Three of Chelsea’s nine losses this season have come in London derbies. Nearly every local team has become a bogey team, regardless of place on the table or a bird on their crest.
Tottenham roundly defeated Arsenal earlier in the season. Their fans and fawning media partied like it was 1961. They then added to their psychologically rewarding but historically pointless season by defeating Chelsea for the first time at Stamford Bridge since 1990.
While west Londoners have little concern for who rules supreme in north London, the Blues are danger of losing their dominance in the city as a whole. In addition to the Spurs, Crystal Palace and West Ham both defeated Chelsea this season. They were in 20th and 19th place at the time, respectively. These three losses mark one of Chelsea’s worse seasons in recent history for cross-town rivalries.
Chelsea need a win to keep their mathematical hopes for the Champions League alive. For the fans, though, a win over West Ham will be a small bit of comfort. The Blues need to avenge their week 16 1-0 loss, and restore some level of credibility among the city’s elite. The Blues have won two and have lost four London derbies this season: their worst marks on both counts in over a decade.
Last year Chelsea lost three London derbies: the infamous game against Arsenal that ignited a 13-game win streak, the infamous game against Tottenham that ended a 13-game win streak and an annoying match against Crystal Palace on April 1 (note to self: stop scheduling London derbies on April Fool’s Day).
Prior to 2016/17, the Blues had lost no more than two London derbies since 2007/08. They won eight derbies en route to the Premier League title in 2014/15, their most in any campaign in that span. However, they had two extra opportunities to rack up the wins, as Queens Park Rangers were in – and on their way out of – the top flight.
Chelsea are in the repulsive position of having very little to fight for besides pride in the Premier League. They are eight points out of the Champions League and five points safe in the Europa League. For all intents and purposes, they are taking the fifth.
However, pride and fight still matter. Historical curiosities aside, Chelsea’s rivalries are important touchpoints for the fans and the club. When a player takes a rivalry personally, he is that much closer to seeing his club as a home and not a hotel.
Chelsea should not be losing to West Ham or Crystal Palace under any circumstances. They should not be losing to them both in the same season, and they most definitely should not lose to West Ham twice in one season. West Ham are only five points clear of relegation. And while the bottom three seem pretty well set with Southampton and Stoke in a tail spin and West Brom already gone, the Hammers are not yet safe.
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They will take this game seriously out of necessity. Chelsea may not have that extrinsic motivation, but they should find the value in a final three points from a London club this season.