The Blues first won the English top flight in 1955, and by 1971 had won three FA Cups and the old UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup. Fortunes soon turned, and in 1983, the west Londoners avoided relegation to the English third tier by the skin of their teeth. Within a decade, the good times were rolling again, and a 26-year wait for a trophy ended with their fourth FA Cup.
Enter a new owner, Roman Abramovich, and the rest – of their modern era – is history. The latest wait for a trophy is only five seasons, but in the past four seasons, the Stamford Bridge club has witnessed its choppiest waters in 30 years and now faces a campaign without any European football. Al Jazeera Sport takes a look at the club’s prospects in advance of the new season.
A run of 12th, sixth, fourth and 10th-placed finishes in the Premier League marks the worst run since the Blues finished 11th in 1996. Since then, they have only finished outside the top six once, that being one of only five finishes outside the top five in that period. The arrival of Xabi Alonso marks the seventh permanent manager since Thomas Tuchel’s side lifted their second Champions League title in May 2021.
That statistic, in itself, points to the answer: instability. The chopping and changing behind the scenes, including the sale of the club by their billionaire backer Abramovich in 2022, have left the team in turmoil on the field. Under Enzo Maresca, who is now Manchester City manager, the Blues enjoyed a great deal of possession last season.
That did not, however, translate into results. Opponents sat deep and found Maresca’s team to be predictable. When the Italian left his role, amid internal tensions, his team had won only one of their last seven matches.
Ironically, in the face of the chopping and changing off the field, the biggest problem under Maresca was his rigid tactics. Alonso, who lost his job at Real Madrid in January, was heavily criticised for his formations and tactical changes. Los Blancos were renowned for their 4-3-3 formation for years, but Alonso used a mix of 4-2-2-2, 3-4-3 and 4-4-2.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
