With Chelsea out of the Champions League, fans are starting to ask questions about players’ form, Jose Mourinho’s tactics and what’s going to happen in the future.
Following their loss to 10-man Paris St Germain, here are 11 things Blues fans want to know.
1. “Why didn’t we have more of a go at a side with 10 men?”
Nothing funnier than bringing on Zouma against 10 men to defend 😂
— Senyó (@Twin_Senyo) March 12, 2015
This is not the first time this season Chelsea have looked scared to try to kill a game. In both away games in Manchester this season the Blues were 1-0 up and showed no interest in ramming home their advantage. City were down to 10 men too. This is becoming a worrying pattern – and it wasn’t even Jon Obi Mikel’s fault this time.
2. “Did Jose Mourinho get it wrong tactically?”
And even more worryingly, has he been found out? Does he need more strings to his bow? Are opposition teams starting to work out how to play against a Jose Mourinho side? Because that really would be a worry.
3. “What has happened to Diego Costa in Europe?”
Costa is the top scorer in the Premier League along with Sergio Aguero, but didn’t notch a single goal in Chelsea’s Champions League campaign. Is there a genuine issue with his fitness that means he’s not as effective when he plays games in quick succession? Or is it more of a tactical issue?
4. “Why are we turning to a 37-year-old to be our savour?”
I still Can't understand why Mourinho played Drogba instead of Remy!!!!! He looked like fish out of water. Always does.
— Afam Bu Charles (@chaplinez70) March 12, 2015
Sure, everyone’s happy to have Didier Drogba back at the club. But he’s not the player he was, and it says something worrying about Chelsea’s options that he’s the one Jose Mourinho turns to. What was the point of buying Loic Remy? Is Drogba some sort of comfort blanket for Chelsea?
5. “Why not give Juan Cuadrado a chance?”
And why did you buy Cuadrado José? I mean if you're not going to play him? #CFC
— Naveed Parkar (@SilentlyAmused) March 12, 2015
Remy and Cuadrado must be sat on the bench asking each other why they were brought to the club. The Colombian has only started two matches since moving to Stamford Bridge – against Everton and Burnley – and barely gets a look-in in big games. He doesn’t feel like a Mourinho player, somehow. Let’s hope all that money wasn’t wasted.
6. “What’s happened to the team we were watching at the start of the season?”
All that free-flowing football that was winning admirers all over the place is nowhere to be seen. It’s a dour, joyless brand of football that Chelsea are playing now – something that’s coincided with a downturn in form from Costa and Cesc Fabregas.
7. “Who is the best player to have alongside Nemanja Matic?”
The team seemed to pick itself earlier in the season, but now the midfield has become a real problem area. Should Ramires be alongside Matic, who is probably the first name on the teamsheet at the moment? Or Fabregas? Or should he be further forward? Is Kurt Zouma a genuine midfield option?
8. “Why have we started conceding from set-pieces?”
It’s a very un-Mourinho thing to to be in charge of a team that concedes from free-kicks and corners. Does this mean Jose’s attention to detail is slipping, or are players failing to follow his plans and making errors? Even John Terry was looking indecisive last night. Either way, it’s a worrying sign – and something that will be familiar to Real Madrid fans. Similar problems hit them during Mourinho’s reign at the Bernabeu.
9. “Has all this siege mentality stuff gone too far now?”
Mourinho slams officials' continued "campaign" against Chelsea after referee forces them to play 90 minutes against 10 men.
— David Schneider (@davidschneider) March 12, 2015
Perhaps there comes a point where convincing everyone that the world’s against you means you don’t address the problems within. If everything is someone else’s fault, what could possibly need fixing? Let’s hope the conspiracy talk is only for the benefit of the press, and that Mourinho’s singing a different tune to his players.
10. “Was this just a bad performance or the sign of more deep-rooted problems?”
l'm more worried about our form than our UCL exit. With this form now, we'll be very lucky to win EPL. Need massive improvement. #CFC
— BenStan (@UgoobenCFC) March 12, 2015
Chelsea are still top of the table with a five-point lead and a game in hand, so they’re hardly a club in crisis. And they’ve also got a trophy under their belts in the form of the Capital One Cup – a triumph which has seen many teams’ form subsequently drop off in recent years. But there’s no denying the feel-good factor has gone.
11. “Can we please just crack on and win the league now please?”
This shouldn’t really be in question, but it sort of is now. We can’t really imagine a Mourinho side messing it up from such a strong position – but then we never saw last night coming either. Maybe the run-in’s going to be more eventful than we thought…
Source: SNAPPA
