fans the way he absorbs body-blows on the pitch. The downside of being John Terry’s protege are the comparisons you inherit along with the armband. Cahill is not Terry’s equal as a centre-back nor a captain. But he is still Chelsea calibre in both roles.

The Evening Standard article notes Cahill was behind Chelsea’s three-day break last week. Recommending a few extra days off to Antonio Conte – who may have felt the pressure to drive his players on the training ground – is a sign of Cahill’s leadership. So is voicing the discontented truth about the inane double standards imposed upon Stamford Bridge.

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Someday, Liverpool and Tottenham may know the pressures and absurdities attendant to winning a Premier League title. The only thing less likely than one of those clubs winning the league is the idea that it would shift the drama narrative off of Chelsea.