Rarely, if ever, has a fixture between Chelsea and Aston Villa in mid-October been described as a relegation six-pointer or a must-win: until now.
Jose Mourinho’s defending champions have only won once at Stamford Bridge this season and their away form has fared no better as they languish in 16th place in the Premier League table – 10 points behind pacesetters Manchester City.
Rumours of player unrest and the now infamous bust-up involving former Chelsea doctor Eva Carneiro has contributed to an increasingly out-of-sorts team on the pitch – a side which has now made its worst start in the league for 37 years. It makes no better reading when you study the usually reliable Chelsea defence, which has now conceded a staggering 17 goals in their opening eight games (only Sunderland have a more porous backline with 18).
If the stats are damning then the mood and body language of Chelsea’s megastars has been truly baffling. The self-proclaimed Special One was given a vote of confidence by Blues owner Roman Ambramovich before the international break but talk of the board mulling over a £15m move for Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone will only crank up the pressure and speculation another notch.
But if footballing matters are bleak in West London they are positively teetering on the brink of a hurricane at the West Midlands’ largest club. Aston Villa boss Tim Sherwood has been on the back page of every national newspaper during the two-week Premier League break, as reports suggest he has just two games left to save his job.
If we are to believe the hype, Sherwood must win at the champions or at home to Swansea City to have any chance of retaining the Villa Park hot seat for a little while longer.
It was a summer of upheaval for the Villans with 13 new summer signings drafted in following the loss of Christian Benteke to Liverpool and captain Fabian Delph to Manchester City. But just five months since Sherwood kept Villa up and reached an FA Cup final in scintillating fashion, six losses from their opening eight games (including just one win) has left the Birmingham side in the relegation zone and already four points from safety.
The prospect of a sixth consecutive relegation battle is a growing concern for custodian Randy Lerner and Sherwood has been battered from all angles for some of his substitutions and tactical decisions as well as his own admission that he is still to figure out what his best team is. Added to this, talk of Brendan Rodgers making a quick-fire return to management is fuelling growing rumours that rookie Sherwood will not be afforded too much longer to turn things around.
READ MORE: Is Brendan Rodgers the right man to replace Tim Sherwood at Aston Villa?
Though their expectations at the start of this season were very different, Chelsea and Villa now find themselves in a similar predicament. They say a week is a long time in politics but that theory encapsulates football perfectly as well.
Off-field matters, the sale of your top players and interference from above can all hinder managers in their quest for stability and success. But one key factor eclipses all others in football and that is confidence. It can so often become a vicious circle.
Winning breeds confidence and confidence promotes further winning. Without confidence, it can feel as if you are fighting your way out of a never-ending tunnel. There are greater, more deep-seated problems at Chelsea and Villa than purely confidence, but a win for either of these sides on Saturday would be a major shot in the arm – a confidence boost to take into the crucial period before Christmas.
A win for Chelsea would be expected but a convincing victory could go some way to winning around Jose’s doubters and healing any divides in the dressing room.
An unexpected away win for the Claret and Blues would heap massive pressure on their opponents and move them to within one point of safety. It would also show that the team Sherwood has assembled is capable of beating the best and perhaps starting to show its true potential.
Should both managers be given more time? Undoubtedly yes. But the reality is, with every extra billion (pounds) pumped into the English game, time is increasingly becoming a luxury not on offer to managers. Even when you have achieved the heights that Mourinho has. Just ask Nigel Pearson, Nigel Adkins and Chris Hughton.
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