Chelsea what ifs: Gary Cahill never sees red against Burnley

Gary Cahill was sent off early against Burnley in Chelsea’s first match of the 2017/2018 season. What if he had not and Jeremie Boga stayed on?

Gary Cahill was sent off against Burnley for the type of tackle that occurs in nearly every match with only the occasional whistle. Unfortunately, that sending off caused Antonio Conte to sub off Jeremie Boga in his only start for the club. Barely a week later, the winger was loaned out.

That match set the tone for the remainder of Antonio Conte’s tenure. Cahill returned to being a source of ridicule and by the time Boga returned to the club, he was sold permanently (albeit allegedly with a buy back).

What if that unfair red card never happened? What if Cahill had stayed on and by extension Boga had stayed on? How would things have been different for the two and Conte?

First of all, Chelsea do not lose that match with Cahill still on. Even when a man down, Chelsea began to make a comeback from three down but they simply ran out of time to complete it. That match ended up setting the tone in the media and with the fans in regards to Conte that season and something as simple as a win could have changed that tone quite quickly.

Cahill likely stays in the lineup much longer without the red as well. He did return as soon as the suspension ended, but was in and out of the XI the rest of the season. Without the red he simply stays in and continues to show his worth.

The biggest loss that day was Boga however. Conte was much better about using youth than history remembers him for but to start Boga on the first day of the season was still a big decision. It is highly likely that he was earmarked for a loan regardless given how quickly it happened after his start, but a full 90 could have changed the board’s mind completely.

Without the red, Boga finishes that match. Eden Hazard’s injury at the start of that season allows Boga to play again for a few matches as he continues to impress. The player Sassuolo would get and the one Chelsea may be bringing back simply never would have left.

Overall, Cahill and Boga are unlikely to be enough to save Conte his job through that season. But without the media getting their cannon fodder from the loss, Conte’s leash is made much longer. That too may not have been enough, but the media decided early that they wanted Conte out and the fans began to follow along with it at some point in the late winter/early Spring. One match could have starved that off long enough for Conte to keep his job (assuming the results got a little better towards the end).

Any one event can change a match. It can also change a season or an entire career. Cahill’s unjust red card against Burnley at the start of the 2017/2018 season did just that for himself, the club, Boga, and Conte. If Chelsea decides to bring Boga back, it will be a correction of the mistakes fortune forced the Blues into.