Danny Welbeck’s introduction at Stamford Bridge brought with it an uneasy feeling to Chelsea fans across the globe. There was an underlying, uneasy sense when he stepped foot onto the pitch that the Blues’ faithful knew all too well. It was always going to be the former Arsenal man that’d take points off the Gunners’ London rivals. The frustrating 91′ equalizer represented another crushing draw after 90+ hard-fought minutes from Chelsea players, a theme all too real throughout the last month.
The Blues dropped nine points in the Premier League in December. They went from atop the English top flight in matchweek 14 to eight points behind Manchester City by matchweek 20. Pep Guardiola’s men have dropped 10 points all season, even after their shaky start, so the belief is that they’ve all but wrapped up the title by the turn of the new year once again. Even if this is not the case to many—some believe Liverpool could still have a go—Chelsea’s title hopes are all but shattered. However, the Blues still have so much to play for over the remainder of the season.
Chelsea’s title hopes are down the drain, but the season is not lost at all
Chelsea opened the campaign on the back of securing Romelu Lukaku’s signature for a club-record transfer fee. The signing of the former Inter Milan star solidified the Blues’ claim that they were ready for a title chase. Alas, nobody could foresee the struggles that lied ahead. Thomas Tuchel’s side is in a predicament similar to that of Liverpool last season. Players are dropping like flies at important positions all over the pitch. This contributed to Chelsea’s December struggles and effectively saw them left in the dust of Premier League leader Man City. The fact the Blues now find themselves out of the title race is disheartening, but that doesn’t mean they’re not about to enter one of the most decisive periods in the club’s recent history.
There have been whispers amongst supporters about Tuchel’s future, which is frankly unfathomable. The German has done a great job of guiding this team through one of the toughest situations a team can face. Chelsea sits second in the Premier League right now, it is into the Champions League knockout stages, one of the four remaining teams in the EFL Cup and the Blues already have a UEFA Super Cup under their belt. The precedents set in the past by the Chelsea hierarchy regarding the manager position mean that the conversation will naturally arise, that’s a consequence of the club’s past actions. Regardless, Tuchel isn’t under any pressure at this moment in time. Nevertheless, a bad situation has only gotten worse as it relates to squad fitness, which is enough to worry just about anybody given the fixtures in the near future. The German won’t have his job security in mind, but he needs to continue to fight and get results or the pressure will begin to mount after awhile. Tuchel needs to focus solely on saving what is believed to be a lost season.
Chelsea dropped out of the title race in the English top flight with its draw at Brighton. There’s no denying that fact anymore, not even the manager himself acknowledges the talks of the Blues still having a chance. They “remain alive” in four other competitions though: the Champions League, the FA Cup, the Carabao Cup and the Club World Cup. Although the Premier League title talks have been put on hold until the 2022/23 season, Chelsea could still finish this potentially magical season with a maximum of five trophies.
If Tuchel’s job security and silverware are not enough to fight for this season, there is still the long-term future of the current team. Chelsea is going to purchase reinforcements in January with half a mind on the coming years. It’s crucial that these players hit the ground running and begin to build relationships with their current teammates. These individuals will be tasked with keeping the Blues in the top four in order to ensure their spot in next year’s Champions League. There is still a standard at Chelsea. The team has been dealt a tough hand this season but that’s no excuse to let the standards drop. The fight needs to remain even though the title hopes are effectively dead.
What do you think the Blues’ goals should be for the remainder of the campaign? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter!