There are still two games. After 180 minutes of play, Chelsea’s miserable season is gone. The summer is here.
It simply cannot arrive soon enough for the fans. Even humorous calls for a Premier League cut-off, boycott, or capitulation were made before that, and “end the season now” tweets likely began to surface around the beginning of January.
For months, Chelsea has been trapped in an agonising state of limbo and purgatory. After a string of losses in November, the top four challenge never recovered, the embarrassing “battle for the top half” has crawled away, and the remaining games against the third and fourth-placed teams don’t look particularly tasty.
The year of doom cannot be glossed over. The literary work “A Series of Unfortunate Events” by Lemony Snicket may best capture it if it were to be summarised. The good news is that Chelsea supporters will soon have close to two months without any competitive activity, and that things can’t really get any worse.
Despite their many flaws, this squad is talented and shows promise in the appropriate areas. That isn’t enough to win games, but Mauricio Pochettino is one of the best managers at instilling grit into a team and altering mindsets. After all, all that is required is a team to support.
2019–20 Frank Lampard’s youthful team was far from flawless. They frequently lacked effort, drive, and energy but also frequently made grave errors and occasionally played football that was horribly naive. They are, in Roy Keane’s words, the players’ jobs. Run around a little, create an energetic environment, and establish a connection.
Timo Werner stands out among recent unsuccessful attackers—and there have been many—for his perseverance in the face of an ostensibly hopeless tangle of a cause. Romelu Lukaku, Alvaro Morata, Kai Havertz, and Hakim Ziyech will all be remembered less favourably. The rest have very nothing to offer on their resumes under the Chelsea section; at least Havertz has a huge goal to answer for.
There is therefore much work to be done in preparation for Pochettino’s appointment, but there is also a thrilling element of uncertainty. There’s a decent chance he can succeed here if Chelsea is more like Tottenham from a decade ago than they are like Paris Saint-Germain. The Argentine never fails to incite a team struggle. First and foremost, his sides must be courageous.
They must approach the field like warriors before winning tactical or technical fights, and Chelsea has been lacking this for far too long. But it’s a hard assignment to complete in only one preseason. Here are the things the club has already set up to give him a tiny advantage, especially in 2023 when he has been without a joined up goal for a large portion of this season.
Simulated future
Joseph Gordon-Levitt is not set to emerge from the past and join the group in this unseen Looper footage; rather, Chelsea has made an attempt to include players in the team who have a realistic possibility of participating next season.
It might not have been enough. Lewis Hall didn’t even make the Bournemouth team before Ben Chilwell and Marc Cucurella were forced to miss games due to injury before he earned his two starts under Lampard. Carney Chukwuemeka, a teammate for England’s Under-20 squad, isn’t playing either.
In the final week of the season, they will be hoping for additional playing time, but it’s a little bit too late. At times, Benoit Badiashile too appeared to vanish. His performances deserved additional playing time, but his injury currently appears to prevent him from getting ready for the upcoming season.
Noni Madueke has had ups and downs, in part because of erratic form, a disjointed attack, and a sizable squad to please, but his recent minutes were encouraging. The general irregularity of Mykhailo Mudryk’s presence has raised some concerns. Conor Gallagher, who might still depart, has played a significant role under Lampard, at the very least. For a Pochettino squad, he is one player who already seems to fit the description.
For Lampard and Chelsea, there should have been a lot more attention paid to the future, but every little bit helps. It is virtually a six-month head start after signing so many of them in January.
Destroying the demons
Along with playing some of the younger players, there has been a greater movement in recent weeks to bench the underwhelming, overpaid, and completely disposable stars of the past and present. The jeers directed at Lampard for removing Madueke against Bournemouth, though, don’t quite reflect that.
Ziyech is playing less minutes in games than before, while Pulisic has been forced off the field. Mateo Kovacic and Kalidou Koulibaly won’t be able to play any more games this year, despite being injured. Koulibaly is less likely to be leaving this summer, but he still might be. The first three are all expected to leave this summer.
It implies that, at least minimally, time will not be wasted during non-pressured games. Within the fan base, there are favourites, but things have changed in general.
Although Havertz and Joao Felix continue to share the job of striker, neither one really fits it. There may not be much Lampard can do to prevent either of them from playing their final week for Chelsea. David Datro Fofana is too undeveloped and obviously outside the mainstream of thought to be given many opportunities.
The worst Lampard could do in this situation is to hold out for the final two games and force the players further out the exit door.
Competing attitude
It all boils down to what qualities Pochettino values in a squad. the struggle, commitment, and drive to succeed and to run for the cause, for teammates, and in order to dazzle, electrify, and give the crowd something to cheer. For far too long, Chelsea has been without this synchronised goal.
It can be difficult to encourage unity among such a large group, but due to injuries and the impending end of the season break, the stars who are aware of their desire to contribute to something greater have an opportunity to convince Pochettino of their merit.
At the absolute least, it will be a step in the right direction if Lampard can pull this off against Manchester United and Newcastle, two teams that have many reasons to play with intensity and passion of their own.