Amidst a season where Chelsea have struggled to score goals consistently and even went a full match against Brighton without registering a shot on target, the most stunning statistic about the team is their age. The Blues have the youngest squad in the Premier League by a fair margin and they routinely roll out the youngest ever team in league history.
They set this mark for the first time 3 months ago with a squad that had an average age of 23 years and 220 days almost a full year older than a Leeds squad in 1999-00 that averaged 24 years and 162 days. This is entirely by design as the new ownership group has put an emphasis on youth in their signings in order to build for the future and they have succeeded in that regard.
They used to say “you can't win with kids” until Manchester United proved it wrong but Chelsea legend Joe Cole believes that the experience the team lacks is the missing ingredient. On TNT Sports, Cole said after the Brighton loss:
"“I know from my experience, playing with experienced players around me as a young man was invaluable, and it’s moments like the Brighton game where you need those experienced guys around you. I’ve said it from the very start of this ownership you have to have experienced players”."Joe Cole on TNT Sports
Cole started his point by saying that players learn the most from the ages of 21-24 but that they need guidance from players around them, not just the managers. He said of the managers teaching players that:
" “You can have all the managers you want on the touchline: Shankly, Mourinho, Sir Alex Ferguson, sometimes the lessons are learnt on the pitch with your teammates teaching you and nurturing you through a situation” "Joe Cole on TNT Sports
The former Chelsea winger knows a thing or two about this because when he won the Premier League with the Blues at age 22, he had players like Claude Makelele (31), Frank Lampard (26), and Dider Drogba (26) around him. That 2004-05 Chelsea team was stil relatively young with Makelele being the only first team regular over 30 but the the most important players were over 25 and had over half a decade of first team football under their belts.
Contrast that to current Chelsea who are relying on Cole Palmer (22), Nicolas Jackson (23), Moises Caicedo (23), and Enzo Fernandez (24) to carry them but none of them could legally rent a car in the United States. The elder statesmen in the regular starting XI is Marc Cucurella is 26 but he is not the vocal leader of this team. Reece James is 25 and the captain but he can’t be counted on to start twice in a week and doesn’t play a full 90 when he does.
When Joe Cole calls out this lack of experience he is mostly calling out a lack of leadership because the two are often intertwined. Palmer is the best player but from his personality we know he won’t grab his teammates by their collars and drag them over the finish line. Perhaps that may come with time but right now there is no one on this squad that can do that.
This Chelsea team is talented and deep, or it was until transfer deadline day, but they are missing a key ingredient that we all know isn’t there. The fans know it, the players know it, ex-players know, even your granny knows it, but Chelsea’s ownership doesn’t seem to care.
They are sticking to their squad building policy no matter what criticism comes their way. Perhaps one day it may pay off when this group of players matures into a world class unit but for now, they are struggling and we are all paying the price while they figure things out.