Now we will find out if Chelsea are truly any different to last season.
Anyone connected to the club has tried to forget the ignominy of the 2022-23 campaign — undoubtedly their worst since the turn of the century.
Here’s a quick recap for those who have deliberately suffered some short-term memory loss: the football increasingly became painful to watch; Thomas Tuchel, Graham Potter, Bruno Saltor and Frank Lampard all had at least one go in the dug-out; and Chelsea set a club record for fewest amount of goals scored in the Premier League (38). Oh, and they did not come close to lifting a trophy.
This one has not been much better. Chelsea have recorded another unwanted club record under head coach Mauricio Pochettino — the 57 Premier League goals conceded is their most since the top flight was rebranded as the Premier League in 1992-93. And there are six games left to set a new benchmark on that front.
At least Chelsea, in ninth, are three places higher than they finished last season, but they are only four points ahead of 12th-placed Wolves. On the plus side, Pochettino’s side did reach the Carabao Cup final and an FA Cup semi-final. Had their finishing been of the required standard, they would have beaten Liverpool and Manchester City in those respective games. But no prizes are handed out for what-ifs.
The biggest test of Pochettino and his squad’s character is what faces them over the next month.
What really condemned 2022-23 to the cesspit was the way it all finished. Chelsea won one of their last 14 games in all competitions, losing nine. The wheels came off after their last chance of winning any silverware was dashed with defeat over two legs to Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-final.
Lampard’s stint as caretaker manager unravelled after elimination from Europe (Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images)
Their solitary victory was at Bournemouth as they stumbled towards the finishing line, but essentially they played like a group of players that could not wait for the season to end. They had given up. Many were plotting transfers away. Multiple sources told The Athletic that the atmosphere at the training ground was as bad as ever known.
The possibility that history may be about to repeat itself should set alarm bells ringing at Chelsea.
This season’s pursuit of silverware was curtailed at a very similar stage to last year. Their 2-0 loss to Real Madrid at Stamford Bridge 12 months ago — confirming a 4-0 loss on aggregate — was on April 18. Defeat to Manchester City in the FA Cup this time round fell on April 20.
The symmetry does not end there. Chelsea had seven Premier League games left following their Real Madrid disappointment and lost the first two, including a 3-1 defeat at Arsenal. They ended up claiming five points out of a possible 21. Pochettino’s team also had seven Premier League fixtures left after their FA Cup exit and started their run-in with an even heavier defeat (5-0) at the Emirates Stadium.
Pochettino is well aware his side have hardly suggested this year will be different. “If you see after the Manchester City game, you see the result was a disaster against Arsenal,” he told The Athletic. “That (having a better end to the season than last year) is the challenge. That is the challenge. And we are going to try.”
Not that it will get any easier. Their next two games are against Aston Villa and Tottenham, who are battling it out to qualify for the Champions League via a top-four finish.
Chelsea’s players are crestfallen after losing to Real Madrid a year ago (Harriet Lander – Chelsea FC/Chelsea FC via Getty Images)
There is also the uncertainty caused by Chelsea’s financial situation and the expectation players will be sold to help comply with profit and sustainability rules (PSR). Perhaps not as many are planning their escape as last year, but plenty will be wondering if their time at Stamford Bridge is coming to an end.
Then there is the managerial situation.
This time last year, Lampard was interim head coach and no one was sure who was going to be in charge the following season. In some ways, not much has changed. Pochettino does have the job on a full-time basis and has a year, plus the option for another 12 months, still to run. But there are no guarantees he will see his contract out. The season, including his performance, will be reviewed when it is over. The door is ajar for another change.
Chelsea and Pochettino need a strong finish, but it has not got off to a good start.
The Argentine accused his players of “giving up” during the second half of their record defeat to Arsenal earlier this week.
It is much easier for underperforming players to rally themselves for games when a trophy is on the line, as they showed against Pep Guardiola’s side at Wembley last weekend. But is the prospect of trying to finish sixth or seventh, to secure Europa League or UEFA Conference League qualification, really enough to lift a group demoralised and lacking in confidence? It certainly was not last year, or at Arsenal on Tuesday.
Pochettino watched his team sink without trace at Arsenal (Zac Goodwin/PA Images via Getty Images)
Pochettino will do his best to make sure standards do not drop, but argues personal pride should drive his players’ bid to end the season well.
“(Only) we are responsible to motivate the players? Wow. It is difficult to accept,” he said. “If you play for Chelsea, the motivation has to be there even if you play for nothing in a friendly game. If you play in a friendly game or against your team-mates, and you don’t have the motivation, it is difficult. If you ask me that we need to motivate the players to go (to Aston Villa) tomorrow, and to play after tomorrow, we have a big problem, no?
“I don’t believe motivation is the problem. The problem is to have the capacity to perform and, of course, we cannot give them the excuses to not perform, to not be focused. At the same time we are a group of people. We are not machines.
“We are here to try to help them to be focused. The players need to be focused because there are still six games to play. For me, they are six important games — the players need to feel the same.
“Of course it is my responsibility to translate the idea that they need to perform, they need to be focused, they need to try to give their best. It is not, ‘Go, it is only six games, three weeks and then it is holidays or international duty.’ No, it is really important to finish in a good way. It is true, the disappointment about what happened against Arsenal is massive, but now it is a great opportunity to focus on the competition.
“Aston Villa will be difficult because they are having a fantastic season, but we are Chelsea and need to show that we can perform.”
The obvious response, certainly among the fan base, would be that professional players should be giving their all every time they pull on the shirt. That was a sentiment expressed by one young Chelsea fan holding a banner at the Emirates which read: “I don’t want your shirt!! I want you to fight for ours.”
But the deteriorating mood among Chelsea’s attendees is part of the problem.
Bad results and displays have seen negativity spread like a virus. Most of the anger is directed towards the ownership, but Todd Boehly and representatives of Clearlake Capital only attend matches on an occasional basis. The players and Pochettino have borne the brunt of the frustration, which is hardly a conducive atmosphere to expressing yourself on the pitch freely.
Boehly was in attendance as Chelsea tumbled out of Europe last year (Marc Atkins/Getty Images)
During Chelsea’s incredible spending spree over the last two years, one of the factors that raised concerns outside Stamford Bridge was the policy to give the majority of new signings contracts lasting seven years or more. Critics spoke about the danger of it causing a lack of hunger and desire.
This is an ideal opportunity to reject such accusations.
Pochettino believes his players have to prove a point just as much as he does. When asked if they have to show they deserve to be part of the first-team picture next season, he replied: “Yes. Because it looks like only I need to prove, no? It is always, ‘OK, the coach has to prove he deserves to be here next season.’ I think we are all part of it and responsible for the situation. We all need to prove that we deserve to be here next season.”
And quite tellingly, Pochettino concluded with a little aside: “That is a good question.”
Now the players have to provide the right answer.
(Top photo: Marc Atkins/Getty Images)
