Chelsea lost their Premier League opener 0-2 to Manchester City. The Guardian published a column discussing the club’s current turmoil and the way out – respecting the club’s tradition. Excerpts are as follows.
Despite a new manager and a plethora of new signings, Chelsea’s turmoil and chaos persist. Arguably, the more changes they make, the more things remain the same. This season, Chelsea has brought in 9 players, let go 7, had a net transfer spend of £75m, changed managers, changed kits and will soon have a new shirt sponsor… but the team’s performance is predictably familiar.
Jackson continued to be offside. Palmer continued to provide the few sparks. Cucurella still seems out of his depth. The two £100m midfielders remain underwhelming. The change was that the fans cheered for Gallagher, whose move away was stalled, an open dissent to the club’s transfer dealings. Boehly, with his newly shorn hair, sat in the box, looking as bewildered as ever.
The chaos was exacerbated by Sterling’s absence. He returned early for pre-season, played in all six of Chelsea’s pre-season games (though they only won one), and obviously wanted to play, but on Friday he was told he was not in the squad for “technical reasons”. This, in part, was because the team had 48 first-team players, with an overabundance of wingers, and someone was bound to be left feeling disappointed by the neglect.
Chelsea began their second successive season without a shirt sponsor, with no one reportedly willing to meet the £60m asking price. But this is a blessing in disguise. Everyone can enjoy the pure blue swirl pattern of the kit, which represents “passion, drive and determination” in the hottest part of the flame, and also the “melting pot” pattern, which symbolises “the fusion of Chelsea’s rich history and London’s vibrant culture”.
But in reality, Chelsea has not achieved this. They appointed Fernandez as captain, but he sparked controversy for singing racist songs with his Argentinian teammates. One can sympathize with Chelsea, as this was not something he did at the club, but they have to deal with the mess. Apologies and charity donations were too light a punishment, but Chelsea insisted the matter was closed, which is optimistic but uncomfortable.
Ticket prices have risen by 5%, but Chelsea doesn’t allow children to freely take pictures on their phones; the squad is so large that they have to sell academy products to balance the books… Boehly promised to end the chaos, but the reality is that the broken club is still desperately searching for a soul.
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