Chelsea is far from a finished product, so even though things are difficult right now, Blues fans need to temper their expectations.
There were few positive takeaways for Chelsea from Saturday’s West London Derby victory over Fulham. The 1-0 win, while important for the Blues’ position in the Premier League table, was another poor showing for both the players and Frank Lampard.
Despite Fulham playing with 10 men for the entire second half, Chelsea never fully took control of the game, as the team did so many times during its dominant run to begin the season. The sense of mental frailty that plagued the Blues towards the end of last year has apparently returned, and it is having a seriously detrimental effect on the entire squad.
Whether the blame for the team’s current poor run of form should be attributed to the players or Lampard is still up for debate, but there is clearly a problem that needs to be fixed. It seems obvious now that Chelsea is simply not at the same level as the other title contenders, and that it will take some time for the Blues to reach that level.
This means, unfortunately, that supporters should temper their expectations for the rest of the season. Currently sitting seven points from the top of the table at the halfway point of the season, Chelsea is all but out of the chase for the EPL crown. Best case scenario, the Blues will have a difficult fight for a top four spot and a chance at winning the FA Cup—wishing for anything more than that would just be unrealistic. Pointing this out will anger the supporters who had dreams of Timo Werner and Kai Havertz hoisting the Premier League trophy in their first season. Before the year started, after spending nearly £250 million on new signings during the summer, this seemed like a distinct possibility. Now, though, it is time to reassess what a successful season at Stamford Bridge will look like.
It should be said, these mitigated expectations would not seem so bad had Chelsea not been top of the league just over a month ago. There are many new players—most of them very young—who were forced into the starting XI without a real preseason, making the already difficult transition to England even more intense. The squad still needs time to gel, and doing so while navigating the already-crowded, constantly-changing fixture list will be a serious challenge.
Even with all of these caveats, it is unlikely that fans will tolerate a continued stretch of bad performances, as many have already called for Lampard to be sacked. I wrote last week that I think letting go of Lampard would be a mistake, and I still believe that after the game against Fulham. However, the Englishman is realistically on very thin ice, and anything but a win against Leicester City on Tuesday could spell the end of his time at the helm.
The biggest thing supporters want to see in upcoming matches in an increased intensity from the Chelsea players. Mason Mount was the only starter who gave his all for 90’ against Fulham, which is why he got the winning goal and was awarded Man of the Match. Poor results can be excused if the team is giving maximum effort, but that is simply not happening at the moment. A serious culture change is needed at Stamford Bridge, and fast. Roman Abramovich does not abide by mediocrity.