Chelsea: “Heal now, as a team, or we will die as individuals”
The season has yet to even begin and Frank Lampard is being set upon by the ever increasingly difficult circumstances of his new position at Chelsea.
N’Golo Kante is hurt, the club can’t make any additions, David Luiz has already mouthed off and all of Chelsea’s competition have strengthened significantly. Frank Lampard’s already difficult position has only gotten more difficult and the season has not yet even begun.
In the middle of this last week David Luiz, in all his exceptional wisdom, decided he should rock the boat by saying Chelsea fans wouldn’t be any more patient with Frank Lampard. A few days later, the club’s best player was sent home from the preseason tour because of what appears to be a more serious knee injury than already thought. The best of Chelsea’s youth players has been cut down by an Achilles tear and is still being chased by the German All-Stars, while his senior from Cobham has an even more serious case of the same injury.
Though Frank Lampard is an enviable man there appears to be nothing enviable about his current circumstances. He has in all regards taken perhaps the most difficult job in British football and agreed to do so with one hand tied behind his back.
That is why Chelsea will need to establish as much momentum domestically as they can.
Of Chelsea’s first 11 Premier League matches, only two are against teams Chelsea should not expect to beat. One of those teams is Manchester United, who are in very similar circumstances, so that can be a coin flip. Liverpool, though, are the second and they are better than Chelsea in every position across the board except, as always, for N’Golo Kante. But given how damaging a niggling knee injury is for an all-action midfielder, this is a good time to begin considering, no matter how upsetting it is, other alternatives just in case.
Chelsea will need to rely on the qualities that got them through matches before they could count on the wealth of Roman Abramovich. They will need spirit, tenacity, and organization.
Chelsea have mustered those to level the playing field before, and if they’re to compete this season it is how they will do it again.
Frank Lampard has already lifted the spirits of the team and the supporters, and is bringing them together to work together. If he can continue that during the season, Chelsea will be in good shape. Stamford Bridge was a fortress for a long time because of that unity, and they have faded in tandem in recent years. The Blues will need to return to that level if they are to have any chance of staying up in the Champions League.
Suspending our dreams of something exceptional for a moment, Chelsea are competing realistically for fourth place with Manchester United. This makes the opening fixture particularly fitting, perhaps even a touch poetic.
Manchester City, Liverpool and Tottenham are all without a doubt better than Chelsea. Eden Hazard made it possible for the Blues to disguise that for several years, and he allowed his sentiment to keep him in west London perhaps a little while longer than Chelsea deserved. Bless him.
But without him, Chelsea are low on talent, and with the ban, they have no chance of adding it. These men will need to dig deep and find something we have not seen from them before if they are to turn the tables. If not, there’s simply no chance this season turns out very well.
Frank Lampard’s situation is unenviable and the season hasn’t even started. He’s the man I’d pick yesterday, today, tomorrow and every day then on, but we still need to acknowledge the task ahead.
light. More. 5 players Frank Lampard needs to lead as well as perform
Chelsea will have to be very different than last season. That goes for the players, staff, management and support. It is a simple thing, really, and perhaps that makes it so difficult.
The deck is stacked against Chelsea, but such moments were when the old Chelsea were at their best. With their backs up against the wall they found a spirit a oneness and a way of building their own hope. This is not one of those teams, but they will need to become one almost on the spot.
Perhaps Al Pacino’s quote from the great film Any Given Sunday can explain it better than I have.
“That’s a team, gentlemen
and either we heal now, as a team,
or we will die as individuals.
That’s football guys.
That’s all it is.
Next. N'Golo Kante's setback another consequence of Maurizio Sarri's short-termism. dark
Chelsea very clearly have a choice. Though it feels like many years since they made the right one, we must believe they can change this time.