Sunday’s clash against Everton ended in a disappointing 0-0 draw for Chelsea. Any small dip in morale can be magnified by players’ comments to the press.
Yet another international break is upon the football calendar. These breaks are not particularly an enthusiastic time for the fans of Chelsea Football Club. Unlike other teams, their players tend to talk a lot about other clubs during the time away from Chelsea. Players like Eden Hazard, Alvaro Morata, Andreas Christensen (or his father) are always in the news during such breaks.
The morale among the players may be a little low considering their inability to defeat Everton at Stamford Bridge. This will be reflected if they make comments about Chelsea. If Chelsea had recorded the win, one could expect comments in a positive tone from these players.
Eden Hazard, arguably the Premier League’s best player so far this season, was in the news during last break. A lot of articles were published regarding his present and future, leaving a huge impact among fans as well as the club.
The media will, as usual, twist his words to sound as if he wants to leave the club. Chelsea’s latest result will be used to make their point no matter how many times Hazard confesses his love for Chelsea and their fans. As always, this causes some fans to start questioning Hazard’s loyalty.
The Blues will be visiting the Wembley stadium when they return to Premier League action after the break to take on the in-form Tottenham Hotspurs. Despite their injury crisis, Mauricio Pochettino’s team have managed to come away relatively unhurt. Since facing back-to-back defeats to Watford and Liverpool, they have managed to win six out of seven remaining fixtures.
A victory over Everton would have enabled Sarri’s side to be in full confidence when taking on their London rivals. It will be another test for Sarri’s team. Even though undefeated, they are four points behind leader Manchester City. If they are to mount any challenge for the Premier League title, they cannot afford to drop more points.
Nor do they want anything to rattle the team spirit around Cobham, or the high spirits around the fans.