Have a look at that picture of Luiz. Not a pleasant sight (unless you’re the opposition obviously) but it’s still the most relevant image I could use to sum up where it felt we were on Sunday lunchtime. ‘Miserable’ just doesn’t sum things up right now – and that’s just the supporters. As for the players, try ‘dejected’ because that’s how they looked both during and after that game.
It’s taken me this long to be able to sit down and write anything without wanting to bang my head off the nearest wall, drown my sorrows, or both. From negative team selection to negative tactics we looked like a side with nothing to offer and I just find that incredible given the resources we have available.
The transformation is drastic already this season and we couldn’t feel further from being Champions of Europe if we tried. Mad isn’t it? At the end of last season we were celebrating our status as the newly crowned Champions of Europe and here we are just 7 months later, with a defeat in the Community Shield behind us, out of the Champions League and the Premier League frontrunners already opening up what looks to be more of a gulf than a gap between us. We even managed to come a poor second to Corinthians in the Club World Cup – all before Christmas.
But for me, it was that particular game Sunday, or more specifically what we saw in the moments after it, that should be waking Roman Abramovich up to the urgency with which he should act. I know I’ve been nothing but negative about Rafa Benitez being at Chelsea – and I make no apology for that – but it’s never been just a half-baked tantrum in response to Roberto Di Matteo’s sacking (although I still believe Roman got that wrong), no, the reason I will never either support or accept Benitez is because he doesn’t even respect Chelsea nevermind care about us. In fact, if I was a conspiracy theorist, given the job he’s done so far I might even be inclined to believe his agenda is to get his own back for the aggravation we gave him in his Liverpool days. Of course that’s not the case, if anything, he’s probably just come for the salary because he’s certainly shown no signs of being at Chelsea to benefit us in any way.
Anyone who’s read this blog regularly over the years will know I’m not and never have been a ‘sack the manager’ type. Not since Avram Grant have I felt so strongly against a manager being at Chelsea that I’ve flatly refused to accept it. Having said that, when it was Grant, at least I’d listen to his pre- and post-match drivel and read what he had to say in the press – even if it was just to find fault with it. I’ve yet to read a word Rafa’s had to say since his arrival and as for his opinion on our games, let’s just say the mute button has never been used quite so often in my house. I don’t know why I don’t just stick my fingers in my ears, squeeze my eyes shut and sing ‘can’t hear you’ at the top of my voice because whilst I know it’s childish behaviour, like the monster under my bed as a six year old, I’m choosing to believe that if I don’t think about it, it’ll go away.
And Sunday was just another demonstration of why my stance isn’t going to change anytime soon. You see, whilst anyone watching the game could see we were going to concede if we didn’t make a change – and every Chelsea fan I know would have been screaming for that change – Rafa did nothing. We could see the game was getting away from us and I suspect the players knew what was coming and yet the one man who could have changed that – did nothing.
Ok, maybe that’s not entirely true because he did do something – he took a seat. So did he do that because he didn’t have a plan B? Because he doesn’t recognise a team losing their grip on a game when he sees one? Because he’s tactically inept maybe? Or, ladies and gentleman, did Rafa Benitez do nothing (until it was too late) simply because he’s completely apathetic about Chelsea FC? Because whilst Lucas Piazon quite rightly noted our players seemed to lack the same sort of passion for the game as Corinthians on the day, he missed the point that if he looked over at the touchline, the image any one of them players out there had to motivate and inspire them was about as passionate as my nan in a onesie with her dentures out.
What was even more telling though in terms of how little he cares for the club was the glaring difference between images of our players looking completely dejected, demonstrably so in some cases, and Rafa Benitez grinning his head off. Tactless much? Or again, just another mark of a man who couldn’t care less either way? When was the last time we saw a Chelsea manager looking so comfortable with defeat?
Sounds bizarre I know – but then Sunday was bizarre given what we achieved just 7 months ago.
Blue is the colour
