No Crisis at Chelsea, only Chaos

Chelsea have registered one win in their last five games, and that came in the form of a laboured comeback victory over their tier-side Lincoln City in the Carabao Cup round three fixture, an unacceptable run that raises questions about Enzo Maresca early in the season.

Yet, tiny margins have been decisive in their fate since the return from the first international break earlier in the month, but it is unfortunate that unlike their fellow English club Liverpool, Chelsea haven’t had luck on their side.

The three losses in this run have been down to individual howlers and very avoidable situations. And even though Enzo Maresca’s analysis of things could suggest his innocence, his hands are not far removed from what has been a disastrous month.

Chelsea | No Crisis, Only Chaos

Following their return from the international break, Chelsea took on Brentford looking to build on their two wins, but after overcoming an early setback to lead 2-1 heading into the final minutes, they couldn’t hold on to their advantage.

Fabio Carvalho’s equalizer deep into injury time was avoidable, but debutant Alejandro Garnacho abandoned his defensive responsibilities and left the Portuguese to tap home from close range, unmarked.

Many may think their game away at Bayern Munich was always going to be difficult, but what cannot be taken away from the night was how they opened themselves up for their hosts to penetrate with little effort.

Three goals were scored by Bayern, first, an own goal from Trevor Chalobah, then a penalty conceded by Moises Caicedo out of nothing, and finally Malo Gusto’s direct error leading to a third, all schoolboy and avoidable mistakes.

Then they returned to the league, hopeful of seeing off a horrendous Manchester United side and earning their first league win at Old Trafford since 2012. But less than four minutes in, Robert Sanchez came out of his box to crash into Bryan Mbeumo, earning himself a straight red card.

As though that wasn’t enough for the day, Enzo Maresca took off all his attackers almost immediately, leaving just Joao Pedro on the pitch, it was a strange scene, as though we’ve never seen a team pick up an early red card and still go on to have a decent game.

Ironically, United went on to struggle after taking a 2-0 lead, and even picked up a red card themselves before halftime, but with their attacking players off the pitch, a dominant Chelsea side could only score once after the interval, and their hosts won 2-1.

They trailed to a late first-half goal against Lincoln in the Carabao Cup, scored via another error at the back, but turned it around thanks to two quick second-half goals, which secured their place in the third round, where they visit Wolves.

In their most recent game against Brighton, they looked set to return to winning ways after Enzo Fernandez’s first-half header put them in the driving seat against a team that had only ever won once against them at Stamford Bridge.

But the cookies crumbled after another moment of lack of concentration. Andrey Santos gave the ball away in a dangerous position, forcing Trevor Chalobah to engage in a tackle that got him sent off for denial of a goalscoring opportunity.

With back-to-back sendings-off in the competition, Chelsea now lead the way for red cards received in the Premier League this season with two, as many as they received in the entirety of last season.

The visitors then scored through Danny Welbeck (twice) and Maxim De Cuyper to win 3-1 and leave with their second-ever win at Stamford Bridge.

Where Do They Turn?

The structure under Enzo Maresca may not be flawless, but it is effective, except for the individual errors and his own lack of good crisis management skills.

While some fans continue to question his prowess at top level, the Italian has not done himself any good recently due to his choices when forced to make emergency decisions.

But the real problem at Chelsea is more a case of chaos than crisis.

Despite the series of injuries currently haunting them, the majority of matches where the club has dropped points were winnable, and these are what make the difference between a title contender and a top-four chaser.

It is still very early in the season, but Chelsea do not look like they have what it takes to be at the top of the pile, not when they can’t turn unfavourable situations to their favour, which is baffling, because the team does have what it takes.

Yes, they are short at the back, but collectively, they are much better. They just need to keep their heads cool in crucial moments, and maybe this self-destruction is a result of not having experience in the team.

Yet this does not portray a club in crisis, just one of chaos, where everyone has to take a look at themselves and play more for the team, as a team.

By Kehinde-Hassan Afolabi