The Chelsea Blues

This season was supposed to go differently. This team was supposed to turn a corner. Hiring a proven manager like Mauricio Pochettino would work. Bringing in the likes of Christopher Nkunku and Moises Caicedo would surely do the trick.

Those are a few statements people believed before entering the new English Premier League Season. Heck, even I believed that this team could at least make progress, maybe not qualify for the Champions League but have somewhat of a better season than last.

I am currently wrong on that assessment.

Of course, Chelsea is in a situation with a manager in his first season, players who have little to no experience at the top level let alone experience playing with each other, but that’s what Chelsea is. A team without an identity?

But why is that?

I am going to give what I think is a bit of analysis of why this team is struggling and what they should do.

Give the Manager Time

This may be a bit of a hot take considering Chelsea just lost to Wolves and there have been calls for Mauricio Pochettino to lose his job, but I actually believe Pochettino should not be sacked and should be given time in this current job.

I think Pochettino has enough credibility to stick around given his work at Tottenham, inheriting the likes of Harry Kane and Christian Eriksen, while adding the likes of Dele Alli and Heung-min Son to the team, his Tottenham side was always an elite team on the attack, and all these guys developed into stars under his watch.

I am not saying that guys like the previously mentioned Nkunku, Nicolas Jackson and Cole Palmer are of the same caliber as the guys Pochettino coached at Tottenham, this team has shown flashes of what they can be, but are also young and their inexperience shows.

Players are young, see what you have in them

Chelsea have no identity on the pitch, but off the pitch, one part is clear: sign a lot of youngsters. This team is loaded with young players with potential. I have not even mentioned the likes of Enzo Fernandez, Axel Disasi, Benoit Badiashile and Noni Madueke in this article, but these guys ooze talent and could one day be stars, whether that be at Chelsea or elsewhere. A lot of the Chelsea players were brought in due to the potential they have, and like in any sport players need time to develop, but due to the history of Chelsea of instant success, patience is not something the fanbase is accustomed to.

There is not much to really do

The reality is that when you think of Chelsea, you think about the $1 billion they have spent and the four managers they have gone through since Todd Boehly bought the club in May 2022. FFP looms large in this situation, and in the hole Chelsea has dug itself in, their best way out at this point is to develop the current talent on the roster, and really only attempt to upgrade on Striker and Goalkeeper, which are the two biggest weaknesses on the team.

Adam Funk is a third-year majoring in Telecommunications & Media Industries. To contact him, please email aqf5569@psu.edu