“I’m learning about the players. I’m learning about the people you can lean on when things aren’t going your way and you need to see a game out.”
Those were the words of Chelsea head coach Liam Rosenior after Chelsea’s 1-1 draw against Burnley at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.
That’s back-to-back games where Chelsea were unable to maintain a lead. The Blues were 2-0 up against Leeds and drew 2-2. They also squandered a 1-0 advantage against Burnley courtesy of an added-time goal from Zian Flemming.
Welcome to the Dark Side
Rosenior’s four-game Premier League winning streak as Chelsea head coach is now a distant memory. His team have shown him their darker side, though this is something he claims has always been present.
“There’s too many instances, even in my time here. Wolves away, Crystal Palace away, Leeds at home, today, where we’ve conceded goals from moments of lack of concentration, lack of accountability. If we want to maximize the potential, which I know is there, we have to address that very quickly.” he said after that Leeds collapse.
Lack of concentration and accountability have been the hallmark of this Chelsea side since BlueCo took over from Abramovich. The team is built with young players and around a young spine. It lacks the support of more experienced players who are capable of leading the team in difficult times. Chelsea’s oldest player at the moment is Tosin Adarabioyo. But he’s not a starter and doesn’t look like one who is capable of organizing and leading the team when he’s on the pitch.
“You can’t win with kids”
Pundit Owen Hargreaves, who was on the Premier League TV Production studio Saturday, had this to say about their recent struggles:
“I think it’s inexperience. It goes back to recruitment. They spent so much money on this squad. The centre-back position and the goalkeeper they need to address, you need experience in there. You think they had Thiago Silva, one of the best and they just let him go for free.”
Recruitment is one of the biggest contributors to Chelsea’s instability. Former Liverpool star Alan Hansen famously said on Match of the Day in 1995 that “you can’t win anything with kids”. Mind you, the Manchester United side he was referring to won the league that season. However, his statement remains mostly true in soccer today.
Winning demands consistency and experience over a sustained period of the season, which you hardly get from young players. The aforementioned Manchester United side had players like Eric Cantona and Steve Bruce who held the hands of the young ones. Chelsea don’t have anything similar. Their lack of concentration in key moments, and occasional poor game management, will continue to happen until it’s addressed. The solution? Signing some experienced leaders. Or wait until the existing players learn over time.
Head coach Liam Rosenior is clearly aware of the task ahead of him. “I think youth is one thing, accountability is another,” he said. “I’m accountable. I’m the head coach, I’m the manager of the team, and I’m responsible for every result and every performance we have. We need players you can rely on in the moment to do their job. I know what we need to get there. It’s not down to youth, it’s down to assessing the players and identifying the ones you can rely on in difficult moments.”
It’s Crunch Time
Chelsea has a tough run of games coming up. In their next six fixtures they will face sides like: Arsenal, Aston Villa, Newcastle United, Man City, and Man United. If they come out of these fixtures and still be in the top 5 in the Premier League table, then their chances of qualifying for the Champions League will be a lot brighter.
