Somewhere deep in the Premier League rule book, there must be a lesser known clause that at any one point during a campaign, at least one side must be deemed to be ‘in crisis.’
Less than a week ago it was Manchester City. A couple of scoreless draws and the end was nigh. Unconfirmed confidant’s and faceless sources were at the mercy of the press pack, telling all and sundry that the City camp was far from a happy place. Tales of dressing room discontent and misgivings about the manager were rife, with Roberto Mancini apparently ‘under pressure’, ‘fearing the axe’ and ‘on the brink’ of something or another.
One win later and they are now out of crisis having been safely usurped by Chelsea. Three defeats in four either side of the sudden dismissal of Ray Wilkins, last night led to a host of completely unfounded rumours that Carlo Ancelotti had tendered his resignation to the club.
Of course, during Monday’s press conference ahead of Tuesday’s Champions League tie with MSK Zilina, Ancelotti chose to implicitly deny all rumours that he was contemplating ending his 18 month stay in west London, "These rumours are totally untrue. I don't know why they came out.”
The Italian also clarified reports that he’d contacted the League Managers Association for advice on his position, "They called me [on Sunday night] when I was at home, quiet, to find out what was happening.”
So, with talk of resignations put to bed, let us reflect on the rest of the ‘crisis’ which is currently engulfing Stamford Bridge.
Of course, recent form is a cause for concern. The three defeats during November have only been appeased by a narrow victory over Fulham, with the previously free-scoring Blues restricted to just one goal over this period. The slump in points and performances have been offset against a number of injuries which have exposed the limitations of the squad at Ancelotti’s disposal, yet the champions still find themselves top with their main competitors all in far from flawless pursuit.
The anaemic display against Sunderland would have worried many in the Chelsea camp yet returning empty handed from Birmingham was not all doom and gloom. Before and after Lee Bowyer’s well taken but poorly defended goal, Chelsea were the dominant force in terms of possession and chances and a combination of Ben Foster, the woodwork and Chelsea’s own fallacies in front of goal meant Ancelotti’s men contrived to lose a game they should have won.
That in itself maybe a sign that things are not fully operative, yet Ancelotti claimed post-match that if Chelsea play like that all season they will win the league. Aside from having to put the ball in the net, Ancelotti appeared calm about another defeat, and has opportunity to remedy these in the upcoming games against Slovakian whipping boys Zilina and the inconsistent Newcastle.
The melting pot has been further added to and stirred with the timing of these defeats coinciding with Wilkins departure as Ancelotti’s right hand man. Indeed Ancelotti confessed it was ‘not his decision’ to axe Wilkins – the man who Ancelotti went to lengths to praise following the Blues historic league and cup double last season.
Michael Emenalo has been promoted from behind the scenes as Wilkins replacement, apparently without Ancelotti’s full blessing which led to the 51-year-old former Milan boss saying that he enjoyed much less control of his club compared with counterpart Sir Alex Ferguson.
Interference from the boardroom has been rife since Roman Abramovich took control, with José Mourinho citing Abramovich and his various informants’ involvement as a contributing factor to his demise at the Bridge. However, barring Ferguson and Arsene Wenger, the chances of a Premier League manager having complete control over the whole structure of a club is largely a bygone concept in an era of directors of football, worldwide scouting networks and complex youth development projects.
Certainly, the concept of ceding to the top is not an uncommon practice for Ancelotti who had years of dealing with Silvio Berlusconi at the San Siro. Indeed, it is highly unlikely that he has any less control now than he did the day he walked through the revolving managerial door at Chelsea.
Prior to Ancelotti’s arrival from Italy, Chelsea had already agreed the transfers of long term targets Daniel Sturridge and Abramovich’s Russian compatriot Yuri Zhirkov. Little mention of this lack of control was mentioned as the Blues plundered over 100 league goals on their way to regaining the Premier League title, and even less was said about the economically motivated departures of Juliano Belletti, Joe Cole, Deco and Michael Ballack this summer as Chelsea serenely began their defence by strolling to victory in the first five games.
There is no doubt that there are on-field issues for Chelsea at the moment beset by injuries to pivotal players, yet suggestions that off-field problems are rife are wide of the mark. The timing of the spate of defeats is merely coincidental than circumstantial and claims of a crisis are about as premature as they were the week before with Manchester City.
Still top of the table and with Alex and John Terry due back, Frank Lampard returning soon, Michael Essien completing his suspension and Didier Drogba regaining strength following a bout of malaria, it could be argued that the worst is behind them as Chelsea look forward to the remainder of the season.
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