This season keeps getting worse for Chelsea and their fans day by day. Right from the very first game of the Premier League, Courtois was shown a controversial red card and since then there has been no looking back. Even before the premier league started, Jose Mourihno, the then Chelsea manager, lost to Arsene Wenger, whom he had never lost to in his 2 managerial spells.
As the season progressed, nothing went right for the club. At one stage they were fighting to stay away from the relegation zone!! Yes, you read that right.
Chelsea have already been knocked out from the Capital One Cup, Champions League, FA Cup and the Premier League title is impossible for them to now win it. The players would have surely wanted to give their interim manager, Guss Hiddink, something to cheer when he leaves at the end of this season, but that’s not possible now, although there are speculations that he might remain at the club regardless of who takes over.
Lying 10th in the PL table, Champions league spot looks almost impossible for the club and for the first time in 13 years, the club won’t take part in the competition. This is a huge blow for the club, which might have some effects on the players and would want to leave the club in search of CL.
This is what Ivanovic had to say when The Blues crashed out of the Champions League:
“The CL is a huge competition, the competition all of the players when they come into this club, it was one of the reasons people dream about playing Champions League football and this dream is over for the moment. We all hope we are going to be a strong team next season so we can fight to get back into this competition.”
As far as Europa League is considered, Chelsea blew up that chance as well. Chelsea had to win the FA Cup to book their spot in the Europa League, but with the 0-2 defeat to Everton in the quarter-finals, Europa League is also a doubt as of now.
This season has been a nightmare for the club, especially for the fans and they would want this season to be over this very day. Right from Cech leaving for Arsenal to Mourihno being sacked, to Terry not being offered a contract extension to Costa having fitness concerns to Hazard swapping jersey with a PSG player at half time, the list is never ending. The club has seen all the lows in one season. The worst part – the season is still not over.
It was only in September that Chelsea won their first home game, that too against Maccabi, in the Champions League 4-0. Imagine, a cub like Chelsea with Mourihno, the then manager, winning the first home game in September; a month after the Premier League began. It was that bad a start for the club. The win also saw The Blues keeping their first clean sheet since March, after they defeated Crystal Palace 1-0.
So what lies next for the club? No Champions League, no Europa League next season. Just focus on the Premier League and the domestic cups. With no participation in the European Competition, the club is going to take a huge financial blow. It is expected that Chelsea are going to suffer a loss of around 45 million pound next year. Now that’s a lot of money!
Without CL, the club also faces a huge task of keeping some of its players in the club and another big task is to recruit players. The club is going to have serious problems when they buy players in the summer due to lack of Champions League.
With the end of this season, comes an end of an era for the club as well. The club will look to get things sorted out next season so that they can come back stronger the season after that and take part in the European Competitions.
But hey, look at the positive side of not playing in the European Competition. Ok, maybe I am being too naive, but there are some positives:
- The club can easily concentrate on the PL and domestic competitions and try an win those cups.
- The club can try and promote its youth players. Chelsea has a very bad name when it comes to giving their youth a chance, but now seems the perfect time.
- The players do not have to play mid week games and can thus be relaxed and focus on the PL, which is their main priority.
- Also, with no Europa League, the players do not have to play on Thursday’s and then again in the weekend. Playing in the Europa League takes a toll on the player’s fitness and can leave them injured at times. No wonder some of the fans didn’t want Chelsea to win the FA Cup.
- Last but not the least, many fans do not have to stay awake till 3-4 am in the morning to watch Chelsea play in the Champions League. They can sleep peacefully.
Okay, maybe the last one was a bit too much, but I was just trying to crack a joke and bring smiles on the faces, which the fans have lacked the whole season.
There is no club in this world which didn't go through a bad season. Having one bad season doesn’t mean it’s the end of the world. You work hard next season and come back stronger. That’s exactly what Chelsea need to do. Stick together as a team, train harder and come back stronger next season and shut all their critics. v This season has been done and dusted. Start preparing for the next season and give youngsters their chance which they deserve. We believe in the club. The club has been in deeper problems and has managed to come out of it, surely the club can come out of this as well. We have supported the club in the good times, let's support the club when it needs us the most. The club and the fans have a special bonding. We are like a family. And as said in Fast & the Furious movie "We don't give up on our family even when they do."
‘Blue is the colour, football is the game, We are together and wining is our aim, So cheer us all through the sun and rain, Cause Chelsea, Chelsea is our name’
Source: DSG
