How Chelsea can stop being "Billion Pound Bottlers" and rediscover ourselves.

I've said it before, but enough really is enough

So another week, another embarrassing defeat. This time, losing to half an U21 side who’d never played men’s football in their lives, in a major final, and deciding the best tactic to beat them was sit back and give them confidence on the ball and in themselves.

I’ve supported Chelsea since 1987, and I can tell you, I’ve never been this angry after a Chelsea game in my entire life.

It’s not even the result really, expectations and confidence have got so low in me and others (which is itself, an awful sign) , we almost expected to lose today regardless of Liverpool’s injuries.

Its’ the fact we had a HUGE opportunity to win this game, and completely and utterly bottled it. Second half they were there for the taking and we squandered multiple opportunities. Extra time, they had half a team of academy players with squad numbers in the over 50s, making their debuts. They were ripe for the taking and we had attackers like Cole Palmer and Christopher Nkunku on the pitch. But Pochettino got it all wrong and he had a MAJOR and direct impact in us losing us the final.

Missing chances in the second half, let’s be clear, is not on him. That’s on the players and on the sporting directors for not signing a proven number 9. But the tactical stuff in extra time, which ultimately cost us the match and trophy, is all on him.

Bottom line there’s major issues at Chelsea behind the scenes, which need to be addressed by the summer if we have any ambition at all. I won’t address playing staff as that’s obvious to everyone, and requires another article. So I’ll focus on some staffing decisions which need to be made.

The Manager

I’ve backed Mauricio Pochettino since he was appointed. As with all managers, I always back them and give them time. I like Pochettino and I wanted his appointment to work so badly. In recent weeks, my faith has wavered, nearly restored but finally went today.

His tactics in extra time in the final, is, for want of a better term, not a Chelsea thing to do. It’s not what elite managers do against inferior teams, which Liverpool’s extra time XI was. It was completely wrong, gave Liverpool and their young players tons of confidence and belief, and deservedly cost Chelsea the game.

The worst thing about the whole wasn’t even the game. It was Pochettino’s comments after the game. I’ll post them directly to avoid confusion or misinformation:

“"The team felt maybe the penalties would be good for us."

Mauricio Pochettino

When this quote first came out, the guy with me was so angry he had to go to another room to scream in anger. I felt the same, but managed to restrain myself, partly as I was recording a podcast.

Absolutely shocking. So, to be clear, Mauricio Pochettino, the Chelsea manager, made a tactical decision based on how his players were “feeling”, and they didn’t have the confidence to beat a team with a bunch of U21 players on their debuts in 30 mins?

Really?

There’s SO much wrong here.

1. Making a tactical decision based on players confidence is poor management, pure and simple. Its’ HIS JOB firstly to give them confidence to beat them, and then drill into the them the fire and motivation and drive to win and go for it.

2. How much damage has he done to the players mentality or how weak is their confidence that they didn’t believe they could beat THAT Liverpool XI who they’d just been dominating at the end of normal time? Again, that’s the managers job, and its awful coaching, with an awful mentality.

3. Then HE decides that its’ a good tactic to defend deep against that Liverpool team instead of at least being positive in attack, as he is so afraid to lose and thinks his team’s best chance is penalties. Making decisions based on fear in those particular circumstances, is simply inexcusable.

4. Oh and then he TELLS everyone about it in the press conference afterwards, so letting everyone, including his players, know he is afraid of Liverpool and likely other big clubs. Again, awful communication, awful management.

This is just all bad management, bad coaching. It’s cowardly and weak. It’s simply not the standard expected at ANY big football club. Not the standard at Man City, Liverpool, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Arsenal, and yes, at Chelsea Football Club.

Yes , we have a young squad but there’s simply no excuse for this, in these circumstances where the opposition were there for the taking.

The manager is by far from being the only issue at Chelsea Football Club right now, there’s issues way above him. However he IS an issue, and there should simply be no scenario possible now which seems him as our head coach next season.

Even the most patient, intelligent, understanding, rational, non-reactionary fans are now turning against him. The match-going fans almost certainly have turned too. The next home defeat could become very toxic, and things will likely remain that way until he leaves, or confirmation he is leaving in the summer. A large proportion of the fanbase, online and match-day, simply do not see him as fitting or suitable for the Chelsea Head Coach position.

And to me, people who understand Chelsea, get this. Its’ not a debate for me anymore.

Winning the FA Cup (ha!), a few wins, or even finishing 6th isn’t going to quell me this time, or most of the fans. Start making plans to replace him and say an amicable goodbye in the summer, if he can even make it that long. Right now I’m not sure how he’ll survive the season given how toxic the fanbase is becoming towards him. He doesn’t even look happy.

As I said earlier, some of us (including me) felt this appointment could work and the Spurs thing wouldn’t be an issue. I felt he’d grown as a coach and was capable of winning trophies. I backed him till earlier this month, then gave him a second chance after the last 3 games.

But the final showed he’s simply not cut out to be a serial winner. Chelsea, in case anyone reading, from the club or anywhere is, is unclear, are in the business of being serial winners. Not serial bottlers.

So what’s the answer? An elite tactician, with a winning mentality, the right personality and mentality for Chelsea and who is ambitious and hungry for titles. Someone who is tactically flexible and plays a style suited to our squad.

There’s two I particularly like who I think would be a good fit, both currently being linked, ironically, with the Liverpool job.

Julian Nagelsmann of the German National Team (previously Bayern Munich, RB Leipzig and Hoffenheim), and Ruben Amorim of Sporting Lisbon, are to me, both elite coaches with a winning mentality, who can also improve and develop young players. They have both literally done this in current or past roles, and have shown they’ve got the potential to be elite level coaches and serial winners.

In my view - and its just my view - they are the two the club should be contacting right now for the summer.

Sporting Directors

I’ve mentioned before on this site, so much it must sound like a broken record, how the sporting directors need to take responsibility too. Last summer, they conducted a thorough search (which the owners said they were proud of), and appointed Pochettino after a rigorous selection process, as a “long term” manager.

Its’ clear they’ve failed in this regard, as much as some progress and improvement has been made, it’s not enough for him to deserve to keep his job, and not enough for him to merit the job long term.

As such, they cannot be trusted to appoint his replacement. It might be wise to hire a leader, a sporting director, a proven, respected, football number one to oversee ALL football matters and have the final say on these decisions.

I actually saw a quote the other week about the clubs view of the sporting directors, which took me aback at the time and even more so now.

“Chelsea want to help Stewart and Winstanley go from good to great”

Jacob Steinberg

Again, this is Chelsea Football Club, not a BTEC College for aspiring Sporting Directors. Serious football clubs have experienced, best in class sporting directors. It sounds like we’re offering a scholarship to talented students who want to be sporting directors, which is quite frankly absolutely embarrassing for a club like Chelsea.

Even Dan Ashworth, going to Manchester United, had at least proved he’d done a good job at Brighton and to a certain extent Newcastle. Man City’s sporting director was in charge when Barcelona dominated football, Liverpool identified and promoted Michael Edwards on merit and performance.

Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart have not led a major sporting organisation before. That’s not their fault, I have no issue with them personally, and I’m sure they’re smart, talented people who work very hard. Indeed, I’m confident they have a major role to play at Chelsea, helping build structure, improve scouting and data analysis. Their talent IDs are without doubt very good, and they deserve tremendous credit for some of the talent we’ve signed in the last 12 months and the new hires behind the scenes.

But for me, they aren’t the right people to lead a big club, or set the standards. My recommendation, is to get an experienced, proven, elite sporting director as our number one. End transfers by committee. Then use Winstanley and Stewart in roles which play to their strengths. Let them develop into future sporting directors whilst not in the role.

Ironically, this probably needs to happen before the recruitment of a new manager. I’m not optimistic that it will. If the owners read this, I really do hope there will be actual, authentic accountability for everyone, including the manager and sporting directors, and a public acknowledgement of the mistakes. The fans absolutely deserve this after what’s happened.

Oh and finally….

I’ve mentioned this before, but seriously, talk to the fans. Not in some interview on the website, but a proper sit down interview with the YouTube channel. Be accountable for what’s happened, take responsibility, outline your vision, your ambition, your passion. No PR spin, proper honest accountability.

I’d also advise them not to do any more “masters of the universe” type articles and briefings telling us how great they are, until they actually achieve something significant - like finish top 4 and/or win a trophy. It’s not a good look doing an article like the one in the Times, then bottling a final you should win.

The “Billion Dollar Bottlers” tag is deserved right now, and frankly it’s going to stick until there is serious change AND we start to see the results on the pitch consistently, and start winning finals.

It hurts me to read it as a fan. It hurts even more because its’ true.

I really hope it hurts for hurts for the owners and sporting directors too. If it does (or even if it doesn’t TBH), I’d recommend taking necessary action to ensure it doesn’t last too long.

Chelsea’s history and culture is of winning trophies, not bottling them. Of challenging, not finishing mid table. This sounds corny, but we’re NOT Tottenham Hotspur, we’re not some mid table club, we’re Chelsea Football Club. A giant, historic, successful club with a huge fanbase.

Let’s ACT like it.

These issues all have to be addressed quickly, and be SEEN to be.

I speak to a lot of fans, and I know they are getting increasingly restless. Fans want to see results, and action taken quickly to address the glaring issues most of us can see at the club.

What we’re seeing, quite frankly, is not what Chelsea Football Club are. The club seems to have forgotten who we are. Its’ time to get that back - not just by going back to the past, but by finding the Chelsea way - winning consistently, winning trophies, playing aggressive, attacking, football with flair, technique and power, in today’s football culture.

Its’ vitally important for the clubs future.

The Score