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Could COVID-19 impact Chelsea’s 2021/22 season in a big way?

By Gabe Henderson

LONDON, ENGLAND - MAY 15: Reece James of Chelsea looks dejected following their side's defeat in The Emirates FA Cup Final match between Chelsea and Leicester City at Wembley Stadium on May 15, 2021 in London, England. A limited number of around 21,000 fans, subject to a negative lateral flow test, will be allowed inside Wembley Stadium to watch this year's FA Cup Final as part of a pilot event to trial the return of large crowds to UK venues. (Photo by Kirsty Wigglesworth - Pool/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - MAY 15: Reece James of Chelsea looks dejected following their side's defeat in The Emirates FA Cup Final match between Chelsea and Leicester City at Wembley Stadium on May 15, 2021 in London, England. A limited number of around 21,000 fans, subject to a negative lateral flow test, will be allowed inside Wembley Stadium to watch this year's FA Cup Final as part of a pilot event to trial the return of large crowds to UK venues. (Photo by Kirsty Wigglesworth - Pool/Getty Images) /
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The COVID-19 pandemic has touched every individual on Earth over the last two years. It’s completely changed the way we all live and taken away some of the things we love most in our everyday lives. While there are many things in life bigger than football, The Pride of London is a blog about Chelsea, so we’ll stick to covering the impact of the pandemic on our beloved game. I’d be remiss if I didn’t send my heartfelt condolences to everyone who has been personally impacted by the virus though.

A sense of normalcy has finally begun to set in. The FA Cup and Champions League finals, as well as the last two Premier League matches, saw fans return to football stadiums for the first time in what seemed like forever. The capacity restrictions have been lifted for the upcoming domestic season and Stamford Bridge is set to have a full house against Crystal Palace on August 14. Is there a chance that the Coronavirus impacts the Blues’ season that lies ahead though?

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Could COVID-19 impact Chelsea’s 2021/22 season in a big way?

Obviously, the football world has adapted to playing in a global pandemic. The Premier League played a season and a half while England was under restrictions, so the return of another strain of the virus likely won’t see another stoppage. However, it could keep fans out of the stadiums indefinitely, which would be a shame seeing as they just returned. This is the most widespread impact the Coronavirus could have on the 2021/22 campaign.

Another thing to consider is how the players will be affected.

Kai Havertz, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Billy Gilmour are the only three players at the club known to have contracted the virus. Countless others in the team—notably Mason Mount and Ben Chilwell—had to quarantine due to close contact. Player safety is obviously of paramount importance when discussing this issue. A player contracting COVID-19 could sideline them for a number of weeks and have a lasting impact on their fitness. We saw this specifically with Havertz, who discussed the effects of Coronavirus on his health last season on numerous occasions. If the Blues fail to sign players for depth in some areas, this could potentially be detrimental to their season’s success.

Lastly, COVID-19 could still screw up the scheduling at some point. There is not much room to maneuver matches as it stands, especially a large chunk of them. The African Cup of Nations during the winter, as well as the World Cup in December of 2022, leaves little wiggle room for domestic leagues to reschedule.

Chelsea has already had to cancel one of its preseason matches—Thursday’s friendly with Drogheda—due to a potential positive COVID test. There is no confirmation as to who the player is and if the test was a false positive or not. However, the club felt it best to take necessary precautions and cancel the contest regardless. The Blues instead played in intrasquad game, which ended 1-1, with goals from Armando Broja and Hudson-Odoi. The suspended game will not be made up, but at this moment in time, Thomas Tuchel’s men plan to remain in Ireland to finish their training sessions this week.

Chelsea will travel back to England early next week in preparation for its second preseason friendly, this one against Bournemouth. Vitality Stadium will play host to the clash on Tuesday and spectators will be in attendance to watch the two sides square off. The Blues will then conclude their preseason preparations against Arsenal and Tottenham on August 1 and 4 in The Mind Series. Tuchel’s men will kickstart their 2021/22 campaign against Villarreal in the Super Cup from Belfast on August 11, before returning home to host Palace in league play.

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Here’s to hoping for a safe and successful 2021/22 Premier League season for all involved parties.

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