Our series of 2015-16 mid-season reviews concludes with a look at a Chelsea side just beginning to recover from disaster.
The Story So Far
For the reigning Premier League champions the first-half of 2015-16 has truly been a trip through a Twilight Zone-esque nightmare. After sitting atop the mountain for the entirety of their title-winning campaign and recording just three defeats, catastrophes off-field and a team which suffered a horrid drop in form again broke records, but for all the wrong reasons. Problems began to arise from the opening day 2-2 draw at home against Swansea and from then on a domestic run of just four wins, three draws and 10 losses until mid-December saw Jose Mourinho sacked as Chelsea hovered just above the relegation zone.
The festive period and managerial change has brought somewhat of an upturn in form, with the team undefeated in the five games across all competitions. Hopes were high after a commanding 2-0 win over Crystal Palace, yet a step back was taken in the recent 2-2 draw with West Brom. Currently 19 points off first place, the title defence may be long done and dusted, but the team must make a statement in the run toward May.
12 – Chelsea have dropped the joint-most points from winning positions of any @PremierLeague team in 2015-16 – all at Stamford Bridge. Slips
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) January 14, 2016
The Manager
Once more providing an illustration of the lack of patience the higher-powers at Stamford Bridge can have when results are not perfect, Jose Mourinho was shown the exit door after claiming the Premier League crown a little under seven-months prior. The ‘Special One’s’ defensive bus was too easy for the opposition to crack and his die-hard attitude would become infectious, beginning with the Eva Carniero saga and ending with the loss of confidence from his players. A Chelsea fan can only hope that Roman Abramovich learned from the irony of Claudio Ranieri dealing the fatal blow to the man who was initially meant to signify the new era so many years ago.
Perhaps just as ironic is the fact that another old face was brought back to spearhead the rebuild, with Guus Hiddink returning to Stamford Bridge just before the New Year and again in a caretaker role until the end of the season. Hiddink’s resume has not been stellar over the last few years, most recently dumped as the coach of his native Netherland’s national team, but a record of two wins and three draws since taking over is the best any of the blue faithful have seen since lifting the trophy back in May.
Standout player – Willian
Among a very short list of candidates who can say they are having a good season, a Chelsea side without the sublime and continuous efforts of Willian this season may well have been doomed. In the early weeks when the team’s form was near rock bottom, the Brazilian saved points that kept them out of the relegation zone and with five goals over six appearances in the Champions League, single-handedly saw the Blues through the group stage. Despite some poor overall results, he has become one of the most feared free-kick takers in the Premier League with a seemingly endless fuel tank, however, the 2-2 draw with West Brom showed that his efforts alone will not be enough to plug the holes on this sinking ship.
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Second-half Prediction
At this stage the rest of 2015-16 is a salvage mission for Chelsea, as a finish in their current standing of 14th would be an utter laughing-stock. After progressing from a relatively easy group there are still remnants of a Champions League dream and though round of 16 opponents Paris Saint-Germain will arguably pose a greater test than any of their domestic outings thus far, the European crown is where the focus should lie and has previously provided salvation for the Blues when finishing outside of the top four.
This has certainly been one of the most surprising Premier League campaigns in recent memory, and with a little over four months left to show that Chelsea still possess the pride of champions, every bit of that instability will need to be utilised.
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