Chelsea 2018 New Year Flashback!

What a year it has been for Chelsea FC! As a Chelsea fan, I watched with a mixture of curiosity and anticipation at the many changes that happened throughout the year. Indeed, it was a time of transition, marked by the sacking of Antonio Conte as our head coach and the appointment of Maurizio Sarri as his replacement. Of course, in between this transition, after a largely disappointing season in which we finished 6^th (and out of the Champions League) we also had the chance to watch 14 of our players play in the World Cup and shine they did! So here is a recap of our season and highlights!

Sacking of Antonio Conte

Let’s be honest, towards the end of his tenure, Conte had become a hugely unpopular figure among the players. Looking at past interviews and comments from the players (past and present), a number of reasons cropped up. Firstly, and perhaps most importantly, he did not maintain a good channel of communication with his players. This was often cited by the likes of Willian, David Luiz and Diego Costa and even subtly hinted by the other players such as Eden Hazard and Cesc Fabregas (where they avoided directly answering questions on the players relationship with the coach). It appears that he is the kind of coach who analysed games and his team on his own and then force his ideologies onto his players through a tough regime.

This brings to his second failing, his unwillingness to compromise. It is well-known that Conte’s training sessions are unforgiving. Morata and Christensen once said that after Conte’s training, the players had to recover for the entire day or they will have trouble with fatigue and fitness for the next training or match. Essentially, the players had no free time for themselves, especially with the added fixture of Champions League football in 17/18. Coupled with a strict diet regime at the club and punishment of being dropped from the squad if they do not do as Conte please (See David Luiz and Diego Costa), it is no surprise that players such as Willian wanted to leave Chelsea If Conte isn’t sacked.

Finally, the transfer of Diego Costa in 2017. Diego Costa’s transfer came as a shock to all Chelsea fans worldwide. Everyone could see how good Diego Costa is. A target man. A hardworker. Like Drogba, but more technical and faster. But essentially, he is a strangely good and nice guy on and off the pitch. Just listen to Chelsea players talk about him, read about his charitable deeds or follow his Instagram stories. It is only the media that seemingly stereotype him as the pantomime villain of the EPL. Conte’s decision to drop Costa was a slap in the face to all Chelsea fans and perhaps the last straw to a growing toxic relationship. (Other smaller reasons include Jose Mourinho’s influence and largely disappointing transfers.)

World Cup

As a Chelsea fan, it was a great time to watch the World Cup. I actually did go to Russia to watch two matches, England vs Panama and Croatia vs Denmark. Owing to Eden Hazard playing for Belgium, I chose to support them last year. Of course, this Belgium team is at its peak of a golden generation. From front to back, the team is loaded with world class players. I initially thought, from watching the Qualifiers, that this team just couldn’t gel, but from the first match on, I was proven wrong. Roberto Martinez had found just the right formation and tactics to fully utilize the mammoth strength of this crazy talented squad. Thibaut Courtois and Batshuayi plays too. Victor Moses and the forgotten Kenneth Omerou plays for Nigeria, although they exited early in a tough group. Rudiger and Dave too, exited early with Germany and Spain’s surprising early exits. (Though it is tough to see them play in their teams…) Other players include, Gary Cahill, Andreas Christensen, Willy Caballero, Loftus-Cheek, Willian, Kante and Giroud. Kante and Giroud went on to win the coveted World Cup. In particular, Loftus-Cheek stood out as a promising youngster, Willian showed the world that he is still a phenomenal player (his play with Brazil was really good), Kante proved why he is a much-loved defensive enforcer (he really ruined Belgium’s smooth style of play, although Croatia seem to get the better of him) and Giroud has the funny accolade for not scoring a goal as the main striker in a World Cup winning team.

Overall, Chelsea players showed their incredible worth and talent in this World Cup, in particular Eden Hazard where he truly shone as probably the best player in this WC edition.

Appointment of Maurizio Sarri

Much has been speculated about his appointment before Sarri was officially appointed as head coach. His style of play has gained a fearsome reputation, Sarriball as they call it, a fast-paced vertical passing style of football. He came in late on, with much of his main squad unavailable due to World Cup commitments. But his first few matches brought to light a much different style of playing as compared to the largely defensive Conte’s side. Chelsea immediately came playing with a large number of possession, although to its effectiveness, it is yet to know. The message he brought are also positive and reassuring. Thrown away was Conte’s need for ‘suffering’ and came Sarri’s message to ‘love football’.

Sarri’s transfers were also really reassuring. His first transfer was Jorginho, a technical passer. Jorginho’s strengths lie in his fast decision-making, knowing when to receive and pass. He does not really have the vision or passing range as Fabregas, but he is more fast and defensively nous compared to his compatriot. With these attributes, he is able to dictate the pace of the game really well. Sarri also brought on Kovacic on loan from Real Madrid. This was a true icing on the cake. Kovacic is an extremely talented player, very technical and forward looking. His dribbling is a joy to watch. His only flaw lies in his shooting capabilities, where he is woefully bad at. Kepa Arrizabalaga too was drafted in as a replacement keeper for Courtois. The past matches has seen him in good form and I do rate him very highly. He is agile, quick and overall really solid between the posts, perhaps a contrast to 2018 Thibaut Courtois.

With his new style of play, some players benefitted while others didn’t. The more technical players with good passing abilities clearly benefited. David Luiz, for example. Victor Moses was dropped from the squad altogether as he was deemed not good enough as a defender yet not good enough as an attacker. Christensen, although solid, does not have Luiz’s range of passing. Fabregas was a weird choice out. He is amazing in Jorginho’s role, if not better. But he does eventually need to make way for youngblood which is a shame as he is a really good player. Some standouts in Sarri’s era includes Loftus-Cheek, who has grown to be a really confident player, good in dribbling. Ross Barkley too came with new skillsets that shone; he has a lethal shooting boot and dribbling wise he is not too bad himself. Hudson-Odoi is the hugely talented new star. One can see that he can become a world class talent, but he is not there yet and Sarri’s choice to not play him is understandable. Perhaps a loan out to a top side would do him good.

Retirements & Departures

A number of Chelsea Legends recently retired from football. King Drogba hung up his boots after his stint as player-owner at Phoenix Rising in the US. John Terry officially hung up is boots after his contract with Aston Villa ended.  He is now the assistant coach of Aston Villa. And Joe Cole too has retired at the age of 37 after playing for the Tampa Bay Rowdies since 2016.

Prominent exits in 2018 includes main goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois. I know and saw many Chelsea fans deriding him for leaving us and calling him a snake. But I just want them to remember his prominent role in the 2017-18 season where he made many spectacular saves in which we won by 1 goals and that eventually adds up to our PL title. His decision to leave is rather not straightforward, with him citing family reasons, although there seems to be more to it. (Perhaps Conte). Whatever it is, he is having a tough time at Real Madrid and we wish him all the best for his upcoming season.

Looking on

There are still many matches to look out for. As of Gameweek 20, we are 5 points above Arsenal who is in 5^th place but 11 points off Liverpool at the top of the table. It seems quite unlikely we will be Champions this season, though we should be able to get in the top 4. Other things to look out for also includes the European Cup and FA Cup which we are still inside. Thus, we Chelsea fans wish them all the best and hope for a great 2019 ahead!