This week being an exception, the fixtures are coming thick and fast for the boys in blue.
A trip to Turkey to see an old friend is not far around the corner, but Saturday’s performance emphasised the squad’s need for revitalising, as we head into perhaps the toughest stretch the season has to offer.
I’m sure most – if not all – Chelsea fans will agree that Saturday’s defeat was a low point in our season. Of course losing to City is never taken lightly, but it was our inability to even look remotely interested in battling for the game which really hit home for me. Lethargic.
A word that flew around a lot on Twitter on Saturday night – and rightly so. It wasn’t exceedingly difficult to appreciate the problem; in fact, it was pretty hard to miss!
If I were an ‘every cloud’ kind of guy, I would conclusively state that 6 points over an FA Cup quarter final place is vital – but I’m not. I want it all!
If we weren’t interested in giving our all to win the game on Saturday, then why not field some irregulars? Those who are willing to fight for their place in the team. We lacked energy, determination and ideas.
Perhaps we should be looking at our reserves when our big guns need a rest – although I believe Saturday was a missed opportunity.
Weary Legs » Chelsea News
The likes of Hazard and Willian looked weary, but can we really afford to leave them out of the Everton game on the weekend, or the Galatasaray game the following Wednesday? No. Because these are tough games in which we cannot afford to lose.
At the moment, our bench doesn’t always seem to fill me with hope. Schurrle and Salah are very similar players, the latter not quite adapted to English football yet. Ba does offer us an alternative up front, but doesn’t have the legs to freshen things up when we need to.
Then you have the ever present Frank and Ash. It just feels like we’re crying out for something a little different. That young academy talent that gets the fans’ hopes up when he walks onto that pitch.
I’m not trying to be critical of those who have offered so much to the club in recent years, but it would be undoubtedly nice to see something a little diverse, particularly in tricky times in terms of fixture congestion.
The problem for me is, when we look back to the beginning of the season, everybody was asking that ‘where are all these players going to fit!?’ question; now, I look to the bench and I question some of the decisions we’ve made.
We have a remarkable amount of young talent out on loan, so my question to you – as the fans – would be: would you rather allow the youth to develop on loan (at the likes of Vitesse), or have them in the reserves to allow our big players a rest from time to time?
A happy medium is perhaps a necessity, as currently everyone seems to be out on loan. Piazon, Chalobah, McEachran, Traore, Lukaku; the highly taleneted list seems endless.
Who would you like to see back at the Bridge next season, and why?
Great article – just what I felt needed to be said, we have gone off the boil slightly following a great run of form. Piazon could have been used this season, particularly in times like this, and I also feel it was a shame that De Bruyne couldn’t find his feet here. Anyway, as I say, great article!
Thanks Billy. I agree, particularly with the De Bruyne comment. Piazon looking promising for next season though, agree? Would be nice to bring someone like Chalobah or McEachran off the bench every now and then; a bit like when we had Loftus-Cheek in the post-season matches last year!