Chelsea’s over 30 rule ended player power and created leadership vacuum

The policy of 1 year extensions for players over 30 has been long held at Chelsea. It has ended player power but has created a leadership vacuum.

Jose Mourinho created a spine of players that lasted long past his first departure. John Terry, Frank Lampard, Petr Cech, Ashley Cole, Michael Essein were not just important players; they were the heart and soul of Chelsea. And after Mourinho left, the constant chop and change of managers meant that these players gained in power due to being one of the few staples at the club.

The rule that players over 30 would only receive one year extensions began as a way to keep the squad refreshed. It had the side effect of weakening player power but had one massive negative effect; the club saw their leaders depart one after the other.

Maurizio Sarri used his post match presser in part to divert attention from his own tactical failure, but he also shined a light on a part of Chelsea many do not understand. It is easy to blame the players for lacking the right mentality. It is easy to say they will down tools and have the ability to get Sarri sacked. But the truth is that Chelsea crippled both fronts at the same time long ago with the over 30 policy.

It is perhaps easier to start with player power. After Mourinho departed, the core group of players left behind gained a great deal of sway at the club. They were some of the best players in the world at the time, and Chelsea understood that keeping that group was perhaps more important than any manager. Several managers tried to marginalize this group and they almost all universally came out on the losing end.

Over time, this group aged and departed one at a time. The one year policy saw them taking greater and greater pay cuts to stay and many opted to continue their careers elsewhere. As this happened, the players sway on the board lessened. The last manager to be sacked purely for player power was Andres Villas-Boas. Antonio Conte’s sacking was less about a player revolt and more about Eden Hazard being willing to go regardless.

So Sarri should not fear the players going to the board or Roman Abramovich behind his back because there is simply not a group with that kind of power anymore. They may down tools, but that is not so much player power as protest.

But Sarri also raised an interesting point in regards to mentality. Mind, mentality and determination was far from the issue against Arsenal. To say otherwise is revisionist. But over time, there is a disconnect between Chelsea in a title race and Chelsea in a top four battle.

The difference is partially down to the leaders being sold off. Leaders develop over time and experience is the greatest teacher. That experience can get younger players to dig in and fight harder than they could have otherwise.

But the over 30 policy has seen those leaders depart and now there are none left. Cesar Azpilicueta is the de facto captain, but there is no one older and wiser to assist him in his duties. There is no John Terry in the locker room to rally the side. There is only a vacuum.

So this is an issue of the club’s own making. The over 30 policy is not necessarily a bad one per se, but it has created the current lack of leaders and the consequent mentality. It may have stopped player power from being an issue in the traditional sense, but the cost of it may be too high over time.

The policy has only shown brief signs of change in regards to incoming players. But it may be worth Chelsea taking a look at the costs of the policy and updating it for modern times.