Chelsea FC's second season syndrome in Premier League

London, May 19: As Chelsea lost 3-0 in their last game against an outstanding Newcastle, their hopes of a top-four finish ended. This has been a season of underachievement for the club in which neither the manager nor his players have looked confident enough.

Conte’s constant criticism of the board:

From the beginning of the pre-season, Antonio Conte seemed to be unhappy with the club’s transfer policy and unsatisfied with the quality and depth of his squad. This sort of bickering became a constant over the season. After the loss to Newcastle, Conte seemed to point to the exit of ex-technical director Michael Emenalo as the reason for Chelsea’s woes.

The Italian’s exit seems likely as Chelsea failed to secure Champions league status. So, again 1 year after winning the title there is a requirement for an upheaval at the decision-making setup at Stamford Bridge and a need to bring in fresh faces and fresh impetus in the summer.

New Signings have underperformed:

The voids left by the departure of Diego Costa and Nemanja Matic were never going to be easy to fill. Tiemoue Bakayoko was signed from Monaco to replace Matic in midfield, though his recent performances give evidence that he is worth persisting with, the 23-year-old has had a nightmare debut season marked by the horrifying 30 minute spell in the defeat to Watford, if not for his partner N’Golo Kante, Bakayoko would have been in much deeper waters. Conte never acknowledged Danny Drinkwater and Ross Barkley and neither did any of them impressed in the rare appearances they made.

The new signing brought in with the greatest fanfare was Alvaro Morata. Morata never reached the levels at which Costa operated. This has been the poorest season in terms of Goalscoring in his professional footballing career.

Morata scored just 11 and assisted 6 in his 27 premier league appearances. The hamstring injury he suffered did not help the Spainard as he lost his early season sharpness. By winter, Conte seemed to lose patience with Chelsea’s record signing; playing a false nine in big games and also signing Giroud from Arsenal in January. Morata symbolized Chelsea’s goal scoring problems over the season.

The Big guns did not fire:

Eden Hazard has had the second lowest scoring season in his Chelsea career. In a recent media interaction, the Belgian said that the type of signings Chelsea make will play an important in his decision to remain in London. Real Madrid have a long standing interest in the Belgian and if Hazard’s head gets turned it would be a difficult situation for the London club as the Spanish transfer window closes 3 weeks after the English window.

Pedro was also poor along with Club Captain Gary Cahill who was relegated to the bench for a large part of the season. Surprisingly, even the ever dependable Thibaut Courtois received criticism this season.

N’Golo Kante received the club’s Player of the year award which was well earned, but the Frenchman was also not at his best either. His interception rates dropped and the no. of forward surges dipped as well. The main reason could be the absence of a stable midfield partner after Matic’s exit. Kante had to often shield the team’s defence and couldn’t get his team breaking quickly as he usually did last season. It was also evident that Cesc Fabregas’s powers were waning as the ex-Barcelona star could only manage 5 assists over the season.

What next for Chelsea?

Though it may seem all doom and gloom, The Blues did have some impressive nights, especially the one away at Atletico where the players were pumped and played confident football and the manager was at his tactical best. Willian was impressive once again and almost catapulted Chelsea to a win in the home leg against Barcelona. The rise of Andreas Christensen from a returning loanee to a first-team stalwart may be the biggest cherish from Chelsea’s season.

Chelsea are no longer the largest spenders in the Premier League. The last title-winning side was not a result of lavish spending either. Chelsea will need to spend wisely again and bring in players who will strengthen the squad in key areas.

The club’s model always divides opinion. Abramovich needs to reassess his club’s decision-making setup and most importantly appoint a new technical director.

London’s most politicized club is in need of a fresh start and a win over Manchester United in the FA cup final would certainly be helpful in doing that.