Chelsea’s long road back to Champions League final, nine years removed
Back in the mid-2000s, Jose Mourinho’s swashbuckling Blues found themselves on top of the world. Chelsea, bankrolled by the enigmatic Roman Abramovich, had just broken the status quo in England and won back-to-back Premier League titles. All that was left for the Blues to confirm their place among the footballing elite was a Champions League title. It seemed only a matter of time before they would get their hands on the iconic trophy. That day would not arrive for another seven years, but by then, a lot had changed.
When Chelsea reached the final in 2012, its golden generation was on its last legs. The specter of their failure four years ago hung over the match, and there was the feeling that if they can’t do it now, then perhaps it isn’t meant to be. Thankfully, all the forces that be were kind to the Blues that night. As Didier Drogba scored from the spot in the shootout, Chelsea’s greatest ever generation achieved their greatest ever feat.
With his task complete, the Ivorian left Stamford Bridge that summer. In the years that would follow, the last remnants of that cup-winning team—of a generation unlike any other—would leave too.
Chelsea decided to focus on rebuilding a strong core immediately after its Champions League win. The Blues’ strategy was clear for all to see, as instead of relying on their own academy products, the club decided to spend money on young players with high potential. Their vision was apparent, and the players they brought in would turn out to be fantastic, although not always for Chelsea.
It is a testament to the club’s recruitment staff at the time, it scouted and signed the likes of Eden Hazard, Andreas Christensen, Oscar, Juan Mata, Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku, Cesar Azpilicueta and Thibaut Courtois in the space of two years. However, the impatience that plagued the club meant that not all of the names mentioned above were given the chance to develop into world class players at Stamford Bridge.
Issues like that hurt Chelsea, along with a trigger-happy approach toward the managers. The team that had reached the final in 2012 was led by a strong core of players who, for years, had played and grown together. A focus on short-term results—which more often than not resulted in a swift change of personnel—meant the generation that followed was never given a chance to do the same. Therefore, they never did reach the lofty heights scaled by their predecessors.