Chelsea’s loss to Manchester Metropolis on Saturday was in all probability to be anticipated, however that doesn’t make it any much less irritating.
Their win over Wolves on Monday evening proved to be the exception to the rule of their poor run since Christmas, and the Metropolis sport noticed them droop again to the worst features we’ve seen since then.
Listless, lifeless, missing in power or perception, with out trusted gamers to come back on and alter the sport – not that the supervisor would use them earlier than the eightieth minute, after all.
After such a robust begin to the season, this crew are beginning to seem like the crew of final yr, or the yr earlier than. Making the Champions League locations has gone from a certain factor to an actual battle.
Taking a look at betting websites like https://speltips.se/bettingsidor, it turns into clear that the bookies are beginning to really feel the identical method that we’re. Even by way of the primary few video games of this droop, our odds for the highest 4 have been very slim. It was only a blip – and the groups round us have been certain to slide too in some unspecified time in the future.
However not it’s greater than a month of poor performances, and it’s a run which exhibits no signal of ending. In the meantime Bournemouth and Newcastle proceed to look good, Arsenal hold choosing up factors, and we’ve simply given Metropolis an enormous enhance of their makes an attempt to get again into the dialog… the competitors appears hotter than ever whereas we’ve run out of petrol with months nonetheless to play.
There are some things Enzo Maresca can do to alter issues after all, however he appears as frozen in his pondering between video games as he does when he stands on the sideline and watches outcome drift away from him as he did on Saturday.
His philosophy doesn’t change. Regardless of what number of errors Robert Sanchez makes, irrespective of what number of possibilities Nicolas Jackson misses, irrespective of how knackered the midfield appears or how intently marked Cole Palmer is, Maresca sticks with the method.
There are winnable video games developing, after all. There’s at all times the sense we may click on again into gear and begin enjoying like we have been within the first few months of the season. Then we actually would cruise to a powerful last place.
However simply as probably is a continuation of the slide as morale continues to lower. What a time to face our outdated pal Graham Potter, now managing West Ham…
