Chelsea’s troubled season has hit a new low.
The Blues did not put up any resistance whatsoever in a
2-0 London derby loss to Arsenal.
It was a disgraceful performance that was devoid of any
heart, spirit, or verve – they were easily and systematically taken apart by
the Gunners. So dismal were Chelsea that after the game, head coach Maurizio
Sarri publicly questioned the team’s character and desire, and understandably
so.
To put it in perspective, much-hyped players such as
Jorginho, Mateo Kovačić, Pedro, and even the usually excellent N’Golo Kanté
were completely dominated by the less-heralded likes of Mattéo Guendouzi, Lucas
Torreira, and Sokratis Papastathopoulos.
But the problems at Stamford Bridge go beyond the pitch.
This club is dysfunctional to the core. Spending big
money on players who went on to underperform greatly, firing coaches
willy-nilly, giving up on players before they get their chance to shine – you
name it, Chelsea since 2015 have done it.
Their poor results over the last three-and-a-half years
speak for themselves.
One Premier League title which increasingly looks like an
outlier. One FA Cup. No Champions League runs beyond the last 16. An average of
73 points per season at the time of writing, which would have seen them miss
this season’s Champions League entirely (which, incidentally, they actually
did). Absolutely nothing else to show for their immense spending.
I’ll go even further: there are only two reasons Roman
Abramovich and his Chelsea team are not complete laughingstocks.
The first is because unlike the NBA or NFL, for example,
European football has no salary cap. Abramovich’s immense wealth serves as a
shield from his own incompetence as a club owner.
Abramovich just assumes that throwing major money at
whatever the problem may be will solve it, regardless of the true situation.
I would even say that Chelsea are the New York Knicks
of European football.
Impatient. Mismanaged. Don’t develop young prospects
properly. Disastrous talent evaluation skills.
Like the Knicks, the only things Chelsea have going for
them are their wealth and the large, glamorous market they play in.
The second reason may soon no longer apply to Chelsea.
This reason is none other than Eden Hazard.
Ever since the Belgian superstar came to London in 2012,
he has been let down by the club time and again in terms of surrounding him
with the best possible supporting cast.
This team shipped out players such as Romelu Lukaku,
Kevin De Bruyne, Mo Salah, and Filipe Luís before any of them had spent much
time on the Chelsea roster.
It only gets worse when one considers that in that same
timespan, Chelsea’s five most expensive signings have been Kepa Arrizabalaga, Álvaro
Morata, Jorginho, Tiémoué Bakayoko, and Danny Drinkwater.
Taking all of this into consideration, as well as the
facts that Hazard is in his prime at 27 years old and linked with Real Madrid,
it is clear: for the sake of his career, Eden Hazard needs to leave the
dumpster fire that Chelsea currently is and head for the Santiago Bernabéu.
A player as great as Hazard is does not deserve to be
placed in the situation he finds himself in at Chelsea. What’s more, ever since
Cristiano Ronaldo left Real for Juventus, Real have been struggling to fill the
void left behind by the Portuguese legend.
Hazard’s arrival would change that. We have seen how
great he is, whether in the Premier League, Champions League, World Cup, or
European Championships. If he were to leave in this current transfer window, he
would fit in seamlessly alongside the likes of Luka Modrić, Gareth Bale, Raphaël
Varane, and compatriot and former Chelsea teammate Thibaut Courtois.
What’s more, in a few years’ time, Hazard might be
expendable at Chelsea anyway. The London club have just signed the much younger
but incredibly talented Christian Pulisic from Borussia Dortmund, who plays the
same position that Hazard does. It’s as though even Chelsea themselves expect
Hazard to leave.
Even if he were to stay at Stamford Bridge, Eden Hazard
will be remembered as an all-time great and the finest footballer to ever come
out of Belgium. Hazard is also arguably already the greatest player to ever
wear the royal blue of Chelsea.
But if he is to truly cement his legacy, he has to go –
the sooner, the better – for his club has failed him one too many times and
will likely continue to do so, should he stay.
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