Even as the wheel keeps turning with changes at Chelsea, there remains a sense of familiarity on the pitch. The club saw the introduction of nine new players this season, balanced with seven departures, and has invested a neat £75 million. However, even with a fresh manager in the dugout, a new look for the team, and an imminent announcement of a fresh sponsor, the essence of their performances remains the same, amidst the constant flux.
Nicolas Jackson’s propensity for offside continues, the significant attacking force that is Cole Palmer endures, and Marc Cucurella doesn’t seem like the same player who represents Spain in the left back position. The pair of midfielders who cost £100m each aren’t quite living up to their hefty price tags. The crowd’s vocal support for Conor Gallagher, caught in an indefinite delay moving to Atletico, was the sole tangible hint of disagreement with the club’s dealings in the transfer window. Todd Boehly, sporting a new haircut, still looks puzzlingly serene in the executive stand.
Perhaps the most enduring factor in modern football is the surreal element. The season has started with a nail biting clash between two of Premier League’s most triumphant teams from the last 10 years. Both now face legal inquiries; one defending 115 charges of alleged financial fair play breaches that they refute, the other being examined for potential wrongdoings of their ex-owner. If they are slapped with a transfer ban it could explain their activities in the transfer market this summer.
This football season should concoct a resolution in one case, and provide more details about the nature of the other. Both cases carry with them a threat to Premier League’s integrity. The football world waits expectantly, not unlike the tense moments post a potential offside play, everyone eager to find out if a late flag will appear. Questions loom: Is it authentic? Does it matter? Or is it mere spectre football, prepared to be driven out at any given moment?
On occasion, Chelsea showed signs of breaking City’s defence, a team they drew with twice in the previous season. Their performance left much to be desired, marked with a plethora of slip-ups, Moisés Caicedo and Enzo Fernández’s failure to restrict Mateo Kovacic who sauntered past them to score the decisive second, being a case in point.
The pandemonium was heightened by the exclusion of Raheem Sterling, or more precisely, by the reaction from his representatives who then issued a plea for a clearer understanding of the situation. Sterling, who returned ahead of schedule for solo training, participated in all six pre-season matches for Chelsea, and with one win out of six, he anticipated being part of the team, regardless. He was apprised of the “tactical decision” to omit him on Friday.
However, this illustrates the difficulty of managing a first-team squad of 48 players. In their match-day 20, Chelsea had five wingers: Cole Palmer, Christopher Nkunku, Mykhailo Mudryk, Noni Madueke and Pedro Neto and one can guess that they were equally disheartened by not making the cut.
Chelsea set a precedent by starting the second consecutive season without an official shirt sponsor, failing to secure any business willing to meet the alleged £60m asking price. An interim agreement is slated for a future announcement and meanwhile, fans get to appreciate the deep blue motif of their jersey. According to interpretations, it embodies the fiercest part of a flame and thus signifies the enthusiasm, ambition and resolution of the team, integrated with a “melting pot pattern” signifying the blend of Chelsea’s illustrious past with London’s vibrant culture.
Speaking of team dynamics, Fernández was announced captain just one month after a video surfaced showing him and some Argentine colleagues vocalising racist anthems. No matter the incident happened before his tenure at Chelsea, the club has been left with the daunting task of rectifying the situation. Asking Fernández to issue an apology and donate to an antiracism charity appears to be a rather lenient penalty and their stance on the issue being resolved seems hopeful and somewhat conveniently swift.
Membership of this vibrant culture for fans comes at a premium increase of an average 5% this season and doesn’t extend to allowing young fans to take images of post-match interviews on their mobiles, or permitting adults to elucidate the stadium’s geography and historical significance; stewards were notably hasty in dispersing those lingering longer, justifying with, “If we permit that, it would consume the entire day”.
Supporters who are seen as an annoyance, home-grown players being sold off as part of a financial strategy, and a team that’s so large they have to utilise an extensive club network to house them all. Clearlake and Boehly vowed to creat upheaval, but it seems all they’ve done is left an unstable club desperately searching for its identity – The Guardian.