It’s Christmas time and with January 1 approaching Chelsea are about to add another year to their 113-year history. As families celebrate across the globe, Chelsea fans can look back on another eventful year.
Not for the first time, the last 12 months saw another managerial casualty. Antonio Conte was like a breath of fresh air as he breezed through his first season in the Chelsea hot-seat. The turnaround after a short summer break saw his triumphant side transformed from winners into a hodge-podge team of losers. The effervescent Conte turned from a hyperactive super fan favourite into an underactive grumpy-old-man.
Despite that, he still left the club with a second-season trophy – an FA Cup – for the mantlepiece. It was devastating he left the club under such a shadow, as those above him failed to deliver his transfer targets. Quite why that happened is still hard to understand, and where the club would be now if the bosses had backed him is forever unknown. You can’t help but think it would be a better place. But the longevity of managers has never been a part of Roman Abramovich’s business model for the club he has invested so much in.
Maurizio Sarri came in as manager and as the current season has progressed it’s difficult to say how it has been going. No doubt the signs were good at the beginning as the players bought into his methods. More recently, though, opposition clubs have begun to cotton on to his methodology and beat it, leaving him, by his own admission, scratching his head as to why. The jury remains out on whether he’s up to the job.
As we head towards the January transfer window, supporters – and indeed Sarri himself – must be hoping for a late Christmas present or two from the Russian owner. Chelsea’s squad need some refreshing, and Sarri needs players he can gel into a system of play he is so reluctant to change. So far, plan A has become plan A with a minor tweak. Plan B still seems a way off.
During the long hot summer, a myriad of loan arrivals back to Cobham were quickly turned around and sent on their travels once again. New permanent arrivals from January – Emerson, Ross Barkley and Olivier Giroud – were joined by Jorginho, Kepa Arizabalaga and Rob Green later in the year. Mateo Kovacic came on loan from Real Madrid as part of a deal that saw Thibaut Courtois go see his kids.
And talking of kids, after a successful loan period at Crystal Palace last season, Ruben Loftus-Cheek has shown definite signs of making a breakthrough into Chelsea’s starting XI. Sarri has experimented with his position, but he’s done well when he has played and scored goals.
Sarri, unfortunately, doesn’t look like the manager to integrate the youth. He prefers experience nearly every time, as Andreas Christensen, Ethan Ampadu and Callum Hudson-Odoi have found out.
As the kids struggle for game time, this winter looks like the end of the road for some of those more experienced players. Club stalwart and winner of every club trophy imaginable, Gary Cahill, seems almost certain to leave during the upcoming window. Danny Drinkwater and Victor Moses don’t appear to have any part in Sarri’s Chelsea, either. Should they leave, their departures will present problems for Chelsea’s transfer gurus, given that all three make up a part of the club’s homegrown quota.
Four players who were the spine of one of Chelsea’s most successful teams Petr Cech, John Terry, Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba have all had career-changing moments in 2018. Cech started Arsenal’s season in goal under new manager Unai Emery, but following an injury he’s struggled to regain his place. With his contract finishing in the summer maybe he’ll return to Chelsea as Kepa Arrizabalaga’s number two.
JT retired from football and took up a coaching post at Aston Villa, while his buddy Frank Lampard started his managerial career by taking over at Derby County. Chelsea youth coach Jody Morris took up a role with Super Frank’s coaching staff. More recently, after an illustrious football career, Didier Drogba retired as a player. All four will remain Chelsea legends wherever their footballing careers go.
Whilst on the subject of legends, Chelsea Football Club’s year was clouded by the passing of Ray Wilkins. Despite playing across Europe and with Manchester United, Ray always remained a true Blue. Even after he was relieved of his duties as Carlo Ancelotti’s assistant he remained loyal to the club, continually referring to Chelsea as “us” when carrying out media work.
Ray was one of the good guys. Rest in peace.
Chelsea’s 114th year will be an important one for Maurizio Sarri. He stands at a crossroads that could lead him down the path previously trodden by Andre Villas-Boas and Luis Filipe Scolari, or he could go onto Chelsea greatness.
With the possibility of a transfer embargo on Chelsea’s horizon, the 31 days of January could make or break both. In 12 months time, there’s every possibility we could be discussing a year with yet another managerial casualty.